The Umbrella Academy

Available Summary:

"Reunited by their father's death, estranged siblings with extraordinary powers uncover shocking family secrets -- and a looming threat to humanity." -Netflix.

Jack's Take:

Elliot Page, a Canadian actor, has been extremely public about his transition and, following this, his character in The Umbrella Academy transitioned as well. Page reportedly had a good experience on set and contributed to the transition plot. I did not enjoy The Umbrella Academy in earlier episodes, so I won't be watching it, but the trans aspect of the show appears to be solid.

I feel obligated to mention the reasons I stopped watching the show originally. Not only did a main character (Allison) abuse a man by using mind control to make him love her, she had sex with him while he was in this altered state, leading to her becoming pregnant. He was portrayed as the bad guy for holding her accountable, and for protecting himself and their daughter, which I found disgusting. In season 3, Allison escalates to attempting to rape her adopted brother. My personal opinion is that Page's character is not worth the repeated mishandling of sexual abuse storylines. Showrunners have defended Allison's characterisation, saying she ought to be sympathised with because she's in pain. Not an excuse that tends to sell nowadays when male characters attempt to rape women, is it?

I'm not inconsistent in my judgement of such characters. The cultural obsession with Breaking Bad passed me by entirely. When I did try to watch it, years after it ended, I found myself unable to continue beyond the S02E01 scene where the protagonist tried to rape his wife, which included her telling him to stop and physically pushing him off her several times. Specifically, the way that the sexual assault was portrayed, and how viewers were encouraged to sympathise with the would-be rapist and brush off his actions, disturbed me. The broader (lacking) cultural conversation around consent, plus the popularity of the show, caused audiences to disregard the harassment when the show originally aired. I see a similar thing happening with The Umbrella Academy. Much of society still doesn't want to believe that men can be raped or sexually coerced, especially cis men, and especially not by women. So, the writers believe a man being sexually assaulted is okay. It's just a woman expressing her sadness and frustration, right? Just like Walter White did in Breaking Bad.

I'll say this... I really doubt the writers would've dared to make Elliot Page's character the target of Allison's unwanted sexual advances, and still asked audiences to sympathise with the predator. And it was always clear to me that, yes, that is precisely what Allison is. She is a predator. That was obvious when she used mind control to trap a man in a sexual relationship. Tellingly, her attempt to rape her brother involves using that same mind control to force him into intimacy. She is a predator with a history of abusing people in that particular way.

Between Allison and the show's writing, which I did not find compelling at all, not one single part of me wishes to watch purely for Page's character.

Everyone who visits this website is able, and encouraged, to make up their own mind about the content that I review. You do not have to agree with me!