Umbrella Academy Season 2 trailer/topic.
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This will be one of the first things I watch next time I subscribe to Netflix, but I don't think that's going to be anytime very soon, so I don't really know when I'll see it. (Most likely scenario, whenever Stranger Things comes out, which I'm not sure off the top of my head when that is supposed to happen.) Trailer definitely looks great, though.
I rewatched the first season the last few days and I'm really glad I did because I forgot so much, including some unanswered questions and unresolved issues:
- Diego never told anyone he killed Mother (not a big deal in the end but it is a matter of trust).
- We never learned how Ben died.
- Reginald seems to have come from a futuristic looking land "long ago," only to arrive in the early 20th century (and then didn't age that much).
- What exactly is The Commission (other than the surface explanation) and who populates it? Are they human in a far future that somehow survived the apocalypse? Or are they some alien species that happens to look like humans (or appear to look like humans for human sake like the Q)? For that matter, why didn't Five ever question any of that (or least from what we saw)?
- What caused the mysterious births in the first place? What happened to all of the other children that Reginald didn't find (or was unable to "obtain")? Why didn't they ever show up? Smaller potatoes but is Tatiana's (the swimmer in the opening scene) one of the seven, and if so, who?
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Yup, I did see that. Loved it!Looking forward to Season 2. Halfway through a Season 1 rewatch and I forgot how much they crammed into each episode.
Did everyone see the lockdown video?
Which reminds me: I had forgotten how awesome the soundtrack is for season one. I hope season two is just as awesome on that level.
Maybe I'm being dense, but I took that as an alternate universe/timeline rather than some 'Wheel of Time' type ancient apocalypse. That or a planet very similar to Earth, but ahead technologically (unrealistic, but hardly unusual for either comics or sci-fi, especially with this kind of tone.) Admittedly it's been a while and I don't clearly remember all the details, so one ro both of those presumptions could be impossible on the face of it.
Well "Vanya" is a Russian/Eastern European type name, so given that and the overarching plot of the season focuses squarely on her (though neither she nor the audience realised it until the end) I think it's a fair bet she was the pool baby.
For me, the largest dangling thread was from the very first episode: the bloke adopted seven of the forty three "spontaneous births"...so what happened to the other thirty six?
Wow.
Just finished watching the entire second season (I have no self-control, I had to inhale it all!).
Non-spoiler review: I really loved how this season played out, both playing to our expectations and completely against them. Each sibling (including Ben!) has a great story arc that plays out wonderfully throughout the season, tying into local history, with each other, and with the larger plot. The soundtrack is once again awesome, although negative points for including a Backstreet Boys song (and it's that song). And like the first season, it ends with a killer cliffhanger! It's going to be a long wait to see how things play out from that ending!
And now for the spoiler review...
Without giving anything away, the second season adds to this mystery without any new answers.
Which actually begs another question I meant to include: Why didn't Five ever get a name? And why didn't he ever give himself one, whether before accidentally jumping to the future, during his long life in the post-apocalypse, or during his service with the Commission?
Just finished watching the entire second season (I have no self-control, I had to inhale it all!).
Non-spoiler review: I really loved how this season played out, both playing to our expectations and completely against them. Each sibling (including Ben!) has a great story arc that plays out wonderfully throughout the season, tying into local history, with each other, and with the larger plot. The soundtrack is once again awesome, although negative points for including a Backstreet Boys song (and it's that song). And like the first season, it ends with a killer cliffhanger! It's going to be a long wait to see how things play out from that ending!
And now for the spoiler review...
Like I said before, I really enjoyed all of the siblings story arcs but I think my favorite, again, is Vanya's storyline. I was initially worried that the writers were sending her down essentially the same path as she did last season, ie. being isolated from the rest of the family (her absence from many of the family shots in the trailer didn't help), always frustrated with them, ultimately leading her to cause the apocalypse again. Thankfully that quickly wasn't the case and she was in fact directly involved with most of the major plot points with the whole family once Five was able to track them down.
I was also relieved to see that this time around Vanya entered a healthy relationship, if an uneasy one because it was with a married woman with a son who is probably autistic and a misogynistic husband. I initially didn't like how Vanya had amnesia, but that played out better than most amnesia stories tend to. I worried again the show was going to pawn her off with the apocalyptic ending when Diego glimpsed the future during his brief stay with the Commission, but I was relieved to see that after Ben rescued her, she was firmly with the family (and with all of her memories back!).
I particularly loved how when she decided to go back to Sissy to help with Harlan's new powers that she accidentally gave him, she told them upfront of just sneaking out. And even though they initially said no because of the greater problems at hand, they all came to her before she left. Family!
It was really wonderful to watch Vanya develop such a quiet and passionate romance with Sissy, despite the conflicts, and I especially loved watching her bonding with Harlan. I figured after Vanya rescued him from drowning that he ultimately would play a larger role in the season (and the series...), so it was no surprise that while she was being tortured by the assholes at the FBI, her connection with him became stronger as did his gifted powers (his overpowered nature at the isolated farmhouse along with the time-traveling element reminded me of Looper). Nor was I surprised that he quietly retained his powers after it was all over. I look forward to seeing him all grown up in the future...
Lastly, confirmation that Vanya is in fact Tatiana's daughter, as seen in the very first scene of the series!
I was also relieved to see that this time around Vanya entered a healthy relationship, if an uneasy one because it was with a married woman with a son who is probably autistic and a misogynistic husband. I initially didn't like how Vanya had amnesia, but that played out better than most amnesia stories tend to. I worried again the show was going to pawn her off with the apocalyptic ending when Diego glimpsed the future during his brief stay with the Commission, but I was relieved to see that after Ben rescued her, she was firmly with the family (and with all of her memories back!).
I particularly loved how when she decided to go back to Sissy to help with Harlan's new powers that she accidentally gave him, she told them upfront of just sneaking out. And even though they initially said no because of the greater problems at hand, they all came to her before she left. Family!
It was really wonderful to watch Vanya develop such a quiet and passionate romance with Sissy, despite the conflicts, and I especially loved watching her bonding with Harlan. I figured after Vanya rescued him from drowning that he ultimately would play a larger role in the season (and the series...), so it was no surprise that while she was being tortured by the assholes at the FBI, her connection with him became stronger as did his gifted powers (his overpowered nature at the isolated farmhouse along with the time-traveling element reminded me of Looper). Nor was I surprised that he quietly retained his powers after it was all over. I look forward to seeing him all grown up in the future...
Lastly, confirmation that Vanya is in fact Tatiana's daughter, as seen in the very first scene of the series!
As happy as I was to see Ben get more to do this season, I wish he was more directly involved. Granted this was part of the ongoing relationship between him and Klaus and how Klaus was trying to ignore him again, cutting Ben off from the rest of the family even though they saw him present during their confrontation with Vanya at the theater.
That ultimately paid off with Ben stepping up to save Vanya from herself, her anger, and her fear. I loved how he sacrificed his presence in our world to help Vanya return safely and in control of her powers. The message he sent with her to Klaus about how he stuck around was out of his own fears of leaving, which helped unburden Klaus who thought he guilted Ben to stay around for his sake, was a very sweet and lovely moment.
That ultimately paid off with Ben stepping up to save Vanya from herself, her anger, and her fear. I loved how he sacrificed his presence in our world to help Vanya return safely and in control of her powers. The message he sent with her to Klaus about how he stuck around was out of his own fears of leaving, which helped unburden Klaus who thought he guilted Ben to stay around for his sake, was a very sweet and lovely moment.
Allison's storyline was also excellent and I loved that she got directly involved with the local civil rights movement, especially in direct relation to Kennedy's upcoming visit. I found it interesting how she got married again (but no child this time) and I really enjoyed how her relationship with her husband Raymond developed as he learned more about her mysterious past. Obviously he was initially angry and skeptical, especially when she was able to call of the white cop beating him to death, thinking she was some kind of plant. However, ultimately he kept an open mind (unlike her shitty first husband) when Allison told him the truth...all of it, but I loved that the part he found the hardest to believe was a black president.
It was very difficult to watch the sit-in protest and subsequent riot during our current national reckoning with race as well as John Lewis' recent death. Obama's words during his eulogy about how Lewis refused to react during the sit-in as people poured sugar onto his head and suffered other abuses rang very loudly in my mind as we witnessed the same happen to Allison, Raymond and their fellow protesters. Unsurprisingly, the civil rights storyline is cut off a little short for the needs of the greater story in the ten-episode season, but I'm glad they tackled the subject and did a good job with it.
It was very difficult to watch the sit-in protest and subsequent riot during our current national reckoning with race as well as John Lewis' recent death. Obama's words during his eulogy about how Lewis refused to react during the sit-in as people poured sugar onto his head and suffered other abuses rang very loudly in my mind as we witnessed the same happen to Allison, Raymond and their fellow protesters. Unsurprisingly, the civil rights storyline is cut off a little short for the needs of the greater story in the ten-episode season, but I'm glad they tackled the subject and did a good job with it.
Wait? Who? If you haven't watched the full season, don't read any of this.
I was going to talk about Diego and Lila together but ultimately I was far more fascinated by Lila, who is initially introduced as his love interest until we discover she's also The Handler's adopted daughter. After seeing her fighting style during the asylum breakout, I had a feeling there was more to her although I hadn't expected a direct connection to The Handler.
While I called it that Five was the hitman who killed her parents (considering they didn't show his face, it was rather obvious), what I didn't expect was the ultimate reveal: Her storyline wasn't about how she was "saved" by The Handler after her parents were murdered (and I did figure there was something suspect about her presence that night), but rather she was the target because of the mysteriously birthed babies! I even remained a little obtuse when she mirrored Vanya's powers until she also mirrored Five's teleporting and Luther's strength. I absolutely loved how the firmly-reunited Hargreeves family, upon realizing who she really was, reached out to her, not with further angry and strength, but with love and support. And it worked.
Of course, then The Handler showed up and fucked everything up. Thank goodness Five finally learned how to make short time hops and saved everyone. But now Lila is in the wind. I'm fascinated to see how she develops as a character in the next season, even though I briefly hoped that she would directly join them. However, considering how the season ended, her separation for the time being makes sense...
I was going to talk about Diego and Lila together but ultimately I was far more fascinated by Lila, who is initially introduced as his love interest until we discover she's also The Handler's adopted daughter. After seeing her fighting style during the asylum breakout, I had a feeling there was more to her although I hadn't expected a direct connection to The Handler.
While I called it that Five was the hitman who killed her parents (considering they didn't show his face, it was rather obvious), what I didn't expect was the ultimate reveal: Her storyline wasn't about how she was "saved" by The Handler after her parents were murdered (and I did figure there was something suspect about her presence that night), but rather she was the target because of the mysteriously birthed babies! I even remained a little obtuse when she mirrored Vanya's powers until she also mirrored Five's teleporting and Luther's strength. I absolutely loved how the firmly-reunited Hargreeves family, upon realizing who she really was, reached out to her, not with further angry and strength, but with love and support. And it worked.
Of course, then The Handler showed up and fucked everything up. Thank goodness Five finally learned how to make short time hops and saved everyone. But now Lila is in the wind. I'm fascinated to see how she develops as a character in the next season, even though I briefly hoped that she would directly join them. However, considering how the season ended, her separation for the time being makes sense...
First, a little preamble. I initially didn't like the idea of Sir Reginald showing up in the trailer, suggesting that the siblings tell him about themselves, how he would gather them together, the apocalypse, etc. It would explain how he knew about certain future events as seen in season one, but I didn't like the paradox it created.
However, his appearance actually lead to several interesting things. We get to see Five briefly meet young Pogo as well as a little bit of Pogo's early life and how he came into Sir Reginald's life. I particularly loved seeing the original Grace, who the android was obviously inspired by, and I loved that she had a Texan accent (which Sir Reginald got rid of...). I'm curious to know what happened to her in the original timeline. Plus, we discover that Sir Reginald is wearing a human skinsuit and appears to be an alien of some sort (but that still begs the question about the flashback). And lastly, Sir Reginald actually offered good advice for once when he told Five to try shorter time hops, down to mere seconds. Oh, and we find out there actually is something going on the Moon...
As for the cliffhanger itself, I loved that a paradox wasn't created, but in fact the siblings' appearance in the early 60s and their interactions with him changed the course of history, at least on a personal front. Sir Reginald deliberately avoided creating the Umbrella Academy and instead named it the Sparrow Academy, and then recruited six different children...and a still living Ben! Because they only mentioned someone died but they didn't say who. And here I was all bummed out that we had seen the last of Ben
Of course, the new roster of Academy graduates are left in the shadows to allow the show's producers time to figure who to cast and in what roles, presumably all new characters since I've read this season is wildly different from the second volume of the comic.
The timeline has become very messy indeed and I've very curious to see what the future holds.
However, his appearance actually lead to several interesting things. We get to see Five briefly meet young Pogo as well as a little bit of Pogo's early life and how he came into Sir Reginald's life. I particularly loved seeing the original Grace, who the android was obviously inspired by, and I loved that she had a Texan accent (which Sir Reginald got rid of...). I'm curious to know what happened to her in the original timeline. Plus, we discover that Sir Reginald is wearing a human skinsuit and appears to be an alien of some sort (but that still begs the question about the flashback). And lastly, Sir Reginald actually offered good advice for once when he told Five to try shorter time hops, down to mere seconds. Oh, and we find out there actually is something going on the Moon...
As for the cliffhanger itself, I loved that a paradox wasn't created, but in fact the siblings' appearance in the early 60s and their interactions with him changed the course of history, at least on a personal front. Sir Reginald deliberately avoided creating the Umbrella Academy and instead named it the Sparrow Academy, and then recruited six different children...and a still living Ben! Because they only mentioned someone died but they didn't say who. And here I was all bummed out that we had seen the last of Ben
Of course, the new roster of Academy graduates are left in the shadows to allow the show's producers time to figure who to cast and in what roles, presumably all new characters since I've read this season is wildly different from the second volume of the comic.
The timeline has become very messy indeed and I've very curious to see what the future holds.
Never addressed. At this point, that's gone to the wind.
We still don't know how he died even though we got to see his funeral! I'm imagining some great big reveal next season when the siblings interact with the alternate timeline Ben.
Well, he definitely appears to be alien, at least from behind, when he pulled off his human skinsuit to kill his fellow JFK conspirators.
Well, we got a better sense of who they are and they definitely don't seem to be human, although Lila also didn't seem to question any of it (from what we saw).
Still no clues about these mysterious births! But at least we did get to meet one more of them. And we find out Vanya is indeed Tatiana's baby. I imagine we'll get more answers on this front next season considering the cliffhanger.
I was sad that we only saw Hazel briefly at the beginning when he rescued Five and lived just long enough to tell us cancer killed Agnes, before getting killed as well. BOOOOOOO!
I don't know how I missed this post earlier, so better late than never. Since I haven't read The Wheel of Time, I don't know what that reference is and I certainly wasn't trying to suggest an ancient apocalypse. I honestly wasn't sure how to take that moment other than possibly being an alien considering it looks like space pods were fleeing the planet (a la Krypton perhaps?). However, that still begs the question why he looks human in that flashback.
Without giving anything away, the second season adds to this mystery without any new answers.
Yeah, that makes sense. I didn't really think about her name being Russian.
Which actually begs another question I meant to include: Why didn't Five ever get a name? And why didn't he ever give himself one, whether before accidentally jumping to the future, during his long life in the post-apocalypse, or during his service with the Commission?
Again, without giving anything away, the second season addresses this.
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The same reason Kryptonians look human? That or it's a subjective or figurative memory rather than a literal one and human forms are being substituted for the audience's benefit. I mean if that scene played out with floating jellyfish armadillos instead of humans it would've only been even more confusing.
I actually looked this one up the other day and it's apparently an unaddressed mystery even in the comics. Theories abound though ranging from "Five refused to adopt one" to "just more head games from the Professor."
Is this a spoiler allowed thread? I take a long time to watch these shows comparatively speaking so it would be cool to put things in spoilers--I miss the days where every episode had its own thread. Here is a minor--nothing to do with the plot--spoiler for anyone who knows the bare minimum about the season.
I thought it was an odd anachronism that they were playing Texas Hold'Em. I looked it out and it turns out that Texas Hold'Em has been played for a hundred years in Texas and was introduced to Vegas in 1963.
Yeah, I suppose. It's just a minor annoyance, one that extends all the way to my beloved Doctor Who (although that was/is almost entirely budgetary).
That doesn't surprise me, if a little disappointing. I don't mind him being called Five but I just wish someone would at least acknowledge the weirdness of it, both sticking to the original naming and Five not changing it.
Wait, I seem to recall (and I really should know for fact since I just watched the first season) that it was actually Mother who named the children because Sir Reginald couldn't be bothered. So why didn't she name Five?
Considering the series just came out yesterday and most people wouldn't have watched the whole thing in one day, I was careful to spoiler code everything.
That and because the review became so large, it was easier to break it down into spoiler code sections to make them more digestible when people have caught up.
Honestly I didn't even notice since I know nothing about the history of poker. I was more focused on my amusement of those assholes thinking that Klaus was some rube they could easily fleece and then Klaus turned the tables on them thanks to Benjamin (until he understandably wanted to stop helping), followed by Klaus fleeing with one of their trucks.
Given that the show is leaning so heavily into the campy weirdness of old school comics and adventure SF&F, it seems about right. Honestly at this point it would feel stranger if any aliens actually looked credibly alien.
I mean it has a talking Chimp butler for goodness sake!
Presumably from the character's perspective it's something that if it was ever an issue, it was settled *decades* ago. They all know he's just called "Number Five" and presumably the reason why too, so why bring it up?
This may be one of those rare instances of the "as you know <insert exposition here>" trope being avoided.
Maybe she did and he rejected it? Maybe the Professor programmed her not to?
True, true...except...Given that the show is leaning so heavily into the campy weirdness of old school comics and adventure SF&F, it seems about right. Honestly at this point it would feel stranger if any aliens actually looked credibly alien.
I mean it has a talking Chimp butler for goodness sake!
We see Sir Reginald unzip is human skin suit and see the back the back of his explicitly non-human head...
That's a fair point. I guess I was more thinking about the flashbacks than anything else. It's a minor quibble but one that keeps nagging at me. A personal problem, if you will.
Yeah, I thought of both of those possibilities, particularly the latter one in light of something we learn in season two.
@The Nth Doctor , don’t feel bad, I too lacked self control and plowed through season 2in two days! I thought it was pretty good, but season 1 still seems a little more enjoyable to me.
I just watched episode 1 and am being strict with myself about not binge watching anything, as much as I was tempted to just go straight to episode 2. I'm going to wait at least a day or two for the next one. I kinda want this to last. It helps that I've chosen to educate myself on some classic anime to pad out the spare time; starting with Gundam and Macross...that should take a while.
Anyway, it was a surprisingly breezy first episode that covered a lot of ground and seems to set up pretty much the whole season in very short order.
Anyway, it was a surprisingly breezy first episode that covered a lot of ground and seems to set up pretty much the whole season in very short order.
Good to know I'm not the only one!
Glad you enjoyed the season. It's going to be a long wait for the third one.
I get the restraint...but hurry up and watch it all so I have more people to talk about this season with!
I just watched two Macross clip shows in one sitting, so I'm sorely tempted to watch something that actually makes a little sense right now...I get the restraint...but hurry up and watch it all so I have more people to talk about this season with!
Most likely. I was actually surprised how little we got him considering Adam Godley is listed as a cast member (at least for the first episode, I didn't check beyond there).
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