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In the seemingly endless glut of superheroes on the big screen and on the small screen, The Umbrella Academy has always found its way to stand out from the pack. While the series doesn’t disappoint in delivering impressively choreographed action and a specific brand of humor, one of the key elements that have always stood out to me was the characters themselves. It’s not the only superhero property as of recently to have successful character work (just look at what James Gunn did earlier this year with Peacemaker) but The Umbrella Academy has always been able to find success in making the audience relate to every single one of its larger than life characters. It’s always been the superhero story for the true misfits in life and that’s what makes it so damn special.
The third season of The Umbrella Academy picks up immediately after the events of Season 2, with the Hargreeves children having returned to their home in present-day New York from Dallas, Texas in 1963. Immediately things are not what they seem when they come face to face with The Sparrow Academy, the alternate version of the eponymous team, with their formally deceased teammate Ben (Justin H. Min) amongst their newfound adversaries. After an amusing elongated fight sequence, the central heroes are kicked out of their once-home and seek refuge in the old-fashioned Hotel Obsidian, trying to make sense of their new reality. As per usual for the series, twists and turns abound, all leading into what is easily the most emotional season yet.
Each of the Hargreeves children is faced with their own dilemmas that this new timeline has brought forth, including Viktor (Elliot Page), who is trying to find the right way to come out as trans to his adoptive siblings. Meanwhile, Luther (Tom Hopper) finds himself in yet another unusual romance, Diego (David Castañeda) becomes reacquainted with Lila (Ritu Arya), Klaus (Robert Sheehan) learns about his own mortality, and Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) face some devastating realizations.
Season 3 works best when it’s focusing on character-building — take, for example, someone like Diego, who felt like an afterthought in the first season before becoming a stand-out in the second, and whose storyline this time around goes to some very amusing places that feel natural to the character as a whole. Castañeda brings a surprising amount of warmth and charisma to Diego that makes you question how he isn’t a household name yet. Klaus’ storyline, on the other hand, at times feels a bit too disconnected from everything else, but nonetheless, Sheehan ultimately succeeds at providing some great moments of dark comedy and giving even more depth to the complicated character.
Viktor’s storyline was always going to be a tough one to execute properly, but his coming out is portrayed in such a beautiful and natural way that never feels melodramatic or exploitative, and a large part of that is because of Page’s performance, which feels personal and from the heart. The nuance brought to that narrative renders the treatment of Raver-Lampman’s Allison even more confusing, a character who feels bogged down by outdated tropes that nearly threaten the season’s most emotional moments. Yet despite the writing, Raver-Lampman still manages to excel in her role. Even when the story has its shortcomings, showrunner Steve Blackman ultimately never loses sight of the humanity of The Umbrella Academy. These characters may have superhuman abilities, but many of the issues they face are ones that truly speak to almost everyone. However flawed each of the Hargreeves may very well be, at the end of the day Blackman perfectly illustrates the unconditional love they have for each other.
Another major area where Umbrella Academy has always succeeded is making each season feel like its own contained story. While still carrying over certain arcs, the first two seasons were distinct from one another, not just because of the change in time periods in location but also the direction and energy. Season 3 ultimately brings the series back to the same setting as its freshman outing, yet still finds a way to shake things up and avoid retreading any storylines. Season 3 blends together the moodiness of Season 1 with the brisk-pacing, bizarro nature, and enormous heart of Season 2.
In fact, the third season of The Umbrella Academy may just be the most emotional and personal season yet. Juggling issues such as gender identity, mortality, neglect, forgiveness, and loss all within the confines of a superhero story is a mighty task. Series like The Boys portray similar topics through the lens of satire, while something like a Marvel movie might try to illustrate these themes in the most inoffensive way possible. The fact that The Umbrella Academy has proven to be more committed to its characters and their personal growth, rather than taking on the big bad, is what has made it so special. In the past two seasons, The Umbrella Academy set up a central villain in the form of John Magaro’s Harold Jenkins and Kate Walsh’s The Handler, but Season 3’s antagonists aren’t so clearly defined.
The Sparrow Academy may serve as opponents during key action scenes, but as has been proven time and time again, The Umbrella Academy is all about subverting the audience’s expectations. The Sparrows aren’t heartless monsters, albeit cocky and intimidating. They’re still superheroes in this new timeline and prove to be as much of a narrative obstacle to the OG team as the greater fate of the world is. The Sparrow Academy is still going strong in modern times, has legions of fans, trains together, and has utterly perfected its image, but ultimately lacks the heart and humanity that the Umbrella Academy has.
At its core, The Umbrella Academy Season 3 feels like the anthesis to the traditional superhero story. Much like The Boys tackles politics and capitalism under the guise of capes and blood, The Umbrella Academy dives into themes of personal struggle and the complicated nature of familial relationships through superpowers and time travel. It’s the superhero story that speaks to the inner-weirdo in everyone.
Rating: A-
All 10 episodes of The Umbrella Academy Season 3 drop on Netflix on June 22.
