The Umbrella Academy (2019)
Created by Steve Blackman Developed by Jeremy Slater
Produced by Borderline Entertainment, Dark Horse Entertainment, and Universal Cable Productions
Premiered in 2019 on Netflix
Starring Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton, Kate Walsh
Based on the graphic novel by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá
Genre/Format: Television/Sci-Fi, Fantasy, super hero, series
Rating TV-14
Plot Summary: The first episode opens on a young man and woman sharing a very brief, very chaste kiss on a bench at an indoor pool in Russia. The woman jumps into the pool and her belly immediately swells to the size of a full-term pregnancy. And then she gives birth. We are told this happens 43 times around the world on October 1, 1989. A man, Reginald Hargreeves, travels the globe to offer a lot of money to the parents of seven of the babies so that he can raise them.
It turns out these kids have superpowers. One, who will eventually be named Luther, has super strength; Two, aka Diego, has perfect aim when throwing a knife; Three, who will become Alison, can make anyone do anything she tells them to if she looks them in the eye and says "I heard a rumor..."; Four, soon to be called Klaus, can see and speak to the dead; Five, and always known as such, can jump through space and time; Six, better known as Ben, can summon a squid monster from another dimension through his stomach so that he can use its tentacles (but he died when they were young so we only see him when Klaus interacts with him); and Seven, who we know as Vanya, plays the violin and has no known super powers. Helping raise them are Pogo, the chimpanzee monkey, and Grace, the robot mom.
We meet them all as adults when the six (or seven if you include Ben) return to their childhood mansion after Hargreeves dies. They haven't seen each other for a long time, the emotions run high. They receive information that the world is going to end and they have eight days to stop the apocalypse. Will they be able to move past their childhood traumas so that they can work together and cope with unexpected obstacles? Or will the world come to an end? Tune in to find out.
Creator Background: Showrunner Steve Blackman, hailing from Edmonton, Canada, is a writer and producer known previously for his work on Fargo and Private Practice. For his writing on the second season of Fargo, Blackman and his co-writers won the Writers Guild of America Award for Adapted Long Form Television and New Media in 2016 (WGAW).
Gerard Way is best known for being the lead singer and co-founder of the alt rock/punk band My Chemical Romance which he formed in 2001. Prior to that he studied cartooning and illustration at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He returned to his artistic roots in 2007 when The Umbrella Academy was published with Dark Horse Comics (Deming).
Gabriel Bá is a writer, illustrator and artist for many comic books and novels. He lives in São Paulo, Brazil and often collaborates with his twin brother, Fábio Moon (Image Comics).
Critical Evaluation Initially, The Umbrella Academy seems like just another entry in a sea of superhero stories. Plus, with its non-linear narrative story structure it's easy to lose track and get confused. That said, it's worth sticking with it because the characters develop in unique and unexpected ways. What makes this super hero story stand out against others are their relationships with each other. That's what good television is able to do better than movies: focus on the characters' interactions, which then drives the plot. It makes for fuller, richer characters and more intricate but logical plot lines, which makes the viewer more invested in what happens.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Comic Book workshop! This would be an occasion to bring in an expert in the field and lead a teen workshop. The teens will learn just what it takes and will leave with a few cells done, along with feedback, ideas and encouragement from the expert.
Speed-Round Talk: Seven super-powered souls set aside their squabbles to save the world.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: One of the characters on the show drops Yiddish words and phrases into her everyday speech, though there is no other indication that she is Jewish. However, there are some who accuse the show of anti-Semitism because this character is evil. In an article in the Cleveland Jewish News Marcy Oster reports "critics...have said that an organization dedicated to controlling the world headed by someone who speaks Yiddish plays into anti-Semitic conspiracy theories" (2020) However, Steve Blackman said in a statment :
The accusation of anti-Semitism in The Umbrella Academy is hurtful and, more importantly, factually incorrect. I wrote these episodes, created the character, and am myself Jewish...The Handler speaks every language, including Swedish, Mandarin, Yiddish, and English..." (Oster, 2020).
In this argument and as a Jew, I do not feel like The Umbrella Academy is anti-semitic. The Handler, as Blackman said, speaks many languages and uses them all to manipulate others. Instead, it is more productive to use the issues this show raises, including the possibility of anti-Semitism, to have a dialogue.
Additionally, some might be wary of the violence and the representation of drug and alcohol problems on the show. However, this is no different than so many shows and is done in a stylized, comic-book manner.
Reason for Inclusion: This show has a diverse cast of super heroes that are more representative of the people we encounter in our daily lives. Additionally, Vanya is played by the transgender actor, Eliot Page, who is a role model for transgender teens and young adults. The honest depiction of real life problems with the humor and fantasy of comic book heroes makes for a show worth watching.
References
Deming, M.Gerard Way Biography. All Music. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerard-way-
Gabriel Bá Image Comics. https://imagecomics.com/creators/gabriel-ba
Oster, M. (2020, August 6,). ‘Umbrella Academy’ co-creator says accusation of anti-
Semitism on Netflix show is ‘factually incorrect’.Cleveland Jewish News
WGAW. (2016). 2016 Writers Guild Awards Winners Announced. Writers Guild of America
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