Umbrella Academy Season 3 Trailer

[Psyren]

More glorious multiverse shenanigans:



Really happy that it looks like Ben will have a bigger role to play this season.

[JeenLeen]

As I watched it, I had a thought like "Why are they fighting? If they just paused, thought, and acted like reasonable people for a moment..."
Then I remembered the personalities and characters, and what we know of the dad, so it ended with "Oh... yeah, guess it makes sense this is what'll happen."
(Not meaning this as critical to the show. I really enjoyed the interplay of personalities in S1 and S2. Not sure if I'll actually watch S3, but it at least makes sense when they act stupid or jerkish in this series.)

I'm glad it's finally making note of the other children who were mysteriously born. I was curious if all of them have powers, or just those in the ___ Academy wound up with powers. Like, there should be some random supers around the world.

[Psyren]

IIRC there is a specific number of supers around the world. I haven't read the comics so I don't know if that gets explained (or how the supers' appearance ties into Reginald's, ah, true nature, if at all.)

On a purely aesthetic note I love the use of Ballroom Blitz for this trailer.

[Velaryon]

I'm pretty excited for this. I loved season one and liked season two, although it felt a little rehash-y. They're still saving the world from the consequences of their own actions, but it feels like more of a difference at least.

I have no idea how or if this played out in the comics, as I stopped reading after the first volume. I very much found this to be one of those times when the adaptation was better than the original.

[Dienekes]

Adaptation was definitely better than the original comic in this case.

I quite liked both seasons, though, yeah, two is a bit shakier. I don't even remember completely what Vanya and Claus was doing for most the season anymore. I vaguely remember some romance with Vanya that just bored me. But Claus, I got nothing. While I still remember pretty much all the important details of season 1.

But I think they have a stronger premise to work off of for this one. We'll see.

I'm curious what they're going to do with Luthor. First season he was the steadfast but naive self-appointed leader who made mistakes but you could always follow his logic, who had his world crushed. In season two, that was mostly just ignored to make him the bumbling Watson to Five's Sherlock. I hope he at least gets a little of his competence back.

[Mikeavelli]

I liked season 2 better than season 1, but yeah it was mostly just the Five show with some supporting characters working through the same issues they already spent a season working through.

[Psyren]

Season 3 is out and I finally finished it!

Spoilery thoughts later but general spoiler-free comment: I'm not the biggest fan of Netflix's "dump the whole season at once" model. Sure, I don't mind a good binge, but it makes it difficult to know where your friends are at, when you can discuss the season, what kinds of memes you can share etc.

With that said, I'm definitely excited for Season 4.

[dehro]

I'm only a couple episodes in, but I can't shake the feeling that the whole plot is propelled by everybody having their hands on the idiot ball.

[Devonix]

I'm only a couple episodes in, but I can't shake the feeling that the whole plot is propelled by everybody having their hands on the idiot ball.

Everyone being an idiot is kinda the point of Umbrella Academy. If anyone talked or thought things through the seasons would last like 2 episodes

[Murk]

I'm fine with people being idiots, but I really dislike how little the protagonists actually achieve in a season.

When this whole season is over, what did they actually do that mattered?*

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As far as I can tell the only constructive things they did all happened in the final episode, and even then they basically beat up four dudes and stood in a circle; the actual "saving the world" part was done by a side character who figured most of it out off-screen.

The worst offenders remain Luther and Diego. I think Diego's "super power" is that he can aim really well? But I don't remember any situation in which he actually hit something to any effect.

*The answer to: "What did they actually do that mattered?" is of course "They did a lot of personal development!" which could be a good answer. Family drama can be great. I know a lot of great series about people sitting around, talking, and working out their character issues.
But this show pretends to be something other than family drama. It pretends to be about people with super powers and saving the world - and it isn't. That bothers me.

[Dienekes]

About halfway through myself.

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The transition from Vanya to Victor took me for a bit of a surprise. It seemed strangely out of left field and kinda rushed. Then I learned about Elliot Page. Good for him. That's probably the best they could get that to work without making a story of self discovery the focus of half the season at least.

Also, this is the second show I've watched where Robert Sheehan learns his true power was immortality all along.

[Psyren]

I think Diego's "super power" is that he can aim really well? But I don't remember any situation in which he actually hit something to any effect.

He telekinetically controls projectiles. While he mostly uses this to just aim his knives well, as we saw in S2 he can stop/redirect a barrage of gunfire Neo-style which is pretty powerful.

*The answer to: "What did they actually do that mattered?" is of course "They did a lot of personal development!" which could be a good answer. Family drama can be great. I know a lot of great series about people sitting around, talking, and working out their character issues.
But this show pretends to be something other than family drama. It pretends to be about people with super powers and saving the world - and it isn't. That bothers me.

I agree the show was pretty light on world-saving until the final couple eps. But I can't really blame them, Five especially, for checking out the way they did either.

[Tyndmyr]

He telekinetically controls projectiles. While he mostly uses this to just aim his knives well, as we saw in S2 he can stop/redirect a barrage of gunfire Neo-style which is pretty powerful.

However, he completely fails to utilize his power against projectiles that appear to be a lot less speedy than a bullet.

Both Diego and Luther pretty much lost the super powered lottery, and could fill pretty much the same role by having no powers, and maybe hitting the gym some.

[Psyren]

However, he completely fails to utilize his power against projectiles that appear to be a lot less speedy than a bullet.

Both Diego and Luther pretty much lost the super powered lottery, and could fill pretty much the same role by having no powers, and maybe hitting the gym some.

I'd say "inconsistently" rather than "completely." He's saved his siblings' lives more than once, he's just not particularly bright (and neither is Luther for that matter) which greatly reduces their potential. ("Hitting the gym" also wouldn't let you nullify gunfire or tank explosives.)

With that said, you're definitely right that they are the weakest two Hargreeves overall, especially after

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Klaus' powerup

this season.

[Wintermoot]

Funnily enough, as a holdover from the comic, their numbering was SUPPOSED to be an indication of their relative power (according to Reginald)

1. Spaceboy (Luther) - super strength, durability
2. Kraken (Diego) - telekinesis/kinetic redirection
3. Rumor (Allison) - body control through spoken command
4. Seance (Klaus) - ability to speak with the dead/make spirits manifest
5. Five (Five) - short range teleportation
6. Horror (Ben) - ability to extrude tentacles from his chest
7. White Violin (Victor) - no powers

Of course, the reality (in both media) is almost exactly backwards, with Luther and Diego being the weakest and Victor and Five being the strongest. And of course, in the tv show, there are significant differences in powersets and personalities.

Diego, very early on rejected his training and went out on his own and makes no further attempts to explore or grow his power beyond the very narrow way he's chosen to utilize it. It was enough for his batman-wannabe mental self image, he didn't need or want to go any further with it.

Luthor, on the other hand, I could argue is actually at the rather shallow ceiling of his potential. Although he is much smarter in the book than in the show where the writers and/or actor have decided to make him increasingly buffoonish and child-like as the seasons have gone on.

And, of course, the show has to deal with budget realities. Every use of a power is an expensive effect shot. So powers that can be done cheaper (Five's teleportation which is camera work and an already paid for distortion effect that can be reapplied over and over again is much cheaper than Ben's tentacles or Klaus's undead apparitions.

[Dragonus45]

Funnily enough, as a holdover from the comic, their numbering was SUPPOSED to be an indication of their relative power (according to Reginald)

It was less about power in the comics and more about usefulness and expected value. Spaceboy, for example being number 1 entirely because he was so unwaveringly dedicated and loyal.

[Wintermoot]

It was less about power in the comics and more about usefulness and expected value. Spaceboy, for example being number 1 entirely because he was so unwaveringly dedicated and loyal.

That's not how I remember it, but it's been a long time since I read it so I won't debate it.

[Psyren]

The UC numbering was indeed based on usefulness to RH, which was related more to "ease of control/manipulation" of the child in question than their raw power. Viktor and Ben being at the bottom was a reflection of how dangerous trying to use them would have been.

I agree there's a budgetary concern with the powers, but Allison's should arguably be one of the cheapest (voice echo and a ripple effect) and she uses hers the least, especially in fight scenes. Mostly because her power could solve the plot entirely if she actually used it as much as she should

[Tyndmyr]

And, of course, the show has to deal with budget realities. Every use of a power is an expensive effect shot. So powers that can be done cheaper (Five's teleportation which is camera work and an already paid for distortion effect that can be reapplied over and over again is much cheaper than Ben's tentacles or Klaus's undead apparitions.

Most of the SFX shots directly tied to powers are fairly cheap. Super strength/toughness is remarkably easy to do, and he's got the muscle suit on all the time anyways. It gets used as a power even in the crappiest budget TV shows for this reason.

Talking to dead people? Feh. Mostly just voices, perhaps some color shifted compositing. The dead are rarely interacting with anything in the scene, it's an extremely easy effect.

Voice command? Not really breaking the SFX budget there.

Sure, scenes like the opening to S2 are....not cheap, but that's the exception, not really required for any powers save maybe the tentacles. We're not doing a lot of shapeshifting or fire summoning or what not.