The Umbrella Academy<\/a>, fans were uneasy. Could it really capture the unique tone of the series from writer Gerard Way and artist Gabriel B\u00e1?<\/span><\/p>\nBut after two brilliantly bizarre seasons, the Academy is showing no signs of wear and tear \u2013 if anything, it doubles down on the weirdness for season 3. It\u2019s a welcome return for the Umbrellas after the surprising cliffhanger at the end of season 2, picking up right after the gang think they\u2019ve fixed the timeline, until they return home. <\/span><\/p>\nThey find that they\u2019ve only made things worse, and they don\u2019t exist in this world. Instead, they\u2019re faced with their resurrected father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) and a new class of heroes: The Sparrow Academy\u2026 Oh dear.<\/span><\/p> Unsurprisingly, the huge divide between the Umbrellas and the Sparrows is the focus of the season, mainly because of how different they all are. While the Umbrellas are a rag-tag gang of misfits, the Sparrows are a well-oiled team \u2013 they\u2019re everything our heroes could\u2019ve been if Ben (Justin H Min) hadn\u2019t died when he was younger, splintering the group.<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s a riot to watch the two sets of heroes clash in a truly inventive manner which highlights just how powerful these newcomers are. The show could easily just use them as foils for the Umbrellas, but thankfully the story fleshes the Sparrows out with their own arcs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s particularly great to see Justin H Min get more of the spotlight as the Sparrows\u2019 version of Ben Hargreeves, after spending two seasons as a ghost that only Klaus can see. To say more about the other team would ruin what makes them great, but it\u2019s safe to say that audiences are in for a treat with them \u2013 they\u2019re wonderfully odd.<\/span><\/p>\nWith the Sparrows in their old home, the Umbrellas have to find somewhere else to hang their hats while they grapple with a new apocalyptic event: a swirling mass of world-eating energy called a Kugelblitz. They make their base at the Hotel Obsidian, a wonderfully idiosyncratic location full of bizarre guests and secrets hidden within its walls.<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s here that season 3 really flourishes, because the real heart of the story comes from the characters just being allowed to live a bit. Yes they\u2019re trying to stop the Kugelblitz, but there\u2019s magic in the quieter moments, whether that\u2019s an unlikely love story, odd conversations pondering the possibilities of alternate timelines, or Viktor (Elliot Page) coming out as transgender to his family.<\/span><\/p>\n