The Umbrella Academy season two… What can I say apart from the fact that I was so engrossed in the series, I chose to watch it all in one day instead of sleeping.
It was better than season one, which is saying a lot as season one was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
Without giving too much away, let’s delve into what made this season stand out from the first.
To recap, the Hargreaves siblings jumped back in time with the aim of preventing the end of the world to protect all of humanity. However, at the start of season two it was revealed that not only did they jump too far back in time (to the 60s), they didn’t stop the apocalypse as the world was destined to end in 10 days.
Hastily, they had to find a way to save the world again as well as figure out how to get back to the present day. Their primary problem was that they were all separated and ended up in different years throughout the 1960s. Once they finally found one another, they had to work out the exact event that caused the catastrophic change in the timeline, which provoked the ensuing apocalypse.
A crucial difference in season one was the character development in regards to their personalities and the ways in which they used their powers.
In the past season, Allison used her powers mostly to her advantage and revelled in them. She was seen as a celebrity and was adored by a multitude of fans. In season two however, she avoided using her powers even though she was in a time period where she was being racially discriminated against. This was a pivotal moment in the show where she realised she hadn’t been using her powers for good and shouldn’t have to rely on them in her everyday life.
In contrast, Klaus was constantly heavily drugged up in the past so that he could avoid using his powers, whereas in season two he sobered up and instead of running away from his powers, he embraced them. This allowed him to become more powerful than ever and he eventually discovered unknown abilities.
Moving on, Diego was an assassin who was uncaring for a lot of people in the previous season, which was a huge contrast to season two as he tried to use his powers for good; primarily to save President Kennedy’s life.
To me, Luther was the one that struggled the most in season two. Previously, he had always been devoted to his father and his role in the Umbrella Academy. However, being stuck in the 1960s left him without all of that; he tried to find his purpose in life and yet still ended up working for someone else.
Moreover, Five was more independent in the first season, but allowed himself to rely on his siblings a little more in the second. While he remained the most intellectual and intuitive sibling, he began to listen to his siblings more in season two. He also learned to control his time travelling powers which meant that he could use them when everyone needed him the most.
Vanya’s character showed the most growth as she used to be an outsider who was persistently excluded from the Umbrella Academy. She didn’t have control over her powers and subsequently hurt her family. The difference in this season was that rather than the exclusion she had suffered in season one, she was loved and treated like a part of the team. She also learned to control her powers, which she ultimately used to protect her and her siblings.
Overall, the siblings were closer and more trusting of each other in season two, which helped them band together and solve their problems better than ever before.
Of course, the comedic aspect of the series was upheld with some great one-liners (many coming from my favourite, Klaus), the soundtrack was amazing (which included artists such as the Backstreet Boys), we got to experience another iconic dance scene by some of the siblings and the fight scenes were both intense and thrilling.
To conclude, although the series was left on a cliff-hanger with a new problem presenting itself (kind of expected with time travel), it was more interesting and engaging than season one as we got to know the characters more and see them in a different light. I’m excited to see how the Hargreaves siblings are impacted by the changes that they caused in the future‑I can’t wait for season three!
Words By: Tamikka Reid
Edited By: Anthea Pei