You Know I Love Dysfunctional Family Dinners – The Umbrella Academy, Season Two, Episode Six

The season builds tension this episode as the Umbrella Academy siblings prepare to face their biggest challenge yet: a dinner with their father. It's been years since most of them have seen him, and no one (other than perhaps Five and Vanya) is particularly looking forward to it, given their contentious relationship with the now-dead…

Leg – The Umbrella Academy, Season Two, Episode Five

The band is back together, more or less. As the Umbrella Academy reunites (finally), we return to that sibling group dynamic that made the first season function. There have been a few important changes since the seven protagonists were all in the same room together. For one, the characters have been through one apocalypse already.…

ALL THE MAGICAL GAY! – The Umbrella Academy, Season Two, Episode Four

Righty-O, let's put the "unction" back in "dysfunctional!" That wasn't supposed to be deep, by the way, it was supposed to be nonsense, but I just looked it up, and apparently "unction" is a real word. It's an archaic term for an oil used to cleanse and heal. How oddly thematic. Anyway, welcome back to…

Corn and Swedes – The Umbrella Academy, Season Two, Episode Three

Continuing our foray into The Umbrella Academy's wonton chaos, Episode Three starts to bring two major subplots to a culmination but ends up prompting more questions than it answers. As an early entry into the season, that's not necessarily a problem, but the season is solidifying in form, and as we get to the midpoint,…

This Fish, I Like Him – The Umbrella Academy, Season Two, Episode Two

Guess who figured out how to auto-trace bitmap images? I definitely didn't work that out after completing 75% of the drawings for this review, that's for sure... We continue our reviews of season two of The Umbrella Academy, hopefully with greater velocity from now on, as things start to escalate. The kids are moving closer…

The Milkman Cometh – The Umbrella Academy, Season Two, Episode One

Dallas? The Kennedy assassination? 1960s faux-idyllic pastels and warm colors? Secret societies? A bizarre cult? Psychics? Conspiracies? The end of the world as we know it? Milk? Why yes, that please. All of it. I want. (Look, you can't fault me for having a type.) As it turns out, the milkman is less important than…

Lessons in Adaptation: The Umbrella Academy

Season Two is on its way, and you know what that means! That's right, this entire essay will be obsolete in a few weeks. Time to make the most of it. I had a blast writing the episodic reviews of The Umbrella Academy when the first season of the show came out, and given that…

3P Reviews: The Umbrella Academy, Season One, Episode Ten

Breakdown Rating: Characters and Character Development: 8 Aesthetics and Style: 6 Creativity: 6 Overall Plot: 5 Subplots: 7 Sum: 32/50 Spoilers: Ya. A few for the comics, too, so fair warning. Audience Assumptions: None, probably.   The Umbrella Academy Season One Episode Ten: The White Violin - ***   Part One: KLAUS' MAGIC BOWLING BALL OF…

3P Reviews: The Umbrella Academy, Season One, Episode Nine

Breakdown Rating: Characters and Character Development: 8 Aesthetics and Style: 6 Creativity: 6 Overall Plot: 5 Subplots: 7 Sum: 32/50 Spoilers: Only the best. Audience Assumptions: Read the first review to get the most out of it.   The Umbrella Academy Season One Episode Nine: Changes - *****   Part One: TELEPORTING. MARGARITA. BOI. Finally, we…

3P Reviews: The Umbrella Academy, Season One, Episode Eight

Breakdown Rating: Characters and Character Development: 8 Aesthetics and Style: 6 Creativity: 6 Overall Plot: 5 Subplots: 7 Sum: 32/50 Spoilers: Naturally. Audience Assumptions: Yes.   The Umbrella Academy Season One Episode Eight: I Heard a Rumor - ****   Part One: Please Let Them Get Pulled Over All right, I give; I love this series. I…