S.W. Lothian – Author

I suggest the first thing you need to do is watch the Season 1 Trailer.

One word springs to mind after just watching episode 1 of season 1 of The Umbrella Academy. AMAZING. Then others just seem to bombard me. Original. Quirky. Multi-dimensional. Enthralling. Addictive. Compelling. Moody. Dark. Thrilling. I could go on, but I won’t.

I honestly can’t remember a series that has captured me so much in 1 episode. From here, two things can happen – I’ll continue to be spellbound OR I will be bitterly disappointed. I hope it’s the first and not the latter.

So, now I’ve watched Episodes 1, 2, and 3 and I’m still a fan! Episode 1 was the base to set up the series with the overview of the backstory. In episodes 2 and 3 we start to dig deeper and explore the characters, their background story, motivation, turmoil, and relationships. Each scene still gives me goosebumps by the way it’s acted, shot, and soundtracked. I’m totally enthralled at where this will lead, there are so many things I like.

One amazing component of the ‘umbrella experience’ is the soundtrack. The music is so perfect, it’s so atmospheric and haunting, and it goes so well with the vision. If you take the plunge and watch, make sure you also search up a list on Spotify … or if you’re not sold yet, maybe use Spotify as a first step to see if the music alone gives you a feeling you want more. The list I found includes some great tunes from the show, they absolutely suit the show’s look and feel. Think of a 60s and 70s vibe with originals spliced into incredible updated versions and remixes.

In my opinion, the music is a key element of the show, it’s the hook that captures the viewer and drags them into the scene. Here are a few clips to give you an idea of what to expect. (Be warned – The first clip contains action and violence)

I’ve read good and bad opinions of the series, but the good far outweigh the bad. With anything these days, there are people who revel in finding negatives, faults, or flaws they think exist. But I always look at the basics … Am I entertained? … Am I engaged? … Am I interested? The answers to those questions are different for everyone.

I think it’s important to see things for what they are, entertainment, not something written into a corner where everything is so perfectly tied up that it really belongs in a textbook. It’s often those small slivers of doubt in a plot or vagueness about a character that give viewers or readers the chance to extend the story with their own imagination. I can say that the positives I have read have been absolutely glowing, the likers more than like … they love.

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Amazing. Original. Quirky. Multi-dimensional. Enthralling. Addictive. Compelling. Moody. Dark. Thrilling. So many different feelings from one body of work. My recommendation is to watch it, enjoy it, take the time to escape into it’s vibrant world of vision and music.

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If you’ve already watched it, let me know what your thoughts were, or if you haven’t, do you plan to give it a go?

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Blurb from Rotten Tomatoes

Oddball billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) dies of a heart attack. His death brings together for the first time in years his adopted children: Number One/Luther (Tom Hopper), Number Two/Diego (David Castaneda), Number Three/Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Number Four/Klaus (Robert Sheehan), and Number Seven/Vanya (Ellen Page).

These children (except Vanya) were superheroes collectively known in their childhood as The Umbrella Academy. However, family tragedies and their dysfunctional upbringing forces these children to leave the Academy upon reaching adulthood. On the day of Sir Reginald’s funeral, the missing Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) reemerges from the future as a harbinger of an upcoming apocalypse and convinces his siblings to help him stop it.

“The Umbrella Academy” cast includes Justin H. Min as Number Six/Ben, Jordan Claire Robbins as Grace Hargreeves, Adam Godley as Pogo, Cameron Britton as Hazel, Mary J. Blige as Cha-Cha, and Kate Walsh as The Handler.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: Feb 15, 2019 (Season 1) (Season 2 was released July 31, 2020)

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