Review: Umbrella Academy Season 2 Is Even Better Than the First

**This post contains slight spoilers for Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy season 2.**

The Hargreeves kids are back, and this time, they have to stop the apocalypse. Oh wait, they already failed doing that once? Damn. It’s okay! This time, they have a second chance. Well … sort of. It isn’t easy getting back together after their last attempt at stopping the apocalypse, especially when they’re yet again the cause of it.

Five brings his siblings back in time, and they’re supposed to be “safe,” but he doesn’t get the timing right, and they’re all separated through different years in the ’60s. Great move, Five. Allison is Black and Klaus is queer, so it’s a rough time period for them, but slowly, they all find each other, with Vanya not having her memories, Luther working for the mafia, Allison married and helping the Dallas Black community organize a sit-in, Diego in a mental hospital, and Klaus now a cult leader. The Hargreeves: always doing the most.

But season 2 somehow works even better than season 1 because the siblings actually care about each other. Don’t worry, they’re still the siblings we know and love and fight about the absolutely wild situations they find themselves in, but this time, they’re not as much at odds with each other.

Each character has a better storyline than last season (in my opinion), and we get to explore who each of them is outside of the pain that their father caused them. Reginald Hargreeves is still in this season, though, as the siblings learn that their father had something to do with the death of John F. Kennedy, and now, with Diego trying to stop Lee Harvey Oswald and Five trying to get everyone to stop another apocalypse when the Russians invade America, it’s a twisting journey to figure out exactly what they all have to do.

But, at its core, season 2 is about being a family and being there for each other. Last season, everyone seemed to be at odds with Vanya (Ellen Page), and no one had each other’s best interests at heart. Klaus (Robert Sheehan) was mocked for his inability to seek help and get clean, Diego (David Castañeda) refused to reach out for help, Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) and Luther (Tom Hopper) were barely opening up to each other despite always being there for one another as kids, and then there was Ben (Justin H. Min), who was dead, trying to talk to Klaus only. All of them weren’t sure of how to communicate with one another, and it showed.

So, to see them working together throughout most of season 2 and caring about each other? It is a most welcome change and one that is definitely going to come in handy for season 3!

If you haven’t even watched season 1 of The Umbrella Academy yet, I’m excited for the journey you’re about to go on, because season 2 is a wonderful addition to the series, and I can’t wait to see what season 3 has in store for us!

(image: Netflix)

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