Netflix has deviated from its usual premiere policy with the third season of ‘The Umbrella Academy’, since we have it available in its entirety on the platform from this Wednesday June 22 when the usual thing would have been to launch it this Friday. Difficult not to think that the fact that the outcome of ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ also arrives today has not had something to do with this movement.
For my part, a few days ago I told you my first impressions of this third installment of ‘The Umbrella Academy’, but now the time has come to review the entire season. More consistent than the second, which went from less to more, but without the same freshness of the first, It’s still a blast, but I’m also starting to think they shouldn’t drag it out much longer.
butt
As I already mentioned, season 3 starts with vigor and showing everything that the series is capable of. Then comes a little valley of interest mid-seasonbut nothing very pronounced, because all the protagonists have a well-crafted character arc -being also complementary to each other- and it is simply because they go around a bit until they are completely clear about what danger they really face (a new apocalypse) and how exactly to deal with it.
The preparation around that is almost exemplary, with a few casualties along the way and developing the story in such a way that one can never be sure what’s going to happen next. That unpredictable touch (at least to a certain extent) suits him fabulously to compensate for those dead times that never really come to be.
And it is that there is always something that drives the series forward, especially everything related to Allison’s growing frustration. The character played by Emmy Raver-Lampman It had never been one of my favorites and in this third season that changes completely. It takes a while to happen, since the scripts treat it with a certain care instead of going to the visceral, making the series in general and the character in particular feel luxurious. That does not mean that Five (Aidan Gallagher) remains the best of all by far.
Distancing the family
Beyond that, one of the great axes of the third season is that the distance between the protagonist “family” is greater than ever. Again, this is something that manifests itself with more intensity as the episodes go by, but even many of its plots focus more on personal issues disconnected from the rest than on something that seeks a certain harmony between them.
For that, the Sparrows are also well used, where the only pity is that, as expected, it is Ben who ends up paying more attention. There Justin H Min He enjoys his own showing a very different facet than the other Ben had, but he would have appreciated that other members of that family had a little more time to shine. And it is that the third season is better when that happens, either to show its more serious side or when the characteristic comedy of the series makes an appearance.
A very important but
That said, it is clear that the usual protagonists are going to have a dominant presence as the episodes go by, and there the creative team of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ knows very well when the time comes to raise the intensity until hit ceiling in the penultimate episode.
If I’m not mistaken, the season finale falls short of the previous episode. That’s when ‘The Umbrella most leaves with the need to continue to see what comes next, but they soon opt for the more placid path, which takes some of the emotional impact out of the season finale.
And it’s a shame, because otherwise it’s vibrant and spectacular, but it leaves you with the idea that nothing will really change – or at least not until the final outcome. a major mistakeeven more so if we take into account the cliffhanger with which this third installment of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ closes.
However, here it is only a small stain, but it does sow more doubts for the future. It is true that ‘The Umbrella Academy’ has always been characterized by its ability to undo what seems inevitable, but there comes a point where you can go overboard in the way you approach it. I think the series has reached that point and maybe I should start thinking about how to close it all.
In short
At the end of the eighth episode, the idea even crossed my mind that the third season of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ was destined to be the best of all. Unfortunately, the ending, while not bad at all, is also the least exciting to date. With everything, I had a great time with her -it will undoubtedly be among my favorite Nettlix series of this 2022- and I recommend itbut for the first time I have my doubts about his future.