Umbrella Academy Season 1 Review: My New Favorite Superheroes

The ten episodes of "Umbrella Academy" are currently viewable on NetFlix. It is based on the Dark Horse Comics by the same name. Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba created the series.

Seven children all born at the same time (October 1, 1989) are raised by distance billionaire Reginald Hargreeves. He doesnt bother naming the children and instead refer to them as numbers (based on how useful they are him). A robot mom named Grace and a wise old chimp assistant named Pogo help. Each child has superpowers that Reginald attempts to harness. Note: There were 43 children born at that time so where are the others?

Number One- Spaceboy- Luther- he's an astronaut with a very strange body.
Number Two- Kraken- Diago- he's a vigilante and has some mad knife skills.
Number Three- Rumor- Allison- previously a famous actress. She can control people by suggestion.
Number Four- Seance- Klaus- he can communicate with the dead but also has a drug problem.
Number Five- unnamed- He's lost at the beginning of the series but later returns. He is a 48 year old man trapped in the body of a 13 year old.
Number Six- Horror- Ben- he was able to conjure up monsters. He is dead but appears to Klaus. We dont know the circumstances surrounding his death.
Number Seven- Vanya- Played by Ellen Page. She is the only one with no superpowers (or so we think). She is treated by Hargreeves as less than the others. Vanya wrote a best selling book about her siblings (which they are not happy about). She also plays a mean violin.

After Reginald's death, the now adult siblings are brought back together. They had gone their separate ways years earlier. There's lots of family drama. Number Five returns and announces that the world will end in eight days. There's also some fellow time travelers who are trying to kill him (often while wearing gigantic cartoon heads). The Umbrella Academy definitely has their hands full.

Everything about this show is great. The plot moves along at a nice clip. There are a number of shocking twists that I didnt see coming. The soundtrack is kick ass. All of the actors are superb (both child and adult). The flashbacks really helped to flesh out the characters. Ellen Page is wonderful as the tormented Vanya. Aidan Gallagher as Number Five is also a standout.

I also really enjoy the interaction between Cha Cha (Mary J Blige) and Hazel (Cameron Britton from "Mindhunter"). There is something sweet about them despite the fact they are sent to kill everyone. The Handler (Kate Walsh from "Greys Anatomy") is a nice added touch. We know The Commission is a group of time travelers tasked with preserving the time line. But how much can they really control with their briefcases? And why do they want the apocalypse to go as planned?

I wont give away the ending but, suffice to say, you should just want "Umbrella Academy". And with such a giant cliffhanger, I'm desperately hoping for a a season 2. I want to see much more of the Hargreeves siblings.

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). Perfection! The show is super quirky. The characters, the cinematography, the fight scenes and the relationship between the siblings are all excellent. There are rumors of a renewal but so far nothing official. I hope so. We desperately need more. "Umbrella Academy" are my new favorite superheroes.