The Umbrella Academy Season 2: A Superhero Family Worth Watching

*This review contains spoilers of season 1 only.

The Hargreeves siblings are back in Netflix’s hit science fiction series The Umbrella Academy Season 2 and the stakes are just as big as they were in season one with the world’s fate in the balance.  At the close of season one, after unintentionally causing the apocalypse, the Hargreeves were able to time travel away just before being vaporized. But, as the siblings’ estranged father, Reginald, told Number Five in season one, time travel is “akin to descending blindly into the depths of freezing water and reappearing as an acorn.”  So, unsurprisingly, things did not go smoothly with each sibling arriving at different times, years apart, in Dallas, Texas, in the early 1960s.

The Umbrella Academy 2:  A Superhero Family Worth Watching

Season 2 begins with the arrival of Number Five in Dallas, days after November 22, 1963, the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  After witnessing the end of the world (this time due to nuclear war), Five travels back in time again, 10 days prior to the assassination of JFK.  To save the world and his family, he begins (or attempts to begin) to locate and assemble his mislaid superhero siblings.

Much of the first half of season 2 spends a lot of time developing each sibling and how they have changed (or haven’t changed – *ahem* I’m looking at you Klaus) in this new (and old) time and place.  Luther is working for a notorious mob boss as a bouncer/underground fighter; Diego is holed up in a mental institution with the enigmatic Lila, awesomely played by Ritu Arya; Allison is in a long term relationship and organizing civil rights protests; and Klaus (still haunted by his reluctant sidekick/brother Ben), naturally, started a cult.  Vanya, who has a convenient case of amnesia, is on a farm outside of Texas, hosted by a family with a seemingly autistic son and a lonely housewife, played compellingly by Marin Ireland.  Number Five, who is as sarcastic and grumpy as ever, is hunted by “the Swedes,” three silent, blond, and lamentably bland agents of the Temps Commission.

While the first half of season 2 can be slow at times, the action, and crazy weird time travel shenanigans, really picks up in the second half.  This was a little disappointing since some arcs (like Allison’s, which was especially poignant given its focus on civil rights) seemed like they were left underdeveloped.  Still, as a whole, season two mostly hits it on the mark with character and plot development, zaniness, dancing sessions, and sci-fi action.  One of the most notable changes in season 2 is the lighter tone which helps liven up some of the slower parts of the first half.  For example, even Luther gets to crack jokes!   

Is The Umbrella Academy Season 2 kid friendly?

Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy is rated TV-14 which means it is suitable for kids age 14 and up.  This is mostly due to violence and swearing.  There are scenes of torture, one character is drugged and electrocuted, and another character is mutilated; however, the most gruesome of the latter scene occurred off-screen.  There are some depictions of sex, however, they are not gratuitous and there is no nudity.

Overall Thoughts

The Hargreeves siblings follow the recent tradition of flawed superheroes but they are a lot of fun to watch, especially when they interact with one another. Overall, if you liked the first season of The Umbrella Academy, you will also like the second season. Whether the Hargreeves save the world this time, or fail again like they did in season one, viewers will have a good time watching them try.

About The Umbrella Academy Season 2

Five warned his family (so, so many times) that using his powers to escape from Vanya’s 2019 apocalypse was risky. Well, he was right - the time jump scatters the siblings in time in and around Dallas, Texas. Over a three year period. Starting in 1960. Some, having been stuck in the past for years, have built lives and moved on, certain they’re the only ones who survived. Five is the last to land, smack dab in the middle of a nuclear doomsday, which - spoiler alert! - turns out is a result of the group’s disruption of the timeline (déjà vu, anyone?). Now the Umbrella Academy must find a way to reunite, figure out what caused doomsday, put a stop to it, and return to the present timeline to stop that otherapocalypse. All while being hunted by a trio of ruthless Swedish assassins. But seriously, no pressure or anything.