8 Incredible Moments from Netflix's Umbrella Academy Season 1

Last year was quite an impressive time for original comic book television, from the debut of The Boys on Amazon Prime to the arrival of Doom Patrol on the DC Universe app, and even the emergence of the sleeper-hit Swamp Thing. My personal favorite of all of last year's smash-hits was Umbrella Academy on Netflix. It was a show that took the world by storm last February when it premiered and is based on the original Dark Horse graphic novel written by former My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way featuring art by Gabriel Bá.

The duo gave us three outstanding volumes of the comic series, one of which even going so far as to win an Eisner Award. Netflix has since confirmed that we will be getting a Season 2 of the beloved series, and I, for one, am very excited. Within the 10 episodes that make up Season 1, we were given love, trauma, murder, and a huge cliffhanger ending. In preparation for the Season 2 release at the end of July, I decided to re-watch the first season of Umbrella Academy, so I can look back, reflect, and even do some soul-searching. It's time to rewind and find out which moments deserve to be considered the 8 most unbelievable moments of Umbrella Academy Season 1.

The Funeral of Reginald Hargreeves

What kind of show starts with a funeral? When we first meet the members of our team they have long since been removed from being the actual Umbrella Academy. Having been separated and divided, we see them finding their way in the world, sometimes by any means. Luther (aka #1) has the power of super-strength, the body of an ape, and is returning from the moon. Diego (aka #2) is great with knives, and spends his time as a vigilante, choosing to still wear his old mask. Alison (aka #3) has the powers of controlling people with "rumors", using them to become famous. Klaus (aka #4) is on heavy drugs in hopes of suppressing his powers, which include talking to the dead. #5, who has no name, has been missing for 20 years. Ben (# 6) is dead. Vanya, who goes by Number 7, seemingly has no powers.

Having not seen each other in years, the tension between siblings is at an all-time high. Luther is suspicious of his father's death, Klaus spends his time stealing his father's heirlooms, Diego's cognitive dissonance makes him unapproachable, and Vayna has released a book about the family, making her persona non grata. When it's time to spread the ashes, we get a fight with Luther and Diego, the two most authoritative members of the family. The incident destroys the statue depicting Number Six, their fallen brother Ben and the fight stands a sad reminder to the children that they probably will never get along. Even the sudden appearance of #5, out of space and time, does nothing to soothe old wounds in this time of tragedy. This scene was the perfect way to show how the family had fractured over the years and sets up our "Apocalypse" narrative that runs through the show.

A Boy and His Coffee

When we first see Number Five in the show, it is during a flashback to him and his siblings foiling a bank robbery. The scene manages to showcase the entire Umbrella Academy’s fighting skills. Even so, most of Five has remained a mystery to us, even though his disappearance is solved in episode one. When Number Five finally debuts on screen, after being gone for decades, his dialogue is mostly science jargon, making everything he says a bit nonsensical. One thing is for sure, he wants some damn coffee. One of the best parts of the pilot is 5 trying desperately to fill his caffeine kick while his family pays him no mind. That was until he finds Griddy’s Donuts, a local donut shop that also sells coffee! Daring to make the trip in the dead of night, we see 5 enjoying his java when a group of armed men burst into the diner, pleading with Five to go with them calmly. One thing they didn’t consider was how badly he wanted that coffee.

Suddenly, we see Number Five's powers on full display as he takes down the men after him, which was especially a treat in the first episode. With stabs to the faces and a hail of gunfire, we see Number Five take down an entire extraction team single-handedly. Fortunately, they do not shy away from the gore. Instead, the camera holds on every punch and puncture, no matter how graphic. Plus, Aiden Gallagher's charisma is on full display in this performance, from his usage of quips and profanity, right down to the sarcastic facial expressions. There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most unbelievable moments of The Umbrella Academy's first season.

Run Boy Run

Speaking of Number Five, the second episode of the Netflix Original "The Umbrella Academy" opens with a teenage household of crime fighters and their adoptive parents enjoying a breakfast meal. It seems like a normal morning until Number Five interrupts everyone to argue with his father over time travel. Sir Reginald Hardgreeves had put his foot down in the past and reiterates that he forbids Number Five from jumping into the future. Hargreeves has spent months explaining the dangers of time travel, but Number Five decides to run through time anyway, disappearing from the breakfast table. Set to a perfect song to capture the moment (Run Boy Run by Woodkid), we see that his first jump is a successful leap a couple of weeks into the future. Suddenly everything and everyone around him is lit by a bright orange sun showing that the world is experiencing summer. Impressed with himself, Number Five jumps a second time, and this time it is winter, as the lighting is now more saturated and grey. We also see that people are more bundled up, and it's snowing. Whoever says third time is the charm has never seen this show, as the third time Number Five jumps he ends up 20 years into the future.

As he looks around a destroyed world it occurs to him that he has ended up in the apocalypse, and everyone is dead. As the show progressed, we saw that this decision to jump led Number Five on a down a dark path. His inability to travel back to his family meant he was forced to walk the barren world alone, which puts him in the path of The Handler. This meeting turns into recruitment and starts a new chapter for Number Five as a time-traveling assassin. As a cold opening, we didn't know what we were in store for, but ultimately we got a somber look at what happens when we disregard parental advice. Number Five is changed forever for his actions and his past helps inform who he is today.

Hazel and Cha Cha Burn One

Two characters that have seen a giant revamp from their comic counterparts are Hazel and Cha Cha. Considered to be the top agents for Commission, they have been instructed to capture Number Five, and bring him back to The Handler. We see how dangerous the pair is when they initially hunt down Five in a department store. When they decide to go to attack The Umbrella Academy at their mansion, they managed to narrowly escape with their lives, but it is later revealed that they kidnapped Number Four aka Klaus. They begin to torture Klaus in a hotel room, looking for any information they can, hoping mostly for information on Number Five's plan. They start destroying his drugs as a means of interrogation, and even ate a pot-infused brownie in front of him, to provoke him. What follows is one of the funniest scenes this show has to offer.

Figuring out where Five was headed next, and set to Tom Swoon's Shingaling, we see an inebriated Hazel and Cha Cha, high as a kite, dancing while destroying a lab that Number Five needed information from. What's gets me about this moment is the setup, and the payoff. Episode after episode, we see that Hazel is stressed, tired of the bureaucracy, and their needless cutbacks, while Cha Cha is mostly uptight and going with the motions of the job. So when we get this scene with these two killers, who are completely stoned, mixed with fast-paced editing, and some hilarious dance moves, we feel almost rewarded. Getting to see Hazel and Cha Cha let loose, and enjoy a bit of the devil's lettuce, is one of the most incredible moments of Umbrella Academy Season 1.

Klaus Earns His Stripes

One of the scariest powers that I can think of, is the ability that haunts our very own Number 4, a.k.a Klaus (Codename: The Seance). This is a character who has spent most of his life wishing he was powerless, so as not to have to endure the torture of seeing the dead at every waking moment. He is always inebriated, high off some drug, suppressing his ability to see these spirits. This suppression has caused him to never take anything seriously. He's always stealing from others to pawn for drug money, and he's always making snide remarks and inappropriate jokes. This changes when Hazel and Cha-Cha break into the Hardgreeves' manor and manage to kidnap an unsuspecting Klaus who has just gotten out of the shower. While being held captive, Klaus begins to sober up and starts to see the dead again. When this starts to get too much for him, he begins to find solace and help within Ben's spirit.

Ben, being able to talk to Klaus, helps him become stronger. Being able to briefly become The Seance again, and using the help of Detective Patch, Klaus manages to escape, stealing Hazel and Cha-Cha's time-traveling briefcase in the process. When Klaus is on a bus going home, he attempts to open the briefcase, ready to pawn whatever is inside for more drugs. All he cares about is his ability to suppress the spirits he sees. However, when he opens it, he travels to 1968 and the Vietnam War. God only knows what he did and what he saw. Suddenly moments later, he appears back the same position as when he left, sitting on a bus going in the opposite direction. Robert Sheehan's facial expressions, played over Big Thief's Mary, is completely heartbreaking, as the look in his eyes speaks volumes. When Klaus gets off the bus, with a somber look, covered in blood, it makes you ask yourself, "What did he see?". In a fit of rage, Number 4 destroys the briefcase by smashing it over and over again, begging you to feel his pain. This is a pain that remains with Klaus, as for the rest of the series he experiences intense war flashbacks, reminding him of his time in Vietnam. It is a raw and unfiltered look at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and its debilitating effects, and certainly makes for one of the most incredible moments of the season.

Love At First Bite

If there is one thing that I kind of expected out of Umbrella Academy, it was an established relationship between two characters. Call me a romantic, but the entire time I was watching, I was looking for which romance would take center stage. It wasn't going to be Number 5 and his mannequin wife, and while it's implied that Diego and Dt. Patch used to date, they killed her off before we even get a proper rekindling. We all knew if something was to spark between Luther and his adopted sister Alison, that it would feel incredibly weird. They were raised together as a family, making the pairing taboo. Who would have thought that the heartwarming relationship that I would be given would be between a hitman dealing with his existential fears, and a bird-watching, donut-selling waitress?

The relationship between Hazel and Agnus was so fleshed out and believable that as the series progressed, you ended up rooting for them to just get away. Hazel is a complicated man, who spent most of his time on the show hating his day-to-day life. We see him become increasingly frustrated with the corporate bureaucracy, longing instead for something ordinary and mundane. To a man whose life is unpredictable, seeing this waitress of a donut shop who spends her lunch break calmly bird watching, became a revelation. Maybe he could quit his job, and have a seemingly normal life, just like the donut lady. From their first encounter on screen together, something seemed to spark.

Their chemistry was engaging, and it felt wholesome seeing Hazel finding his reason to live for more than himself. Hazel double-crossing his long time partner Cha-Cha, while getting away from the life he regretted living, all with baby Agnus by his side, is a great ending for that character. Hazel's desire to be free is one of the most incredible moments of this incredible show.

Spaceboy Lets Loose

Each member of the Umbrella Academy has the distinction of being lost, estranged, and extremely broken. If there was one member who always managed to keep it together, not only for himself but for the good of the group, it was Luther. He is their leader and the last of the Umbrella Academy to leave their childhood home because he felt it was his responsibility to stay with the sinking ship. With everyone carving their path in life, someone had to stay watch over their father, making Luther bound by duty. Sadly, Luther ultimately pays for that decision. One day after a mission, he is injured so badly in combat, he needs to be spliced into a giant gorilla-like monster to survive. Hargreeves, ashamed of his monstrosity, sends Luther on a phony mission to the moon for 4 years, isolated from existence, all because of Hargreeves' failure.

One of the best moments of the series comes from when Luther finds out his mission on the Moon is a lie. He's supposed to be the group's conscious, so what happens when he can no longer hold them together? Well, he finally snaps and decides to let loose like never before. He finds a rave, gets both drunk and high, and turns into the life of the party, all while his brother Klaus looks on in horror. It's hard not to sympathize with Luther at that moment. Everything he knew was a lie, made worse by the fact that his father never intended to come clean about his deception. The way he throws himself into pure hedonism after years of self-sacrifice is equal parts cathartic and tragic. The worst of it all is that the events of that day were erased, leaving Spaceboy with no memories of his one night letting loose. We remember it though Luther, so make sure you keep your shirt on next time.

The Violent Symphony of The White Violin

Vanya Hardgreeves was always told she was just ordinary. She seemed to grow up without powers, proving there was nothing special about her. While her brothers and sisters fought crime, Vanya watched with her father, who constantly reminded her she wasn't like them. This was a Hardgreeves' lie, as Vanya was not only born with power, but she is the most powerful member of the family. Hargreeves, fearing her uncontrollable potential, simply decided to suppress her powers with pills. Never to know her full potential, Vanya puts all her passion into learning the violin. That's how she meets Leonard Peabody who stops by for a lesson. His motives are nefarious, as Leonard is dedicated to making the Hargreeves family pay for embarrassing him when he was younger. He gets a hold of Hardgreeves' journal, learns of Vanya's powers, and unlocks them in the hopes she would destroy her family. Discovering this information, Allison tries to calm Vanya down and confesses that their father also had Alison use her rumor abilities to convince Vanya she was powerless. Betrayed, Vanya snaps, and slices Allison's throat, rendering her rumor powers useless. Realizing she's being played, she kills Leonard too.

As her family tries to subdue her so they can figure out what to do, she escapes and begins to collapse the entire mansion. While destroying the Academy, she kills the family caretaker Pogo, impaling him on mounted antlers. The "White Violin" is now unleashed and will not be denied. The season ends with The White Violin playing a concert for no one, ready to destroy the entire world as we know it. She is finally stopped when Allison shoots a gun off next to her. Unfortunately, Vanya still manages to blow up the moon, and Number 5 has no choice but to grab his family members and travel to an earlier decade so they can all survive. No one knows where the family ended up, which makes the upcoming Season 2 so unpredictable! Go back and watch Umbrella Academy Season 1 and relive these moments in time to join the Academy on July 31st!