SPOILER ALERT: This article contains information that may be considered SPOILERS for ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 2, so if you are not through binging, proceed with caution or turn back now.
‘The Umbrella Academy’ is one of the more humorous superhero projects, but that doesn’t mean that it shies away from serious and even timely topics. Season 2 kicks off with Allison arriving in Dallas in 1960, still mute after being injured by Vanya in S1. She stumbles into a cafe for help, only to be informed that the establishment is for “Whites Only.” Over time, Allison finds herself deeply entrenched in the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, married to a charismatic activist, Raymond Chestnut (Yusuf Gatewood).
And after her disastrous romantic relationship with Leonard Peabody a.k.a. Harold Jenkins (John Magaro) in S1, Vanya finds romance in an unlikely partner, unhappy Texas housewife and mother to an autistic son, Sissy Cooper (Marin Ireland).
Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison) and Ellen Page (Vanya) discussed the relevance of their ’60s set season to issues facing society today.
Raver-Lampman stated:
“It is driving home a point that there is still so much work to be done. Having Allison be part of the civil rights movement and watching violence play out in front of her eyes — there’s not a lot of difference between that violence and the violence we are watching on our televisions today. We’re dealing with systemic racism in our country, injustice and hate on such a deeply rooted level. Yes, there have been strides in the ending of hate and systemic racism but it’s nowhere near done and that is now on our shoulders of this generation and the generation to come. This season, especially in the wake of [the death] of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, is shining a brighter light on the fact that it is still relevant and that fight is still being fought.”
Meanwhile, Page said:
“For me, to have the opportunity to film a season where Vanya falls in love for the first time, to have this experience and have it be with a woman was a really exciting opportunity — especially since it takes place in the ’60s. To be able to do it in a show that has the reach that it has and to tell a story that shows the beauty and the joy that these women have together and also reflects the realistic obstacles [they faced during that time].”
Unlike Leonard/Harold, and Allison’s unseen modern-day husband, Patrick, there is a chance that the show could bring Raymond or Sissy back in some capacity. In fact, the season’s ending heavily implied that viewers hadn’t seen the last of Sissy’s son, Harlan (Justin Paul Kelly). So where Harlan goes, it’s likely that his mom will follow.
Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ are available to stream now on Netflix.
Source: Deadline
