Review: “A Light Supper” reunites The Umbrella Academy with daddy

The sixth episode of The Umbrella Academy season 2 unites our dysfunctional heroes with their dad, but new characters like Lila increasingly steal the show.

“A Light Supper” kicks things into gear and raises the stakes as the apocalypse looms, with enemies ready to strike our heroes from all sides. The sixth episode of The Umbrella Academy season 2 lights the fuse on several conflicts, setting the stage for some mayhem, bloodshed, and epic showdowns.

Things start out with the tale of how Allison came to be a talking, married civil rights activist. After arriving in the ’60s, she goes into a whites-only diner and is chased down the street by a pack of racists before finding safe haven at a Black-owned beauty shop. She starts to work there, makes friends, regains her voice, meets Ray, and gets hitched.

Back in “the present,” Allison comes clean about her powers to her spouse, and proves it at a clothing store neither of them would usually be allowed to even enter. In a reminder of why Allison tries not to use her ability too much, she takes things too far and tortures the Diner owner who threw coffee on her during the protest, understandably freaking her better half out.

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY YUSUF GATEWOOD as RAYMOND CHESTNUT in episode 206 of THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Cr. CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX © 2020

Elsewhere, Five still has his foot over Lila’s neck as The Handler makes him a deal. If he kills the Time Commission’s board of directors, she’ll stop the two apocalypses and send the superhero siblings back to 2019. While it’s a tempting offer, Five says he needs time to think it over. Lila gets jealous that her mother would choose Five for this job and not her, but The Handler claims she has more important things in store for her favorite daughter. She also catches on that Lila may be falling for Diego, which she laughs off as incredibly cliche: a killer falling for her mark, honestly.

In cult news, Klaus tries to come clean to his followers about being a fraud, but they’re so hopped up on his spiritual nonsense that they take it as more self-realization wisdom, worshipping him even harder. Ben and Klaus clash over this, and eventually realize that Ben can possess his brother.

Dave shows up to apologize to Klaus for punching him in the face. Klaus does his best to convince the kid not to enlist, even showing him the dog tags he took off Dave’s dead body in Vietnam, but it’s for naught: Dave has already enlisted in the military, proving that the Seance has altered the timeline.

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY (L to R) TOM HOPPER as LUTHER HARGREEVES, ELLEN PAGE as VANYA HARGREEVES, COLM FEORE as SIR REGINALD HARGREEVES, EMMY RAVER-LAMPMAN as ALLISON HARGREEVES, ROBERT SHEEHAN as KLAUS HARGREEVES, JUSTIN H. MIN as BEN HARGREEVES, AIDAN GALLAGHER as NUMBER FIVE and DAVID CASTA„EDA as DIEGO HARGREEVES in episode 206 of THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Cr. CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX © 2020

Then, it’s dinner time as the siblings come together to reunite with dear old dad. They show off their powers and ask for his help with the upcoming apocalypse, but Reginald tells them that if it’s true, they should be the ones doing something about it. He then has a drink with Five and gives his son some advice about time travel: take baby steps, try traveling seconds into the future or past rather than years. Five apologizes for giving him such a hard time as a kid and decides that, his father being unable to help, he must take the Handler’s deal.

The Swedes, whom the Handler tells not to kill Five, brutally torture Elliot, and Diego and Luther find his mangled corpse. Vanya and Sissy sneak off together and kiss, and Carl sees them. Things are really starting to heat up!

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY (L to R) RITU ARYA as LILA and KATE WALSH as THE HANDLER in episode 206 of THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Cr. CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX © 2020

Every thread on The Umbrella Academy is interesting, but Lila proves more enthralling every time she appears onscreen. It’s apparent that she has Mommy issues similar to the Academy’s collective Daddy issues; her jealousy at the thought of the Handler picking someone else for a job over her is almost a mirror reflection of what Diego went through with his father, making their “will they, won’t they” arc all the more appropriate. It’s subtle, well-executed stuff.

I know this show isn’t the type to get awards attention, but can we get some recognition for Kate Walsh’s performance as the Handler? She’s killing it, bringing a metric ton of wit and edge to the character and eclipsing 90 percent of the MCU villains for pure entertainment value. The sauna scene with the Swedes and the hilarious bingo sequence are two highlights from this episode alone.

Also, please give whoever’s designing her costumes all the awards.

The highlight of the episode is, without a doubt, the dinner sequence, which perfectly portrays the dynamic of this dysfunctional family of ragtag misfits. Reginald Hargreeves never changes character. We always want him to go a little easier on his kids, but he never does, putting viewers in the exact same shoes as The Umbrella Academy members themselves.

With only four episodes of the season left,” The Light Supper” is a tantalizing appetizer for the entrees to come, complete with dessert, if we’re lucky.

Episode Grade: B- 

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