Review of The Umbrella Academy: Season Two

By Dave B.

The second season of Umbrella Academy finds the siblings separated after their narrow escape from Season One’s apocalypse. They’ve each landed at different points in time in early 1960s Dallas, Texas. As they try to reunite, they soon discover that they haven’t avoided doomsday, at all. It’s followed them into the past. 

Many of the elements that work in Season One are maintained and continue to work in Season Two: a great soundtrack, brisk pacing, and the eccentric personalities of the siblings are all welcome carryovers. Plus, a toning down of the occasionally ultra-frenetic energy of the first season is welcome; it helps to make a more coherent, cohesive plot. Solid special effects and beautiful scenery make both seasons of Umbrella Academy beautiful to behold. From a plot and production perspective, I daresay that the second season is superior to its earlier iteration. But…

Look, I understand that different people deal with stressful and traumatic situations in a variety of ways, some of which are seemingly irrational. But the Umbrella Academy siblings may be the most self-centered, self-serving, self-defeating group of humans that have ever survived a crisis. That wasn’t such a bad quality in the first season. It made them interesting. But after everything that they’ve been through, having those same personality traits persist in the characters is often annoying. I get it. You had a rough childhood. You fell in love with someone. Yada, yada, yada. The fate of the world is at stake (again) and most of the main characters experience almost zero personality growth for most of this season. Some viewers won’t mind that, but I often found it grating. 

In nearly every measurable way, Umbrella Academy: Season Two is better than Season One. But I don’t like it as much. Because most of the main characters experience little fundamental personality growth for most of the season, their actions and reactions are often depressingly predictable. That’s not to say that I don’t like Season Two, because I do. But I can’t say that it represents a vast improvement over the initial season. Here’s hoping that Season Three shakes things up a some more by having the siblings grow up a bit. 

Service: Netflix
Episodes: 10
Approx. Episode Length: 48 Minutes
Rating: 7.5/10