Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    HITMAN World of Assassination - Signature Edition

    ‘HITMAN World Of Assassination’ Struggles On Switch 2

    06/16/2025
    One Piece But Why Tho 5

    Fathers of ‘One Piece’: Powerful Bonds, Legacy, and Found Family

    06/13/2025
    Elena Street Fighter 6 But Why Tho

    Elena Brings Style And Versatility To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    06/06/2025
    Lune and Sciel from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

    Lune, Sciel, And The Romance Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Fails To Realize

    06/05/2025
    Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro

    Everything To Know About Eve Macarro In ‘Ballerina’

    06/05/2025
  • Star Wars
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 2

REVIEW: ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 2

Collier "CJ" JenningsBy Collier "CJ" Jennings08/07/20204 Mins ReadUpdated:07/08/2021
Umbrella Academy Season 2
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The Umbrella Academy Season 2

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 premiered last Friday and features the return of the super-powered and super dysfunctional Hargreeves family. Picking up after the end of the first season, The Umbrella Academy finds the Hargreeves scattered throughout various points in 1960’s Dallas. Five (Aidan Gallagher) learns that the world will end in ten days, and seeks to reunite his family. The Hargreeves deal with Swedish assassins, secret societies, and the impending death of John F. Kennedy as they try to save the world.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Though the plot is essentially the same as the first season’s, what sets it apart are two things. The first is the setting; much like the second volume of the comic, the majority of the action is set in Dallas. Showrunner Steve Blackman and the writing staff utilize this to their advantage, showing how our characters react to-and even influence certain events. The production design is also stellar. Attention is paid to every detail, from the automobiles being used to the insides of several stores. It genuinely feels like you’ve traveled back in time with our heroes.

The Hargreeves themselves remain the beating heart of The Umbrella Academy Season 2. When Five made the decision to pull them all into the timestream, they ended up in different places. Vanya (Ellen Page) suffered amnesia and now serves as the nanny for an autistic boy Harlan. Luther (Tom Hopper) ekes out a living as a boxer/bodyguard for a crime lord. Klaus (Robert Sheehan) has a cult that hangs on his every word. And Diego (David Castenada) was locked in a mental asylum for trying to kill Harvey Lee Oswald.

The fact that the characters are in such a different place than the first season allows them to dig deep and find new depths to their characters. Vanya has a chance to start fresh, without her family’s expectations hanging over her. Klaus learns that he can’t run away from his problems (or drink them into oblivion). Diego struggles with the fact that he might have a hero complex. So much of the Hargreeves’ lives are defined by their past; the irony that it takes being trapped in the literal past for them to grow will not be lost on the audience.

The character that undergoes the biggest change is Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman.) Not only is she married and running her own barbershop, but she also is a figure in the budding civil rights movement. The fact that Allison is a black woman living in the 1960’s was bound to be touched upon; even bigger is the fact that she has a life anchoring her to the past. Raver-Lampman gets some surprisingly heartwrenching material here, particularly in the season finale. I found myself tearing up during several of her scenes.

The show also tackles issues of sexuality and mental health with surprising care. Harlan is shown to be autistic, fixating on his record player and getting upset when it breaks. As a child, I tended to get upset whenever anything separated me from the books I was reading; I’m glad the show treats this issue with care. We also see several same-sex relationships between Vanya and Harlan’s mother Sissy, as well as Klaus reuniting with his Season 1 boyfriend Dave. Both relationships wind up taking a tragic turn, but unlike other same-sex relationships on TV it doesn’t end in death and it doesn’t feel out of left field.

I also have to give props to the new cast members, including Yusuf Gatewood as Allison’s husband Ray and Ritu Arya as Diego’s fellow inmate Lila. Both of these characters are not only tied to our main cast, but they also lead fleshed out lives of their own. Lila has a surprising connection to a character from Season 1; Ray is willing to stand up for civil rights and struggles to make sense of Allison’s powers. Again, this is a refreshing take for superhero media; not many films and television shows take this kind of care with supporting characters.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 builds on the things that made the first season great, especially its characters. The season finale is a perfect set up for a third season, and I hope it continues the strong character work and bold choices its predecessors have made.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.

 

The Umbrella Academy Season 2
  • 10/10
    Rating - 10/10
10/10

TL;DR

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 builds on the things that made the first season great, especially its characters. The season finale is a perfect set up for a third season, and I hope it continues the strong character work and bold choices its predecessors have made.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleList of Yen Press Manga and Light Novels for August
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Sekiro Side Story: Hanbei the Undying’
Collier "CJ" Jennings
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)

Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. He currently resides in Seattle.

Related Posts

Eric McCormack in Hell Motel
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Hell Motel’ Takes A Stab At True Crime

06/17/2025
The Survivors promotional image from Netflix
7.5

REVIEW: ‘The Survivors’ Tackles Crime Fiction With Empathy

06/15/2025
Mercy For None But Why Tho 11 1
10.0

REVIEW: ‘Mercy For None’ Ups The Action Ante For Netflix

06/15/2025
Rebecca Romijn as Una, Melanie Scrofano as Batel, Anson Mount as Capt. Pike and Christina Chong as Laían in Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 3
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Balances Horror, Heart, And Trek Legacy

06/14/2025
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night with the Duke Episodes 1-2
8.5

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 1-2

06/12/2025
FUBAR Season 2 promo image from Netflix
8.5

REVIEW: ‘FUBAR’ Season 2 Is Still Hilarious

06/12/2025
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night with the Duke Episodes 1-2
8.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 1-2

By Sarah Musnicky06/12/2025

The bar is set pretty high with The First Night With The Duke Episodes 1-2. While exposition-heavy, it is a delightfully silly watch.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

By Kate Sánchez06/18/2025Updated:06/18/2025

Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland reunite for 28 Years Later, delivering tension all the way up to the film’s final minutes.

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Set Art News

The Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Drop Starts Today And It’s Hitting Me Hard

By Kate Sánchez06/16/2025Updated:06/16/2025

The Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Drop is open for orders now, and they support NALAC. To be honest it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have a Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:05/05/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here