The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

Downs...

2. Not All Subplots Are Created Equal

With the siblings being spread across 1960s Texas, it follows that the majority of them are separated into their own distinct subplots when the season kicks off.

Though most of these plots are either poignant or hilarious - or in the case of Klaus (Robert Sheehan) reinventing himself as a bohemian cult leader, both - not all of them totally hit the mark.

The notable weak links are Luther (Tom Hopper) becoming a hulking bodyguard for a certain famous figure from American history, and Vanya (Ellen Page) being rendered an amnesiac for a huge chunk of the season.

Though Vanya's uneasy romance with the unhappily married Sissy (Marin Ireland) is a welcome dose of queer representation on-screen, it too often devolves into turgid melodrama, largely as a result of that pesky, convenient amnesia plot.

The season also occasionally strains to tie all of the heroes' stories together, occasionally resulting in the overarching narrative feeling a touch contrived.

None of this is a deal-breaker by any means, but it's a shame that some of the ancillary plots weren't a little more inspired.