By the end of season two, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy has tackled two apocalypses, and this season opens with a familiar story, but with new danger and fresh possibilities that revolve around the theme of family. Adapted from the comic books written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá, the show is about a rag-tag superpowered family that deals with the apocalypse and time-travel, and how both are mashed together. This season introduces some new characters, but the show’s plot feels like it has repeated itself, which might feel tiresome for some viewers. The old cast and the new deal with another potential apocalypse; however, with the new dynamics, it’s interesting and fun to watch these characters make the wrong decisions over and over again, but the main theme of season three is an intimate and complicated portrayal of familial relationships.
This season picks up right after the second season; the Hargreeves children return to their home in present-day New York, only to find that things are not quite the same. Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) has assembled a whole new team of superpowered characters called The Sparrow Academy who inhabit the once familiar building. The Umbrellas come face to face with their formerly deceased, now very much alive member Ben (Justin Min), the sweet and loving Ben is replaced with an arrogant and pragmatic version of himself. He is joined by fellow Sparrows, smart and superstrong Marcus (Justin Cromwell), a bird magician of sorts Fei (Britne Oldford), pain transferer Alphonso (Jake Epstein), telekinetic Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez), the fear-inducing Jayme (Cazzie David), and Christopher, a telekinetic cube of unknown origin that has the ability to change atmospheres and paralyzes people’s bodies with fear itself.
When the original Hargreeves children are kicked out of their home, they seek refuge in a hotel to adjust to this new reality. Five (Adrian Gallagher) is pleased with the idea of not having to deal with saving the universe since his return to the current timeline has resulted in him saving the world twice. Each of the original Hargreeves children is dealing with their own problems. Luther (Tom Hooper) has taken a liking to the enemy: one of the Sparrow siblings; Klaus (Robert Sheehan) deals with the loss of his father and attempts to unlock his powers to the fullest potential; Lila (Ritu Arya) returns through the time-traveling briefcase and drops off Stanley (Javon Walton) to Diego (David Castañeda), who he ends up looking after came of him. The only two people who want to get out of the new timeline and go back are Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), who wants to go back and see her daughter, and Viktor (Elliot Page), who left Sissy (Marin Ireland) and her son behind. Just as they are about to settle in, the Umbrellas are informed of a paradoxical threat and they must team up with the Sparrows to save the universe from another apocalyptic event.
The Umbrella Academy’s character-driven stories and explorations of familial relationships are the best aspects of the show. Some of the characters who weren’t heavily focused on or developed in the previous two seasons are given more time on screen. A hot-tempered Diego fueled with anger tries to build a strong relationship with Lila, and even though their relationship is rocky at times, they balance each other’s messiness out. Diego, who has been one of the most underserved characters, is given a coherent development that weaves together to show his growth since the first season. On the other hand, Klaus’ storyline doesn’t have a strong beginning, sending him and Five on a road trip. From that point on, it deviates from the main storyline and leaves him disconnected — but eventually, everything falls back into place.
One of the most moving and emotional character arcs in this season is Viktor’s transitioning into his authentic self. In season two, after he meets Sissy, he realises that he doesn’t need to hide his true self from anyone. After being called the weakest member of the Umbrellas, Viktor’s coming out shows his newfound confidence and ability to make decisions, which surprises his siblings. After Viktor embraces his body, everything makes sense for him. These moments are captured through the physical changes of Viktor and don’t feel exploitative at all. It’s portrayed in such a beautiful way that doesn’t seem melodramatic, partially due to Page’s real-life experience and involvement to bring this moment to the screen. It feels incredibly personal and moving. In contrast, Allison’s storyline takes a confusing and incredibly frustrating turn. Even though Raver-Lampman takes on a bigger role this season, her characterization boils down to a “crazy lady” type that cannot control her powers. When these tropes are introduced to deal with the character’s pain, it threatens a lot of the growth and emotional moments. In the previous seasons, Allison had trouble using her powers and shuns them to live a better life for her daughter. Ray’s introduction in season two puts Allison on a different path, where she was in the middle of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. In this season, however, she changes when she loses the people that she loves.
When Allison realizes that her daughter isn’t alive in the timeline, she’s hurt and inflicts harm on others. In a scene in “Kindest Cut,” Luther reaches out to his heavy-drinking sister and consoles her. When he hugs her, Allison mistakes it for a moment of romantic intimacy and he politely turns her down. When Luther didn’t reciprocate her feelings, since he’s in a happy relationship with Sloane, and walks away, she uses her powers to force him to stay. When he resists her powers, she tries again. “I heard a rumour that you want me,” and with that follows a disturbing moment where Luther is clambering on top of her and she becomes overwhelmed and screams for him to stop. This entire sequence of events is out of character, even for Allison. A character who went through a selfless and positive path to show her love towards her siblings turns into a moment where Allison’s journey becomes a jeopardy to her growth. Luther and Allison’s relationship was never well-received by fans, and the ‘romantic’ dance sequence in season one was never appropriate, to begin with, and it was written out of season two. Even if the dance sequence is meant to be ‘fun and romantic,’ it still doesn’t beget the sexual violence in that particular scene. A cheap device to make Allison a selfish woman, who doesn’t care about anyone but herself is a disservice to her character. Even when her family had done things that were catastrophically wrong, she defended them. But this change in character is so sudden. Allison is allowed to feel upset and hurt over the events in season three, but her character journey is tarnished. Her story of resilience, who stood by her family and returned the love, turns into a dismantlement of her character.
Despite all of these minor issues with the characters’ storylines, the core element of this series is still intact. The Hargreeves children are flawed in every possible way, but their ability to love each other unconditionally is never lost in the season’s events. An emotional and personal season for Viktor and his siblings, it focuses on gender identity, family, and loss and comprises itself into the superhero narrative to prove its seriousness and heartfelt moments. It is moving for these characters to finally have their heart-to-heart moments, especially when they have been busy saving the world for the past two seasons.
With the introduction of the Sparrows, we are also introduced to some interesting new character dynamics. The Sparrows are from a different timeline and serve as opponents for the Umbrellas in key action sequences, and it’s interesting to see the contrast between the two families. They’re arrogant and intimidating and believe that they are stronger together, but all of this is on the surface level. In truth, they can’t stand each other’s presences. It’s not to say that everyone is a heartless monster, the Sparrows reveal themselves to be more complicated. There’s even more tension between the two families as the show portrays how the Sparrows have profited off their powers and used their image to get fans and show their humanity to the rest of the world. In contrast to Umbrellas, who didn’t use their star power to gain popularity or status, the Sparrows are obsessed with keeping a cleaner image. When the Umbrellas arrive, the Sparrows feel threatened by the presence of a new superhero team and they are afraid of how the public will perceive them.
This season of The Umbrella Academy introduces a lot of new locations, new characters, new world-building, and most importantly, a new catastrophe to overcome. It’s safe to say that it’s the same show it’s always been, but it shows how the family has grown together because they love each other and yet, treat each other so terribly because that is how complicated their life has been all the time. The Hargreeves are not a normal family, but their experiences and the themes explored in the season are universally human. Their ability to know strengths and weaknesses is what makes their familial bond stronger because they understand each other and at times, get on each other’s nerves.
The Umbrella Academy’s third outing proves to be a success and despite some minor issues, it is their best season so far. It shows the Hargreeves family being put to the ultimate test and shows that no matter how many times they’ve been through the gutter, they always make sure to never leave anyone behind. With the themes of familial bond and unconditional love, The Umbrella Academy delivers these core messages superbly. None of the performances are weak, and all of the actors provide a nuanced and personal portrayal, but this season’s highlight is when Allison and Viktor’s bond grows into a complicated relationship. There are emotional moments and chaos that ensue in thrilling sequences and prove to be an exciting ride.
