Umbrella Academy was originally a comic book series that ran from September 2007 to 2013, and since then has come back in October of 2018. The series is written by Gerard Way, whom you might know as the lead singer for My Chemical Romance. So it isn’t a series created by your typical writers of super hero comics.

Umbrella Academy focuses around a family of adopted children. They were seven of forty-three children born to mothers who weren’t expecting until the day and moment that they gave birth to these children. Reginald Hargreeves, an eccentric entrepreneur adopts seven of these children, Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Ben, Vanya, and Number Five – Hargreeves referred to the children by number versus by a name. It was a tough life, but it turned out that most of the kids that he adopted had powers. Luther was extremely strong, Diego could control knives, Allison could plant suggestions in peoples heads, Klaus could see dead people, Ben could summon tentacles from another dimension or his chest, and Number Five could teleport. As children, Hargreeves honed their abilities and turned them into a rag tag team of super heroes who were loved and could stop crimes. But as they grew older, they all left and went their separate ways. Number Five disappeared, and something happened to Ben. It wasn’t until much later when Hargreeves passed away that the five remaining children that he’d adopted came back together to lay him to rest but there are suspicions that his death wasn’t naturally caused.

The story focuses both on the larger plot of what happened to Hargreeves, but in many ways it’s more about what happens when a dysfunctional family comes back together. Can they work together, or have they become so separated and jaded from their horrible childhood that they can’t work together? It’s very much a character piece focused show where at times you really delve into one characters background and them overcoming a demon or figuring out why they are the way they are, and in another episode it’s another character. I think that they give Allison, Klaus, and Luther good room to grow that way. Diego and Vanya are given less room, though some of that with Vanya is that Ellen Page doesn’t do a great job portraying her, and isn’t given the best writing to work with.

I will also say that I think the show is at times rocky with it’s acting. The actor who plays Klaus steals the show, and the actor who plays Number Five when they were kids does a very good job. I’d also put that a fair amount on the writing that the acting is rocky, because there are times where the writing is a little bit hacked together. Not really cliche or trope filled, but it just lacks the polish that you kind of expect to get in the show. This takes what could have been a great show and moves it down to a good show. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some trope heavy parts of the show. There are a couple of tropes that it relies too heavily on, mainly the abusive father and it makes some parts of a pretty complex and interesting story seem a little bit lazy. It takes a story that has a bunch of depth and makes it a bit simplistic.

With that said, I do think there are enough strong characters in it, and while the first episode itself focuses on the death of Hargreeves and the characters coming back together and it is a bit slow, the rest of the series runs at a much better pace. I would say by the time you’re done with episode three, you’re most likely going to be pretty invested in the show. And if you aren’t invested in the show at that point, and the characters in the show, it’s probably going to be a case that the show isn’t for you. If I were to compare to to other shows, I would say it reminds me of a blend of Watchmen (a movie), Dark, and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. It really tries to lean into that slower moving plot like Dark does, but it just doesn’t jump into it quite quickly enough, so the story struggles to gain traction. I do really appreciate a good show that has that slower build like it is going for though.

Now, it seems like I’m knocking it a fair amount, and I have been a bit harsh with it. I did watch it through, and towards the end, it was hard to stop and not just binge it. So it does develop into that sort of show that keeps you guessing and wanting more. It also really does make you care about at least some of the characters a lot in the show. And again, I can’t get into too much because of spoilers with what I consider stronger. It is a show that you’ll need to give a few episodes too first before it will really get going, but once it does, it’s worth it. I’d recommend checking it out on Netflix, and hopefully if enough people enjoy it, it’ll get a second season as there is more to explore in the world.

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To answer that question immediately — no, I don’t think I enjoy it less. There’s a sense of excitement about figuring out a twist in a story before it happens, to connecting two things that seemly loosely connected but then really matter. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is a show that is built on these loose connections, and connecting those dots before the characters do is fun, because the show does a good job of keeping these things somewhat hidden from the viewer. So, making those connections is fun, and it doesn’t take away from the story.

However, I do think it can for some people. When I’m watching something like Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency or Dark, I’m not what I would consider actively looking for these clues. The shows are built around twists, turns, and mysteries, so as I think about the show, I naturally think about those things. And if you’ve read some of my board game reviews, you know that I enjoy puzzle-y type games, and that I love trying to figure out what clue to give in Hanabi or what cards to play in Gloomhaven to get a perfect score or beat the dungeon. I just naturally think about these patterns.

On the other hand, I know people who actively are searching to make these connections. Their enjoyment is often fulfilled, like mine is, by figuring out these connections, but figuring them out too early or not figuring them out at all can ruin their enjoyment of a story. The hunt is what is enjoyable to them, and once that has passed, it isn’t enjoyable anymore, and conversely, if they can’t figure it out, they don’t enjoy it as much because they felt like the story tricked them or didn’t give them enough to figure out the secret, and they could feel like they are slow because of that.

Finally, there is the type of person who isn’t wired for figuring these clues out, and I think that this can be split into a couple of ways as well — those who don’t care, and those who simply enjoy the story. When Kristen and I watch Dirk Gently, it isn’t as if Kristen is getting less enjoyment out of the show because she doesn’t figure it out ahead of time. She enjoys it as much as I do; I’m just bouncing up and down on the couch because I’m pretty sure I figured something out, and she’s shaking her head and laughing at my antics. That is how it should be — being able to enjoy the story as a story, even if you aren’t picking out all the twists and mysteries as soon as the other people you’re watching it with are.

However, there’s an opposite side of this as well, where someone might feel like they are missing out because they can’t figure the story out as quickly as other people. This shouldn’t be the case, because stories are worth enjoying on their own even if you don’t pick up on the secret before it’s revealed. A fine line can be drawn as to how someone can “help” in this situation, as there are some chance that a person could make it worse. If you are figuring out what is going on before someone else, it can come across as patronizing if you try and say that it is just okay that someone else didn’t figure it out. A better route would be to, when talking about the story, focus on the story itself and what it meant to you, not when you figured out the twists and turns, so that everyone can enjoy the story.

As I started out this post, this was an interesting concept to me. There isn’t a right way to engage with a story as long as you are enjoying it. Remember — even if you figured out the twist in the first scene, don’t spoil it for the rest of us, and let everyone enjoy the story in their own way. To quote what the RPG Academy says (they’re talking about RPGs and how to play them, but I think it’s very appropriate here, too) – “If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.”

The show’s eight-episode-long first season just wrapped up on BBC America (and is now available on Netflix, for those of you who prefer not to shell out the bucks for cable!). The storyline is based on Douglas Adams’ book series of the same name — as soon as we learned this, we knew this show was going to be a must-watch for us. It stars Elijah Wood (!!!) as Todd Brotzman, a washed-up, 30-something bellhop who loses his job shortly after stumbling upon a grisly mass-murder in the penthouse suite. As Todd tries to get home and figure out what the heck he’s going to do next, he keeps on running into a highly strange individual by the name of Dirk Gently (played by Samuel Barnett), a colorful-leather-jacket-wearing, flashy-car-driving, self-styled holistic detective. What the heck is that, you ask? Well, there are likely many interpretations, both within the show and without, but as Dirk himself explains, he solves cases by following fate and the innate interconnectedness of all things.

Dirk, without any input or agreement from Todd, decides that the universe has brought Todd to him to be his assistant. Todd tries to resist at first, but before long, he finds himself as desperate to solve the case as Dirk is (and finds himself hoping that, in so doing, he’ll find out what the eff is the deal with all the strange and seemingly nonsensical events that suddenly punctuate his life). Between trying to help his sister, who suffers from a terrible (and thankfully fictional) disease called pararibulitis; finding out why a random corgi keeps popping up everywhere, dealing with the wackos that are suddenly the sole denizens of his world, and following incomprehensible (yet somehow connected) clues with Dirk, it’s all Todd can do to keep his head on straight in his suddenly upside-down life. While Todd is wading through all of this, the POV periodically shifts to Bart Curlish, a holistic assassin (natch) who kills whomever the universe tells her (yes, her) to kill, and Ken, her terrified yet increasingly curious kidnapee. And while they occasionally cross paths with some of the people from Todd and Dirk’s POV, the viewer can only guess just how Bart and Ken fit into this whole scenario.

I won’t say much more about the show than that in terms of story details, because the true beauty of this show is the way the story unfolds before the viewer and somehow becomes slightly more comprehensible with each passing moment, despite the absurdity and strangeness of it all, and I’m not about to ruin that for you. It’s a weird, wild ride, and I loved every moment of it.

At first, I was afraid this show was going to be weird in a creepy, unsettling way that would leave me feeling strange for some time afterward. And it was creepy and unsettling, but in a way that both blew my mind and broadened it, rather than making me feel uncomfortable. It’s difficult to explain, but in making no sense, this show somehow made so much sense. It kept me guessing the whole time as I tried to figure out where on earth the story would go next, all while endearing me to the characters more and more as the show went on. Add that to the fact that it’s wildly, absurdly funny, and you have a show that delights, confuses, and shocks at every turn. In other words, it’s the kind of thing I want to watch all the time, and I already can’t wait for season two!

So how ’bout it? Have you seen Dirk Gently? Is it on your to-be-watched list? Come talk about it with us in the comments!

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