You Should Be Watching: The Umbrella Academy

Yes, welcome again to another series of young people in an out of the ordinary school setting. This seems to be a popular format that is being adapted to TV with Netflix recently premiering their newest series The Umbrella Academy based on the popular comic series.

The show revolves around a worldwide event where 43 women spontaneously became pregnant and gave birth on the same day. An eccentric billionaire sought out these women in hopes to buy the children. He managed to get 7 of them. The show begins with them grown up and explores how each character not only deals with their popularity and fame as being children of this phenomenon but also the passing of their estranged adopted father. The adults slowly return to the mansion they were raised in to pay their respects and face some Demons. If your drawing some conclusions to the X-amen you would be correct. The comic was written by My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way and pulled heavily from the X-Men lore of old with a particularly emo spin and takes place years later after the X-Men had all fallen out and gone their separate ways. Oh they also have a talking Ape Caretaker that showcases some pretty impressive CGI mo-cap.

The shows biggest star is Ellen Page who plays number 7 Vanya. She is the emotional core of the family and of the show. The show also stars Mary J. Blige who plays the spunky Cha-Cha. It’s a very impressive cast and Netflix worked their magic to piece it together with established actors from various TV and movie roles.

The show uses flashbacks to the kid super hero team to establish the complicated nature of their relationship not only with their father but with each other as they eventually build up to the break up of the team and the rift they all experience. We’re beating an old record but we always mention a good pilot not only builds an interesting world but it needs to pose some intrusive and mystery that will keep you coming back week after week. Or in this case not hitting yes when Netflix asks you “Are you done watching?”

The series has some promise and I think the nature of it being a Netflix show and not having to wait a week will help me stick with the series and not let it slowly disappear in the utter madness of shows and movies that are available. I will say I am enjoying SyFy’s academy series Deadly Class more but Umbrella Academy has some charm and overarching mystery that will keep fans of multiple genres entertained. So see what would happen if Professor X was every bit the messed up control freak that forced adolescence into dangerous situations you always thought he was!