[TV] The Umbrella Academy

[Super Kami Dende]

They starred in that one movie together, didn't they? Proof that they spawned from the same pool.

EDIT: Juno! That's the one. I think it was their first movie, wasn't it?

I forgot they were even in that movie. But it makes sense, since they both always play the same character.

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Oh look, a stupid opinion out of this guy.

What is stupid about it? I've never seen Ellen Page play a character that wasn't boring as fuck. That and she is mostly an annoying cunt, which also makes me want to see her even less.

[VanishingAct]

Reminds me of an anime. But god damn Ellen Page shits me to tears so much.

[The Oblivion]

cant stand ellen page but show is solid. i enjoyed it

[Skizzit]

I did enjoy it, but the pacing felt off for the entire series. It did pick up a bit in towards the end. It felt sort of like someone took a short run comic series, turned it into the script for a 2 hour movie, and then stretched that out into a 10 hour series. I have not read the comic, but from the little I have looked into it, it seems like they left out a bunch of the world building that the comics have. The complete non-ending was also kinda shitty.

Honestly, if it had not been for Klaus (Robert Sheehan really is great at playing that type of character) and #5 I think I would have given up on the series early on.

[Zequill]

I loved it, it's a nice and well done fantastic world. I love Netflix 10 episodes format. Long enough to tell a story, but not too long that we end up with filler episode (at least, not too many)

[Mister K]

I do think that out of the entire cast Ellen Page is the worst actress.

Her broody, I'm-a-sad-gurl routine is gettin' real old at this point. But then again, isn't that what Vanya is, after what she has gone through (rejection by her "dad")?

I've only seen 2 episodes so far and it is already better than Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Punisher.

#5 is my favorite, what a character.

You are stretching it. It's good but S01 Punisher leaves this show in the dust.

[Simulacrum]

You are stretching it. It's good but S01 Punisher leaves this show in the dust.

I don't even remember S01 Punisher. Last time I tried to have a conversation with someone about it he explained to me I was talking about DD.

The Umbrella Academy at least is memorable. Its story felt a lot like something out of a comic book, which obviously makes sense, but that stands out because even the Netflix shows don't feel like that; they just feel like normal (sometimes competent, but mostly forgettable) TV shows.

Really liking Doom Patrol so far for the same reason. Actually, liking it a lot more, the 2 episodes so far anyway.

[Waynhim]

Quit after like 5th epsiode. Not worth my time.

Seems like DC's Titans/Doom Patrol will be my new comic book fix on TV.

[Benggaul]

Just finished binge-watching it and loved it.

I am no Ellen Page fan, and for the first several episodes I had the obligatory eyeroll reaction most people here seem to have. Then "it" happened and her character completely comes alive while her original personality in the series is explained.

This isn't exactly a superhero movie. Sure, the central people are superheroes...but their powers are almost secondary (with one notable exception). This is the post-superhero era in their lives (kind of like the movie The Watchmen). Their powers barely get used (again, one notable exception) and I think it's a good thing. A few of them are trying to solve their problems without relying on their power as a crutch, one is trying to learn how theirs works after keeping it at arms length their whole life and another is--well, no spoilers.

I love the characters. Again, Vanya was a bit of a slog to enjoy, but then "it" happened and that character really takes off on a journey. Klaus, Luther, Allison, Diego, Five? All pretty simple on the surface but complex as time goes on...even to the point of almost swapping roles/personalities with their siblings. Pogo? Fuck, how good of a character is Pogo that after the initial shock of who/what he is you don't even bat an eye the rest of the time? He just fits. Their trials in the series touch on things all of us have had to go through at some point in our lives, and even their powers can't get them out of the shit.

The acting was pretty top-notch through and through. I won't go over the whole Ellen Page thing again, but the rest of the performances ranged from, in my opinion, "good" to "brilliant". Five in particular, played by 15-year old Aidan Gallagher, is fantastic. It's so hard to believe he's really that young...I thought they did some CGI magic to age down an older actor. The two "hitmen", Hazel and Cha-Cha, have a great chemistry and you find yourself rooting for them even when you really, really shouldn't be.

The music is wonderful. I've always been a 2CELLOS fan so the closing and overarching theme of rock violin is kind of my thing. And then They Might Be Giants' "Istanbul" in episode one all the way through Heart's "Barracuda" in the closer...just a great assortment of great songs all the way through, and the scenes in which they are used fit unexpectedly well.

I don't know the comics, and as I understand it it's a relatively new series and there are only 2-3 arcs done, but if Netflix cancels this one (which is one of their last remaining comic book series iirc) then I guess I'll have to try to pick them up on sale to find out how the story continues. I'm hooked.

[Tatsumaki88]

Also, watching a couple of hours of Ellen Page proving that she cannot, after all, look like anything except someone who just dropped their ice cream cone.
.

This got a good chuckle from me lol

[Altrec]

I forgot they were even in that movie. But it makes sense, since they both always play the same character.

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What is stupid about it? I've never seen Ellen Page play a character that wasn't boring as fuck. That and she is mostly an annoying cunt, which also makes me want to see her even less.

Her character in the movie Super wasn't boring at least.

[tyrlaan]

Overall found it to be a mixed bag. I enjoyed it enough that I want to see a season 2, but some of that interest actually speaks to part of my problems with the show.

Spoiler-free:
The good.

• Character development for most of the characters
• Action scenes and accompanying music choices were really great
• Worldbuilding/lore

The bad.

• The show clearly tries to thrive off being unusual and quirky, but then trips over itself a few times with some very predictable story progressions.
• Pacing was poor, but not at the individual episode level, but at the entire season level. It made it feel like the show was planned to play out over a much larger number of episodes and then someone was like “nope, you only get 10”.
• Related to the previous statement, the show felt like it tried to take on an arc too big for the first season but then also somehow seemed to struggle to find material for a full season.
• Way too much unexplained. Mysteries are great, but I can’t help but feel we’re not going to get answers to a lot of the questions.

Spoiler-full:
The good.

• Really, really loved Klaus and his progression over the season. Anxious to see him continue to develop, both in the mundane and the super-powered.
• Hazel and Cha-Cha were amazing. I hope we see more of them, though I’m curious how that would play out considering the inevitable time hopping. I don’t want to see their development over season 1 be undone.
• The take on a bureau monitoring time was done quite well, even if I’m a tad sick of time travel stories.

The bad.

• Luther is an inconsistent brooding mess of a character. I have a very flexible capacity to suspend disbelief, but he goes from kicking Pogo out of the room because he can’t trust him to embracing Pogo’s plan to throw Vanya in a cell. He’s sure of himself at the start of the season, gets the rug pulled out under him, has zero moments to suggest a chance to rebuild his confidence, and then plays the role of team leader in the last episode.
• Diego felt glaringly 2-dimensional to me, in a field of deep characters. There were opportunities for depth, but they’re not explored. In fact the opportunities presented just leave us with unanswered questions. Why did he take RH’s monocle? Why did he deactivate Grace AND not tell anyone? These are left unanswered and seemingly forgotten about 2 episodes after they happen.
• Five was a great concept that unfortunately felt like an overplayed gimmick by the end of the season. I would have liked to see more character development for him.
• What exactly was Leonard’s plan/motivation? How did he know to hang out by the mansion? How did he know Klaus threw something valuable away?
• What was the RH flashback? Where was he? When was he? What was the jar of lights? How was any of that relevant beyond showing us that the violin was basically an heirloom?
• When Vanya embraces her power, she seems to have absorbed a few personalities of herself. The whole scene is unclear though. Why is the violin turning white at the end significant? A lot of this feels like it’s clear if you’ve read the comics, but the show should not operate on that assumption.
• How is Pogo a thing? How was Grace created? Why did she start malfunctioning and why was she fine after Pogo reconnected her?
• Was anyone surprised when they showed us that Leonard killed the previous first chair? Despite wildly unclear motivations, his role as “bad guy” was predictable every step of the way.
• The argument between Vanya and Allison seemed really forced, at least to get it to escalate enough for the scene to play out as it did. An argument made sense, but I don’t feel like Vanya’s rage was properly set up beforehand.
• Probably more stuff, but I’m growing weary of writing this all out

[BloodyAngel12]

Netflix renewed it for a 2nd season.

[Benggaul]

The comics are very different. #1's body is like that because he had his head grafted onto the body of a Martian ape for example. Hazel and Cha cha are neo nazis too.

Oh I knew the comics were different, but adaptations are always different and I'm fine with the way things are written in the current series. They fit pretty well. I'll probably go back and try to read the comics at some point if the series is finished just because I like the concept.

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Netflix renewed it for a 2nd season.

Huzzah! At least that cliffhanger will get resolved. I won't get my hopes up for a third season given the reception it seems to be getting, but I'll take 2.

[Simulacrum]

Netflix renewed it for a 2nd season.

I hope they all suffer horribly throughout. Except the time traveler old-kid. Only person on the team remotely sympathetic.

[Lex Icon]

it looked like it could be a good show but i couldn't even finish the first episode.
maybe it's because i watched the first episode of doom patrol before it i dunno...

might give it another shot at a later time.

[Mister K]

I don't even remember S01 Punisher. Last time I tried to have a conversation with someone about it he explained to me I was talking about DD.

The Umbrella Academy at least is memorable. Its story felt a lot like something out of a comic book, which obviously makes sense, but that stands out because even the Netflix shows don't feel like that; they just feel like normal (sometimes competent, but mostly forgettable) TV shows.

Really liking Doom Patrol so far for the same reason. Actually, liking it a lot more, the 2 episodes so far anyway.

Didn't even know Doom Patrol existed, going to put it on my watch list over the weekend or even tonight!

You are right, I vividly remember Punisher S01, still loved it. From action, to acting, effects, feels and even story. It's one of those shows Id watch more then once. Then again, same goes for Umbrella Academy. I guess its personal preference. Hopefully they can make S02 of TUA even better!

[Wyattbw09]

Want to watch Doom Patrol, you need yet another subscription service. I would love to watch Doom Patrol, but I’m not subscribing to another streaming service for it.

[Lemons]

Well that was a ride...I expected lolquirkydisfunctionalsuperheroes from the image of them all standing together looking weird...instead it was kinda a trip with time travel and secret powers and twists and shit.

My take on the ending:
Man screw Luther...literally caused the apocalypse by not hugging Vanya. I can't help but feel so bad for Vanya! She was always left out and abused even more than he other kids. They got abuse from their dad, but then they also turned around and abused Vanya. Then she is emotionally manipulated by a psychopath. Then after that when she is hoping to return to her family and just explain what happened they just turn on her and lock her up which triggers tons of childhood trauma and causes her to end the world. I really can't help but feel like if Luther had just hugged her...it would have all been different. Poor Vanya...I just want to hug her...tell her everything is going to be OK.

[Lightsperit]

Best show ever