The Umbrella Academy (season 3)

(Usual spoiler: talking about how season 3 starts is kind of a spoiler for how season 2 ends)

Meet the Hargreaves: seven ‘siblings’ who were brought together as babies by an eccentric millionaire who decided their highly unusual births – none of their mothers having been pregnant the day before – signalled something special. And of course, he was right: each has a superpower, and Reginald Hargreaves (Colm Feore) has trained them hard.

The events of season 2 saw the group thrown back in time, and one minor event involved a discussion with a younger version of their ‘father’. As the season ended and they stepped back to modern day, this minor ‘butterfly’ has rather severe consequences: the siblings find themselves back not at the Umbrella Academy, but the rather more successful Sparrow Academy – complete with a different set of special offspring.

And there’s no chance of sloping off for quiet, if not quite their own, lives, as the first thing they do is set themselves up as targets for the Sparrows. There’s also the matter of Allison’s no longer existing child, and her growing fury – that might not end well, here or in (fingers crossed!) season 4. And oh yeah, they’ve brought a world-destroying ball of temporal paradox with them. Of course.

I’ve loved this show since the beginning, it’s just so quirky and mind bending and fun! Season 3 probably isn’t my favourite, but it’s still a lot of fun.

On the negative side, the new supergroup, the Sparrows, are hugely under-developed. It’s not the hugest issue, as we are still focused on the original group, but it doesn’t wholly help the first half of the series. I was also a little disappointed to have less of Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Klaus (Robert Sheehan) – my favs – and more of Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) and Vanya-now-Viktor (Elliot Page; a sweet, well handled transition overall), who to be honest I like least. They’re just so downbeat, and I prefer the manic energy of the others. That said, it’s only fair that all the actors/characters get a more forefront role.

Pluses include seeing more of Reginald Hargreaves and starting to unpick maybe a few of the mysteries around him. And the Hotel Obsidian – loved it! As settings go, it’s both contained and has almost endless possibilities – and that’s before we get to the secret door to… well, maybe that’d be a spoiler 😉

I do so hope there’s more coming; if anything I thought this series had a few too many ideas and not enough depth on most of them. Diego (David Castañeda) and a kid. Five’s past and future self, plus mystery message. Klaus’s new grasp of his ability. I was less interested in Luther’s (Tom Hopper) romance, nor the Sparrows that get most time – there was a lot to tell about them, I guess. But, we can’t have everything! But we certainly can have another series and a continuation of the ‘oooh!’ that we’re left on!

First broadcast: June 2022
Series: 3
Episodes: 10 @ ~48 mins each

My rating: 8/10

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