The Umbrella Academy: Super Odd, Yet Even

Greetings, my fellow bloggers! While biding my time over the next installment of “Stranger Things” to hit our Netflix screens on 4th July, I am currently biding my time streaming other Netflix original shows to fill the void until that date. One strong contender for this position is the new hit show “The Umbrella Academy”, which debuted on the platform in February 2019. Based on the comic books penned by Gerard Way of “My Chemical Romance” fame, who previously “Welcomed us to the Black Parade”, this show is pretty surreal, but once you get past the initial strangeness, it’s a compelling Superhero/Family Drama series, in the vein of “X Men” or “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”.

Straight away, “The Umbrella Academy” draws you right into its wacky premise. On October 1st, 1989, there were 43 cases of women giving birth all over the world. What was so extraordinary about these births were that none of these women had been pregnant seconds prior- they just jumped straight into the delivery process! After hearing about the mass immaculate conceptions, eccentric billionaire and adventurer Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) set out to adopt as many of these miracle babies as possible, ending up with seven, under the belief that they all possessed superpowers. And wouldn’t you know it, the old geezer was right, and trained them to be an unstoppable teenage crime fighting team!

Unfortunately, he proved to be a less than stellar parent to his seven charges, numbering them from 1 to 7, testing them past their limits, and scarring them well into their adult years. Upon Hargreeves’ death years later, the now estranged siblings must reluctantly reunite to solve the mystery behind their father’s death. However, they must also contend with the sudden reappearance of their long lost time travelling brother, Number Five, who returns from the future with a message- the world will end in 8 days. Now, our dysfunctional group of washed up heroes must grudgingly band together to prevent the apocalypse, but there’s many twists and turns to this story…

Despite the oddity and the quirkiness of the show, what really makes it work and stand out from all those other superhero themed properties is the characters themselves, specifically the seven siblings and their powers. In order, there’s Number 1, Luther , (Tom Hopper) who has super strength and a huge secret under his overcoat, Number 2, Diego (David Castadena) , a police academy dropout turned masked vigilante who can manipulate the trajectory of any objects he throws, particularly knives, Number 3, Allison (Emmy Raver Lampmann), a famous celebrity who can warp reality by using the phrase “I Heard a Rumor” , Number 4, Klaus (Robert Sheehan), a wacky medium who uses drugs to cope with the ghosts he’s constantly tormented by, the previously aforementioned Number 5 (No Alias), (Aidan Gallagher) who can teleport, spacial jump and time travel, Number 6, Ben (Justin H. Min), who is sadly dead by the time our story takes place, but who could conjure up monsters from other dimensions from inside his stomach, and finally, Number 7, Vanya (Ellen Page), who despite having an affinity for playing the violin, is a completely ordinary woman who has absolutely no superpowers of her own (OR DOES SHE?!)

Due to the ensemble cast , the plot focuses equally on each sibling,as they nativate their own personal story arcs. Naturally, as is the case with many ensemble casts, some stand out more than others. In this case, the standouts for me would be Klaus and Five. Klaus is extremely endearing, despite his many traumas, despite being written off as a lay about junkie by the majority of his siblings. Sheehan plays him with appropriate vulnerability and likability that you can’t help but root for Klaus, even as he goes through some tough times, and loses someone close to him. I also liked his bond with his dead brother Ben, who can only be seen by Klaus due to his ghost seeing abilities, and hope that we find out what led to his mysteriously tragic death in the upcoming second season.

Five (unlike the others, he’s the only one who seemingly doesn’t have a name) is a middle aged man who is trapped in a teenager’s body due to a mishap with the equations of time travel . He spent many years lost in an apocalypse wasteland after overestimating his time – travelling abilities, and was forced to become a killer to get back to his family. Gallagher, who is only 15 years old, does a remarkable job of acting like a grumpy old man, which is a tricky concept to make work, but BOY does he ever pull it off well! Vanya, the “normal sibling” (OR IS SHE?!) has an interesting plot, as she gradually discovers more of her potential, after having spent her entire childhood alienated from her superpowered siblings, and made to feel less than special.

Also involved in the story are Hazel and Cha Cha (Cameron Britton and Mary J. Blige) a pair of assassains who are after Five to stop him from halting the apocalypse, and who add some slight comic relief to the proceedings. There’s also Pogo (Adam Godley) the family’s long-serving butler, who nobody draws attention to the fact that he’s a talking chimpanzee, and Grace (Jordan Claire Robbins), their Stepford wife inspired robot mother, who has a fantastic, loving bond with the otherwise tough, brooding Diego.

On another topic, while most of the characters are well liked, Luther appears to be the most hated within this fandom. I can understand WHY this is the case, (Namely, his feelings for adoptive sister Allison, and his actions against Vanya in the last few episodes) but I personally didn’t mind Luther that much, and sympathized with him . He spent his entire life groomed to be the leader of the Academy, and lived in denial of just how AWFUL a person their father was, and how he damaged the entire family. I still think that he has potential to grow as a person, and to become MORE than just Reggie’s toy soldier. In regards to Luther and Allison’s romantic subplot, while I found it  to be easily the least interesting plot, “Games of Thrones this is not, since they never considered each other brother and sister, nor are they actually related, unlike Jaime and Cersei.

Aside from the fabulous cast, the cinematography and the soundtrack are also amazingly well selected. In fact, arguably one of the best scenes involves the siblings dancing to Tiffany’s 1987 hit song “I Think We’re Alone Now”, while all are in different rooms, and unaware that the others are also dancing. The camerawork for this scene is especially effective, particularly when the camera pulls pack to show the entire house. While the show CAN get rather graphic and bloody with its fight sequences, they are usually softened by catchy tunes playing over the action. The highlights include Five single handedly killing some armed gunmen to the sounds of They Might be Giants’ “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”,  or when he leads Hazel and Cha Cha through a brawl in a department store, with Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” playing in all its glory.

So, is “The Umbrella Academy” worth checking out? Most definitely! It has mystery, drama and intrigue, and an interesting, complex ensemble of characters. My only issue with the characters is that due to being emotionally closed off from each other, they never talk things out together, which can be frustrating  to sit through moments where someone keeps a vital piece of information from another until its dramatically convenient to do so. A second series is in the horizon, which will be released next year, so hopefully we’re not in for too long of a wait. “The Umbrella Academy” earns a total of 4 out of 5 stars.

Everywhere You Look – “Full House” in Review!

Following my “Saved by the Bell” review, I have decided to critique another sitcom which aired from the late 80’s until the mid 90’s – “Full House”.  Modern audiences may recognize it due to the recent Netflix revival series, “Fuller House”. It has the honour of being one of the most recognizable  family sitcoms of  the last century.  Even though the bulk of its run-time was through the 1990’s, it still maintains that unique 80’s quality.

This show, airing from 1987 to 1995, centered around Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), a widowed newscaster in San Francisco who is struggling to bring up his three daughters following the death of his wife in a drunk driving accident.  He enlists the help of Jesse, (John Stamos), his ladies man brother in law, and Joey (Dave Coulier), his best friend, and childish comedian, to move in to take care of the girls- D.J. (Candace Cameron), the responsible oldest child, Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), the sarcastic middle child, and Michelle (Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen), the mischievous baby of the bunch. The show focused on the antics that both adults and girls got themselves into that week, which could usually always end with a heart to heart between one of the men (usually Danny) and his daughters, with a hug often called upon to sweeten up the moment, much to the glee of the studio audience.

Later additions to the main cast included Becky (Lori Loughlin), Danny’s co-anchor who would later be promoted as Jesse’s love interest and eventual wife, their twin boys Alex and Nicky (Dylan and Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit) , Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber), D.J.’s kooky best friend with an insufferable stinky foot odour and Steve (Scott Weinger), D.J.’s sweet but slightly dim boyfriend.

“Full House” has garnered a repuation for being a wholesome family sitcom, managing to cement the “sappy emotional music” cue, which played during those aforementioned “golden moments”  . The show played up the cuteness of the child actors, particularly the Olsen twins, who could often be depended upon to deliver a cute catchphrase or one-liner.

Despite the show’s roaring success, the male leads of the show have expressed scorn over the overly saccharine plots. Bob Saget, who is now perhaps best known for his profane, raunchy stand up routines, which is a far cry from the soft spoken Danny Tanner. John Stamos similarly strove to put the show behind him by selecting gritter roles.

Nevertheless, almost all of the original cast, with the notable exception of the Olsen twins, signed on for the Netflix revival, “Fuller House”, in 2016. In keeping with the same format as its predecessor, D.J. is now a single mother to three boys,  and has trouble coping after the death of her firefighter husband, so Stephanie and Kimmy step in to help out. As you can imagine, more comedic possibilities ensue! While still considered a “family show, many of the jokes in Fuller House are arguably more laden with innuendo, as summed up here.

“Full House” earns a total of 3 out of 5 stars. Whether you find it or its brand of comedy sweet or sickening, it still remains a staple of classic family driven sitcoms. It’s worth checking out if you like “Fuller House”, or if you, like me, have a love for corny 80’s sitcoms. You got it, dude!

Saved by the Bell is an “Alright” Teen Sitcom

Everyone remembers their high school years, for better or for worse. There are plenty of shows which explore the dynamics of high school life either for drama (“Thirteen Reasons Why”, Pretty Little Liars”)  or for comedy (“Hannah Montana”,  “Lizzie McGuire”).  Then there’s the high school comedies which over idealize high school life to an extent, which is where “Saved by the Bell” comes in.  It originally aired under the title of “Good Morning, Miss Bliss”, in 1989, starring Hayley Mills as the titular teacher who was in charge of a group of middle schoolers.

After it got cancelled after merely one season, they decided that the concept would make for more comedic potential if the focus was not on the teacher, but the students. And thus, “Saved by the Bell” was born! For those of us who watched it as preteens, this is probably what we thought high school was going to be like, before being faced with the reality later on.

Running from 1989 to 1993 on the National Broadcasting Channel (NBC), the show followed the exploits of six high school students in the fictional  Bayside High School in California.There was Zack (Mark Paul Gosselaar), the leader of the gang who almost always  got himself and his pals into scraps, but typically always got out of them thanks to his charm, Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), the sweet cheerleader who was Zack’s dream girl, Slater (Mario Lopez), the jock who often butts heads with Zack, Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley), outspoken feminist overachiever who had an on again/ off again relationship with Slater, Lisa (Lark Voorhies), a ditsy, sassy fashionista, and Screech (Dustin Diamond), an excitable nerd whom the rest of the group only tolerated because he was friends with Zack. Rounding out the cast was the bumbling principal Richard Belding (Dennis Haskins), who is perhaps known for his disininctive catchphrase “Hey hey hey hey! What is going on here”?, and was in many ways a seventh member of the core group.

“Saved by the Bell” primarily deals with the  misadventures they get up to in Bayside High School . There were plots ranging on the ridiculous (Zack makes a bet with Slater over who can kiss a girl the longest) to the genuinely touching (Zack deciding not to go to prom after his girlfriend Kelly can’t afford to attend, and then spending a romantic night together.

However, “Saved by the Bell” also wasn’t afraid to get serious from time to time by addressing serious issues, such as drink driving, peer pressure and drug use. In perhaps the most infamous episode, “Jessie’s Song”, Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills, of all things, to exceed at school and focus on her new music group, “Hot Sundaes” . This was apparently supposed to be speed, but when the network executives protested against such a thing being depicted on a kids’ morning TV show, caffeine pills were subbed in instead. Eventually, the pressure is too much for Jessie, which eventually culminates  in her well known breakdown in front of Zack, with her singing / exclaiming “I’m so excited, I’m so excited, I’m so… scared”. Naturally, everything gets sorted out , with Jessie receiving counselling, and in true sitcom style, the problem was never mentioned again.

If there was one thing that bothered me about the show as a whole was the seemingly incessant use of the laugh track after  almost any line.  I have never been a fan of laugh tracks in general, and prefer if none are used, as the audience are able to pick out funny jokes for themselves.

“Saved by the Bell” rates as a 3 out of 5 stars. While it doesn’t exactly hold up today, it does offer some interesting  “lessons at the end of the day” that kids can translate in their own lives. It’s worth a look if you’re a fan of kid friendly teen shows.