Netflix at the time bet heavily on superhero series, but the loss of those made by Marvel they left a significant void from which it has not yet been able to recover. It is true that there have been other attempts such as ‘Jupiter’s Legacy’, ‘Educating a superhero’ or even the Spanish ‘The neighbor’, but the only one that has really become an undisputed success for the platform has been ‘The Umbrella Academy’ .
Based on the comic by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ now premieres its third season after almost two years of waiting since the launch of the second. will be the next June 22nd when the new episodes arrive on Netflix, but I’ve already had the opportunity to see the first three, a new confirmation of how great it can be.
A strong comeback
If ‘The Boys’ has always been characterized by how cool it gets, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ has opted for a more playful and witty approach, both with the plot ideas handled by the team led by Steve Blackman as for its ease to go jumping genres. Everything turns towards comedy as easily as they get serious, a difficult balance that continues to manage as well as very few series and without losing sight of its most spectacular side.
That is something that he shows off again in the first episode of this third season, where the inevitable confrontation resulting from the cliffhanger with which the second said goodbye gives a lot of himself. It is better not to go into details, but there is a sequence in which I cannot conceive of a response other than initial disbelief and subsequent enthusiasm. Too bad they have to explain it later, but well, I’m not going to complain about how spectacular what ends up happening next is.
However, everything that happens in that first episode is just an introduction to what will be told throughout this third season. Accustomed as we are to threats from the end of the world, the one presented here is not that it is more dangerous than previously seen, but it does have a more twisted hue which makes it have many more aspects, which helps ‘The Umbrella Academy’ not get stuck, something that in my opinion did happen at the start of the second.
The arrival of the sparrow academy It is one of the great successes, both for the arrival of new blood to the series and for the fact that its powers seem to some extent a response to those of the peculiar protagonist family. Not that it looks like that particular opposition is going to be explored in depth, but it does add another layer of interest, both to specific scenes and to the entire arc of the season.
Note that they are not the only novelty in terms of characters, but another major father-child subplot introduced in season three is far less enthralling. At least in this initial stretch, because I have no doubt that he will end up giving more of himself, because for the moment it has been something unexpected with which he is still learning to deal.
everything fits well
In fact, I’m curious to see how they handle that considering one of the mysteries that the protagonists have to solve, because in the end what this third season opener does best is to pose a plot map in which there is not a single one that leaves me lazy to see how things will go forward.
And furthermore, the writing team is knowing very well how to string together all fronts so that nothing feels forced, not even the fact that Vanya now becomes Viktor, a move that many will surely criticize strongly. On a personal level, it is not that it drives me crazy that it becomes a kind of translation into fiction of the real case of Elliot Page, but it’s not out of place either, and yes, it always gave me the feeling that there was something a little out of place in Vanya. At least in the version of the character that we have seen in the Netflix series.
For the rest, the episodes fly by, the series continues to have a strong visual identity – both when it simply seeks to be colorful and when it enhances its most impressive facet – and the gallery of characters complements each other, and from there the series continues to grow. . If even It retains that spark that most series would have lost by now.
In short
‘The Umbrella Academy’ continues to rock in its third season. Everything that made us enjoy it remains there, seasoned with some new plots that leave you wanting more and the successful addition of the Sparrow Academy. In a few days I will tell you if the remaining episodes maintain the level or if there is an upward or downward variation, but the first three have met with good marks. Without a doubt, one of the best Netflix series of this 2022.