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| Scene from The Umbrella Academy |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
In the modern era, it has become increasingly difficult to stand out as a superhero TV series on Netflix. What started as a fruitful partnership with Marvel (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones) has slowly began to dwindle as many assume Disney+ plans to transition them to their proposed streaming service. So, what exactly does a show have to do to stand out? For The Umbrella Academy, it's a bit of a twofold answer. On one hand the very premise feels like the more popular "nuclear family" narrative (see: the X-Men films, The Gifted) where every character is brought together with their eccentric outsider nature. However, there's the added benefit that the characters aren't tied into any other franchise and have a bit of an original streak in a lot of the fine details. The Umbrella Academy beats most Marvel and D.C. series in that the characters are weird. Weird meaning that there's an intellectual monkey. Weird meaning that a character plays songs from The Phantom of the Opera musical on violin. There's small things present that give it a unique presence in the comic book adaptation world. But, is it enough?
The story comes from Gerard Way, best known for his work with the band My Chemical Romance. Those familiar with the band's theatricality may recognize certain aspects of the show. This includes the masks that many characters wear as they perform odd errands. In fact, the whole show feels very stylish with many of the central characters wearing prep school uniforms and talking in ways that have casual ties to Way's lyrical self-deprecation. There's so much substance in the style that it becomes the central appeal of the show. These outcasts all have personalities that pop off the screen, each presenting their powers in ways that are meant to be cool. One time travels while another has brute strength. Another is considered an outcast because of what she may or may not have done to the titular group in the past.
It's here that the drama starts functioning within the show. The various characters have an origin story that is just as aloof as comic books come. The selected group was all born on the same day and exemplified certain special gifts. It's a group that are combined by circumstance, meaning that they don't really have any ties to each other other than an eccentric man bought them all from their parents. It's a baffling concept, but it makes perfect sense given that the pilot episode finds the characters interacting for the first time in the series at his funeral. They are all frustrated, maybe even confused on why they're there. What did this man mean to them when all he did was make them aware that they weren't alone in the universe?
There's also a plot that develops in which one of them discovers a portal to the future where everything has been destroyed. It's likely the gist of where the series will go, leaving the viewer with a lot of concern. How will these characters end up there, or is it one of those preventable situations? As all good pilots do, the show manages to set up the trajectory in a manner that is appealing and fits within the wacky comic book style that the show adopts. In a world where characters are giant and muscular, as if wearing a football jersey under a trench coat, anything can happen. As the later episodes will suggest, there's also different organizations after them, and one has to wonder what lies in store there. Is this going to be a case where the team must learn to work together, or is there something more devious and original in store?
While the show does plenty to establish itself as its own beast, there's a certain sense that this is Netflix's attempt at an X-Men series. It feels that way based on the character dynamics and the way that every character is numbered off, as if belonging to a small collective. Even the potential direction of the plot may go out in a predictable manner. While the show does plenty to make Way's aesthetic appealing, it still has a bit of a pop sheen to things as it relies on familiar tunes to give the series an enjoyable vibe. There's even the sense that it's trying to be a cool superhero series that just happens to be created by the guy that fronted My Chemical Romance. It's weird in all of the ways that a noticeable comic book show should be, but is the execution more than just style?
It's hard to say, especially given that the elements that are cool give the show enough memorable moments to make it stand out. It's not overtly trying to be a rebellious sort, instead following its own drum in a manner that relies just as much on drama as it does small comedic moments. At the end of the day, the show lives or dies on whether the characters will be as interesting as they think they are. None of them are inherently that interesting to begin with, but there's a good chance that the pop sheen will give way to a secondary show with personality. Think The Gifted, but with a playful side. The show is not all that dull otherwise, and even the way that the camera shoots scenes - such as one regarding the cast dancing to Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" - at least has some ingenuity behind it. Everything about the show has potential, but for now it's a bit too familiar to be totally authentic.
The Umbrella Academy is a promising show with a lot of great actors coming together for a fun story. There's tons of offbeat decisions being made in any given scene, and there's a good chance that it all builds to something far more perplexing. For now, it feels like the latest in a long line of superhero shows trying to stand out. Way's approach to storytelling may give it some edge, but it still feels like a kooky X-Men homage (including the casting of Ellen Page, who was Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand). It's hard to say if the show will have any sustainability in the long run, though fans of comic book series will at least appreciate its creative tweaks to the formula and its attempt to be more than a dark and morose tale that is very popular right now. It's not trying to be Daredevil or Jessica Jones. As a result, it's doing something right. How right is another question, though.
The story comes from Gerard Way, best known for his work with the band My Chemical Romance. Those familiar with the band's theatricality may recognize certain aspects of the show. This includes the masks that many characters wear as they perform odd errands. In fact, the whole show feels very stylish with many of the central characters wearing prep school uniforms and talking in ways that have casual ties to Way's lyrical self-deprecation. There's so much substance in the style that it becomes the central appeal of the show. These outcasts all have personalities that pop off the screen, each presenting their powers in ways that are meant to be cool. One time travels while another has brute strength. Another is considered an outcast because of what she may or may not have done to the titular group in the past.
It's here that the drama starts functioning within the show. The various characters have an origin story that is just as aloof as comic books come. The selected group was all born on the same day and exemplified certain special gifts. It's a group that are combined by circumstance, meaning that they don't really have any ties to each other other than an eccentric man bought them all from their parents. It's a baffling concept, but it makes perfect sense given that the pilot episode finds the characters interacting for the first time in the series at his funeral. They are all frustrated, maybe even confused on why they're there. What did this man mean to them when all he did was make them aware that they weren't alone in the universe?
There's also a plot that develops in which one of them discovers a portal to the future where everything has been destroyed. It's likely the gist of where the series will go, leaving the viewer with a lot of concern. How will these characters end up there, or is it one of those preventable situations? As all good pilots do, the show manages to set up the trajectory in a manner that is appealing and fits within the wacky comic book style that the show adopts. In a world where characters are giant and muscular, as if wearing a football jersey under a trench coat, anything can happen. As the later episodes will suggest, there's also different organizations after them, and one has to wonder what lies in store there. Is this going to be a case where the team must learn to work together, or is there something more devious and original in store?
While the show does plenty to establish itself as its own beast, there's a certain sense that this is Netflix's attempt at an X-Men series. It feels that way based on the character dynamics and the way that every character is numbered off, as if belonging to a small collective. Even the potential direction of the plot may go out in a predictable manner. While the show does plenty to make Way's aesthetic appealing, it still has a bit of a pop sheen to things as it relies on familiar tunes to give the series an enjoyable vibe. There's even the sense that it's trying to be a cool superhero series that just happens to be created by the guy that fronted My Chemical Romance. It's weird in all of the ways that a noticeable comic book show should be, but is the execution more than just style?
It's hard to say, especially given that the elements that are cool give the show enough memorable moments to make it stand out. It's not overtly trying to be a rebellious sort, instead following its own drum in a manner that relies just as much on drama as it does small comedic moments. At the end of the day, the show lives or dies on whether the characters will be as interesting as they think they are. None of them are inherently that interesting to begin with, but there's a good chance that the pop sheen will give way to a secondary show with personality. Think The Gifted, but with a playful side. The show is not all that dull otherwise, and even the way that the camera shoots scenes - such as one regarding the cast dancing to Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" - at least has some ingenuity behind it. Everything about the show has potential, but for now it's a bit too familiar to be totally authentic.
The Umbrella Academy is a promising show with a lot of great actors coming together for a fun story. There's tons of offbeat decisions being made in any given scene, and there's a good chance that it all builds to something far more perplexing. For now, it feels like the latest in a long line of superhero shows trying to stand out. Way's approach to storytelling may give it some edge, but it still feels like a kooky X-Men homage (including the casting of Ellen Page, who was Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand). It's hard to say if the show will have any sustainability in the long run, though fans of comic book series will at least appreciate its creative tweaks to the formula and its attempt to be more than a dark and morose tale that is very popular right now. It's not trying to be Daredevil or Jessica Jones. As a result, it's doing something right. How right is another question, though.
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