Netflix: The Umbrella Academy

[Dobber]

25 minutes ago, sqidd said:

It's a slow burn for the first five. More backstory, etc. It looks like it's picking up now.

Ok good...I think I just finished 4 and while it’s not bad by any means I'm just a little tired of the back-story side story civil rights arc with Allison instead of getting to the main arc. 

Chris

[sqidd]

3 hours ago, Dobber said:

Ok good...I think I just finished 4 and while it’s not bad by any means I'm just a little tired of the back-story side story civil rights arc with Allison instead of getting to the main arc. 

Chris

It picked up.

[Dobber]

Cool. Like I said nothing is bad just tired of them dragging their feet to tell side stories instead of just getting on with it. Watching it now....I’m actually on ep 4 now.

Chris

[Dobber]

Just finished the season. Definitely picked up by episode 5 and had a strong finale. Bring on season 3.

Chris

[Tking22]

I finished the new season earlier today, loved it, really fun, great energy throughout, great soundtrack too. Definitely a bit slow in the first few episodes, a lot of stage setting, then really picks up. Definitely a great finale, really looking forward to season 3.

[Dynaman]

The first one was good.  Watching the second one today, third tomorrow...

I can handle a slow start.  I made it through the first 10 or so episodes of Stein's Gate...

[sqidd]

On 8/1/2020 at 7:47 PM, Dobber said:

Just finished the season. Definitely picked up by episode 5 and had a strong finale. Bring on season 3.

Chris

Hear hear!

On 8/1/2020 at 9:26 PM, Tking22 said:

I finished the new season earlier today, loved it, really fun, great energy throughout, great soundtrack too. Definitely a bit slow in the first few episodes, a lot of stage setting, then really picks up. Definitely a great finale, really looking forward to season 3.

I looked up if there was going to be a season three and ran a across a little bit of trivia. Two members from the band My Chemical Romance (I don't think I know thir stuff) did the comic book series. That may explain the really good soundtrack. Also that the comic series was in three groups (or whatever) so it sounds like plans are for a third season. And it will probably wrap up nicely.

[technoblue]

5 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Hear hear!

I looked up if there was going to be a season three and ran a across a little bit of trivia. Two members from the band My Chemical Romance (I don't think I know thir stuff) did the comic book series. That may explain the really good soundtrack. Also that the comic series was in three groups (or whatever) so it sounds like plans are for a third season. And it will probably wrap up nicely.

Just one member: Gerard Way. Gabriel Bá is the main artist but wasn’t in the band. The band got together in 2001 originally but then spilt in 2013. They all got back together in 2019. The music is alt rock/punk rock, or at least it’s along those lines given what I’ve heard. I should listen to more of it to give a better assessment.

Anyway, yeah Dark Horse has been releasing the graphic novels. Most recently in fancy hardcover collectible editions. I’ve been picking these up to see if the graphic novels do things a little differently and maybe get another perspective on the story. The volume 3 hardcover is coming out this fall. The trade paperbacks of all three are already available.

[sqidd]

One thing that I REALLY appreciated was that the show while having your standard current SJW talking points installed in the story, they weren't shoved down your throat. I'm about the most truly socially liberal person you will ever meet. Translation, I'm accepting of anyone no matter where they land on the "spectrum" as long as they're not trampling some else's rights. I'm not just socially liberal about the current "popular" groups. Anyway, even being very socially liberal I can't stand when someone is trying to shove their message down my throat. I've stopped watching a lot of entertainment when I get that feeling.

This show incorporated all the current popular "messages" while making it feel organic. I was getting REALLY steamed during the diner scene. Which is exactly what the story was supposed to make me do. A lot of entertainment seems incapable of pulling that off. Instead you feel like someone is trying to turn you into a sock puppet. Which is really annoying.

[Dobber]

11 hours ago, sqidd said:

One thing that I REALLY appreciated was that the show while having your standard current SJW talking points installed in the story, they weren't shoved down your throat. I'm about the most truly socially liberal person you will ever meet. Translation, I'm accepting of anyone no matter where they land on the "spectrum" as long as they're not trampling some else's rights. I'm not just socially liberal about the current "popular" groups. Anyway, even being very socially liberal I can't stand when someone is trying to shove their message down my throat. I've stopped watching a lot of entertainment when I get that feeling.

This show incorporated all the current popular "messages" while making it feel organic. I was getting REALLY steamed during the diner scene. Which is exactly what the story was supposed to make me do. A lot of entertainment seems incapable of pulling that off. Instead you feel like someone is trying to turn you into a sock puppet. Which is really annoying.

I for the most part agree...

 

though that was why I was tiring with the early episodes. Honestly getting tired of being “steamed” and think that may be some of the problems we are having in society. People constantly being keyed up either in reality or even in our entertainment...”remember, be ANGRY!!!” And/or “Remember to be “ASHAMED” even when you had nothing to do with it.

 Also immediately saw where they were going to go with Vonya’s story....which honestly didn’t do anything to endear me to the character. (Her behavior, not her orientation)  She was taken into that home where she proceeded to have an affair with a married woman. They may not have had a conventionally “happy” marriage but he wasn’t a bad man who abused or cheated on her. Yet HE was made out to be the bad guy who needed to die when his wife tried to run off with their son and her lover. Change genders and/or orientations around and the spouse and lover would be considered despicable.

Chris

 

Edited August 5, 2020 by Dobber

[TangledThorns]

This series reminds me of GOTHAM where it obviously takes place in current modern times but avoids high tech by ignoring smartphones and computers altogether. Is there a name for this I wonder?

[technoblue]

I didn't see anything written as heavy handed with Vanya's character or her side story with Carl, Sissy and Harlan. 

I agree with @sqidd and think this is one of the few shows that gets the balance right, especially with the time travel and culture shock tropes where people from the future meet up with those in the past and how that can cause ripples to change all sorts of important and unimportant events. It begs the question how much exposure is too much in this situation? Within universe. it shows how a whole commission dedicated to keeping the timeline in check really is THAT important. 

Spoiler

Carl is characterized with subtlety in the beginning, and at the start he does seem rough and rugged but okay; however, the show then goes out of its way to clearly show his faults. This man isn't perfect or good IMO. Sissy even admits that to Vanya at one point. He ignores his special needs son, he lies to his wife and neglects her, he's a heavy drinker and it is implied that most of his money is spent on alcohol. This is why Sissy is squirreling away money in a can as an emergency fund. He has a bad temper, and when mixed with the drinking it gets him kicked out of bars (as in the scene where Luther first sees Vanya). The man clearly has issues. If he put down the bottle he might even be able to resolve some of them, but instead he chooses to jerk everyone around (including his own family).

Is that happening because Vanya is there picking up the slack? That's the question I was asking. I mean, we are seeing the story from the perspective of each of the Umbrella Academy siblings. Obviously, being from the future, their actions are influencing the history around them and they will bring a modern interpretation to the historical events (see Diego and his JFK rants). Maybe it's all a result of the messed up timeline that Vanya and her family created, but it could also be who Carl is, if I'm being honest. He doesn't have to be good and I don't see why the audience should be sensitive to his plight. That isn't the point. Stories need their bad guys after all.

I do disagree that changing genders and/or orientations around the spouse would have affected the side plot in any way. Instead of Vanya it could have as easily been Klaus, for instance. Rather than having him search for young Dave they could have had him fall in love with another man who happened to be married to a woman with a child and if written well it still could have hit similar notes IMO. It could also have been heartbreaking on another level, but we have what we have, and I thought it was done well.

As for Carl's death, it happened during an argument in the heat of the moment when Harlan was exhibiting powers. Carl and Sissy were both facing an impossible situation and I think the choices they made were true to their characters. Again, the way I see it, it's a juxtaposition of how things worked in the 1960s versus how they work today. My only critique here is that I think Sissy was too quick to accept Vanya when she returned to the farmhouse to help Harlan. But by that point the commission was on top of everyone and things were moving incredibly fast.

 

Edited August 5, 2020 by technoblue

[Thom]

Just finished this today, and I had fun all the way through. I might be in the minority, but the first half didn't feel slow at all! Like season one, the story lines and the actors playing the parts are just so engaging, that going off on little side trips down memory lane are fun rather than dragging.

 

As for Vanya...
 

Spoiler

 

I was glad they managed to get her back fully into the family again. There were spots where I thought they were going to have to 'stop' her anyway, esp when we find she was once again the catalyst for the apocalypse.  That final scene with Ben was great.

As for her relationship, getting involved with a married person is always a mistake, but then again, that seems to be what they do all the time. Make mistakes. I was hoping she would have been able to take Sissy and Harlan with her, but can certainly understand Sissy's reasons for choosing the safety of her son over her heart.

It will be interesting to see what role Harlan plays in the future.

And no, Carl was not a bad guy. He was a product of his era. Not to say that all husbands/fathers in that day were the same, but he was. Man of the house. His word was law. Wifey stays at home and tends the child while he goes out and has fun... He didn't deserve to die, but in this instance it was an accident. Never ever struggle over a gun!

That ending was good too. They finally get back home, only it's not their home anymore... Clearly Father saw that they were not the best choices he could have made when the time came and instead did a 'reset.' And yes, Ben is back...

And Hargreeves is an alien! I guess it stands to reason with that one flashback he had in the first season.

 

 

Now I must wait for Season three...

[Dynaman]

Watched through episode 3 and none of feels like filler or that it is going slow - I do find modern action movies have far too little plot and characterization and way too much action these days so it could just be me.

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, Thom said:

Just finished this today, and I had fun all the way through. I might be in the minority, but the first half didn't feel slow at all! Like season one, the story lines and the actors playing the parts are just so engaging, that going off on little side trips down memory lane are fun rather than dragging.

If you're in the minority, then I'm right there with you, @Thom.  BTW, I finished watching the second season on Monday.

Spoiler

The scene with Ben and Vanya was superb. The fact that Ben is back might seem like a cheat at first, but I'm actually looking forward to see how it all works out. Obviously, we've already seen that new Ben comes with a very different personality.

Hargreeves is interesting. I wonder if he's an alien or some kind of a walking talking fish like our dearly departed AJ?

I gotta disagree about Carl though (sorry). I don't think anyone is implying that he deserved to die. The story certainly didn't imply that, although I do think the writers were clearly showing him as an important antagonist.  When Vanya regained her memories, she should have stepped back from being the interloper, true. Instead she persisted and caused more trouble for Sissy and Harlan. Sissy, I think, actually did love Carl and Vanya for what it's worth. It's just that these shows tend to avoid compromises that leave everyone happy since it isn't as exciting taking that route. Hence, we got the ending where she couldn't really trust and/or feel safe with either Carl or Vanya.

It's funny that you note how the siblings seem to always makes mistakes, because that's what I love about this show. These are the B or C ranking heroes. So far we've seen that the adult members of the Umbrella Academy are not heroes that you can really count on, even if they're doing their best to make it all right. I wonder if that will change in season 3?

 

Edited August 5, 2020 by technoblue

[sqidd]

10 hours ago, Dobber said:

I for the most part agree...

  Hide contents

 

Chris

 

I've seen this done but never wanted to myself until now. How do you do the hidden comment thing? I'm going to feel like a moron when you tell me. I'm probably looking right at it.

[technoblue]

2 hours ago, sqidd said:

I've seen this done but never wanted to myself until now. How do you do the hidden comment thing? I'm going to feel like a moron when you tell me. I'm probably looking right at it.

In the desktop view, there's an icon that looks like an eyeball. If you you click on it, you can add a hidden spoiler comment to your post. 

Spoiler

Like this 

In the mobile view, I think you can do the same thing by adding

[spoiler]Your spoiler comment[/spoiler]

 

Like this 

Edited August 6, 2020 by technoblue

[sqidd]

13 minutes ago, technoblue said:

In the desktop view, there's an icon that looks like an eyeball. If you you click on it, you can add a hidden spoiler comment to your post. 

  Hide contents

Like this 

In the mobile view, I think you can do the same thing by adding

[spoiler]Your spoiler comment[/spoiler]

  Hide contents

Like this 

Spoiler

I think that's it. Thanks!!!

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by sqidd

[sqidd]

As for Vanya...

I'm not sure that we're supposed to like or dislike her. Of course you're supposed to feel sorry for how she was treated. On the other hand could she have reacted to that worse than she did?

She is by far my least favorite character on the show. Hopefully she is being set up for a lot of growth and maybe developing a personality in season 3. Then becoming a bigger part of the team. A "coming good" arc.

On the flip side I love the woman who runs the Camission! She's perfect. And her clothes are to die for! So over the top!

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by sqidd

[Thom]

Well, locked off from her powers so much that she didn't even know they existed, and then 'tutored' by a psycho lover who wanted to turn her into a weapon, and when she finally did run back to her family for help, she was locked away in the basement. When we consider that it all happened in the span of a few days, that's a lot of trauma to try and deal with all on her own. I'm not surprised she went into a rant, though she did it with powers that could destroy the world...

I like her. She's my favorite character. I also think she's completed her 'redemption' arc. She needs to grow into her powers a little more certainly, but on the relationship side she's experienced both the bad and the good, and came away from it better. Plus, she appears to be fully seated back into the family, so I feel a retreading of her past, in any major depth other than as a side note, would be a waste.

And yes, the Handler was deliciously wicked!

[easnoddy]

Vanya (and Ellen Page) really doesn't help the likeability of the show. 

[sqidd]

9 minutes ago, easnoddy said:

Vanya (and Ellen Page) really doesn't help the likeability of the show. 

You have that right. Why these Holywood types ruin their own brand by being obnoxious in real life is beyond me.

Tom Cruise used to get under my skin. In comparison to the current norm he doesn't even show up on my radar anymore.

[Thom]

Do what I do, ignore any actor/actress when they are not in character, and you're (happily) wondering what everyone's problem is.

[sqidd]

50 minutes ago, Thom said:

Do what I do, ignore any actor/actress when they are not in character, and you're (happily) wondering what everyone's problem is.

I try.

[Dobber]

13 hours ago, sqidd said:

I try.

Same...not so easy anymore.

Chris

[Dynaman]

16 hours ago, Thom said:

Do what I do, ignore any actor/actress when they are not in character, and you're (happily) wondering what everyone's problem is.

That is what I was going to say but in my case it would be a partial lie.  Sometimes they go beyond the Pale enough that I won't watch them in a movie.  Usually I think they are crap actors anyway so it kinda works out.

[TangledThorns]

On 8/6/2020 at 11:03 AM, easnoddy said:

Vanya (and Ellen Page) really doesn't help the likeability of the show. 

This. Plus her forehead probably has her own zip code

That being said the second season was much better than the first. The show still reminds me of GOTHAM with its violent campy style which is a good thing.

Edited August 12, 2020 by TangledThorns

[Thom]

55 minutes ago, TangledThorns said:

This. Plus her forehead probably has her own zip code

That being said the second season was much better than the first. The show still reminds me of GOTHAM which is a good thing.

Bangs. She used to have bangs, didn't she..?

[technoblue]

2 hours ago, Thom said:

Bangs. She used to have bangs, didn't she..?

Maybe? But I don't remember seeing her wear her hair like Melissa Benoist has done recently.

[jvmacross]

Just finished watching S2...wow...loved it beginning to end...I know nothing of the comic and prefer to keep it that way...I have alot of questions, but I will be patient and see if I receive some answers in S3...

The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things.....Netflix now has three good reasons not to get dumped now...

The Boys is the only show on Amazon that I am interested in....but I see it as a bonus to the original reason I started paying for Amazon Prime....the shipping service

Disney+'s The Mandalorian is the only reason I am keeping D+ for now.....if they cannot come up with additional "good" shows, then I may start rethinking if I need D+....Mulan for $30 doesn't help them either

[Dynaman]

55 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

The Boys is the only show on Amazon that I am interested in....but I see it as a bonus to the original reason I started paying for Amazon Prime....the shipping service

Give "The Expanse" a look.  The season that Amazon just did is not the best but that is due to the book it is tied to being the least interesting one in my opinion.  They did a good job bringing it to the show though.  At this rate they will reach the end of the book line soon, two books left IIRC but unlike Game of Thrones the writer doesn't take a decade to write a book.

[sqidd]

7 minutes ago, Dynaman said:

Give "The Expanse" a look.  The season that Amazon just did is not the best but that is due to the book it is tied to being the least interesting one in my opinion.  They did a good job bringing it to the show though.  At this rate they will reach the end of the book line soon, two books left IIRC but unlike Game of Thrones the writer doesn't take a decade to write a book.

I think there are 3 more books alreday out and maybe one or two more to go. The writers have been really consistent. Fund fact, one or both of them was a research assistant(s) for George RR Martin. It shows up a little in their world building. Or in this case, universe building.

Absolutely fantastic show. It was good when it was on SyFi (or however they spell it now). The quality got even better when Amazon started paying the bills. Next season is going to be bonkers.

I actually liked the latest season (and the book). It thought it was a nice change from the standard "holy smokes there is a lot going on" way the books are done. I didn't like it more than other seasons. It was just nice to have something apart from the norm.

[TangledThorns]

I'll say the one thing about Umbrella Academy...

It has an awesome soundtrack!

[Thom]

They do have a knack for picking just the right song for the scenes.

[jvmacross]