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Sleepy Dogs BnQ
Really enjoyed the first two seasons but the third season was a bit of a letdown. Still, looking forward to the fourth if it happens. 1 year 9 months ago -
Siskoid
The Umbrella Academy's first season - ostensibly based on the comic series' first storyline (I only read the second trade, I think) - successfully remixes superhero tropes for the Netflix-chugging audience, being equal parts X-Men (a School for Gifted Youngsters, Dark Phoenix), Heroes (save the cheerleader, save the world), and Misfits (including Robert Sheehan in a starring role). Despite the familiarity, there are plenty of twists, turns, quirks, weird powers and clever narrative devices to fill up the 10 episodes as seven unlikely heroes are asked to save the world, and might if only they can fix their own lives first. The time travel element is juggled well, lest a dropped ball break the show irreparably (I'd say there are a couple of close calls on that score). Great music cues too. Felt like the showmakers listened to the same music I did in the 90s. If I have one gripe, it's that the season should have been a complete story, with a tease for the next. As is, it comes just short, and now I gotta wait a year for a resolution.
Season 2: While the second season of The Umbrella Academy repeats some of the larger structural elements from the first - save the cheerleader save the world again, the recalcitrant heroes coming together late in the game - there are a couple reasons why I think I liked it better. It's not as angsty as the first, nor does the plot feel as ripped out of X-Men, for one thing. We now know the characters are able to give them their own side-stories that aren't all wrapped up in their daddy issues, yet cleverly connect to the main story. And I really like the setting. Dallas in the days leading up to Kenedy's assassination is a time rife for social commentary and historical drama, connects to plot points from the first series, AND leans into the mid-century Americana aesthetic of the Commission that acts as antagonists for the Academy. Visually striking, with some of the best needle drops on television, and a really crazy high-stakes finale. You could say that of the previous season too, but I found this one more absorbing. 5 years 2 months ago