In episode 205, “Valhalla,” of Umbrella Academy, the Hargreeves siblings have finally reunited once again, but each of them has personal issues they need to resolve before they can work together as a team. The Handler sets a trap for the Swedes, and Lila blows her cover.
This episode is a pleasure to watch for a lot of reasons, but the main draw is the excellent choice of music throughout.
From the opening sequence highlighting Pogo and human Grace’s backstory with the song “Major Tom (Coming Home)” by Peter Schilling, the incorporation of music into the narrative was taken to another level, and rather than become a distraction, most of the song choices add a pleasantly surprising element into the mix.
In one instance, The Interrupters’ rendition of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” plays as Five fights with Lila.
In this fight, it seems that Lila has teleportation-like superpowers, which would make sense because she could possibly one of the children born in 1989 (like the members of the Umbrella Academy were) as she’s shown to be a young girl in 1992 in the last episode.
Meanwhile, the episode is generally geared to a more positive tone that’s both funny and uplifting at numerous points.
Except maybe during the Viking funeral when one of the Swedes was killed by the trap set by the Handler.
Hargreeves Family Reunion
The team gets back together in Elliott’s residence as they discuss what to do about the coming apocalypse.
Diego insists it involves their father, Reginald, and suggests they hunt him down and kill him. But Five disagrees and only wants to interrogate him.
In one particularly hilarious dialogue between the siblings, Vanya says the most sensible thing when she asks the question:
“Has anyone done anything to screw up the timeline?”
At first, everyone falls silent, but then start pointing things out that each of them has done during their time apart and blame each other since any of them could have jump-started the apocalypse.
Their involvement in the timeline certainly suggests this because Diego stalked Lee Harvey Oswald, Luther associated with Jack Ruby, Klaus started a cult, and Alison got involved in the local civil rights movement.
Vanya rules herself out because she’s become a nanny at a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, but the team doesn’t write her off since she started the original apocalypse in the first place.
As Klaus hilariously put it “Is it because of Vanya?” he asks getting dirty looks from everyone, “What? It’s always Vanya.”
The meeting ends when Luther walks out and declares they shouldn’t do anything about it because they might be the ones responsible for actually pursuing a solution in preventing the apocalypse.
Twisting the Night Away
After their family meeting goes awry, Klaus, Alison, and Vanya go to the parlor to unwind, drink, and dance as they discuss their respective love lives.
They come to the disturbing conclusion that every member of the Hargreeves family sucks at love, and the healthiest relationship any of the siblings have had is Five and his mannequin girlfriend, Dolores, in season 1. Which is a pretty low bar, to say the least.
So after an uplifting music montage to the tune of “Twisting The Night Away” by Sam Cooke, Klaus decides to go back to his cult to release them from his influence, and both Alison and Vanya go to their respective newfound love interests to repair and resolve them.
Meanwhile, Luther and Diego receive an ominous invitation from Reginald for a “light” supper. So things are about to get real since Reginald seems to have tracked the siblings down, and plans to confront them head-on.
Viking Funeral
One of the Swedes dies as a result of the Handler’s trap, which she framed to look like Diego had done it by using one of his knives as bait, which Lila had taken from him when they slept together two episodes prior.
The highlight of this story arc, however, is the use of a Swedish version of Adele’s “Hello” which plays during the Viking funeral scene where the two remaining Swedes pay their respects to their fallen brother.
The result is awesome because, despite no lines from the stoic Swedes, the scene is somber yet hilarious at the same time.
VERDICT: 9.5/10
As mentioned before in this article, Umbrella Academy raised the bar when it comes to incorporating music into their stories, and “Valhalla” certainly did a masterful job in evoking a lot of comedy and meaning into scenes simply by picking the right song to underscore the tone they were going for.
Lorenz Bacani is a pop-culture enthusiast who's trying to watch as many good comic-book movies and TV shows as superhumanly possible.
He received a bachelor's degree in Journalism and New Media at California Baptist University. Wrote for a news tabloid, worked for a couple of non-profits, and dabbled in some photography (mostly for Instagram purposes).
He is probably currently binge-watching an old TV show for nostalgia.
Spanish drama Elite has been renewed for a fifth season at Netflix!
The news isn’t all that shocking considering the drama, set in the ritzy private school of Las Encinas in Spain, is one of the streamer’s best performing Spanish originals.
Not only is the cast incredible, the first few seasons were hinged around an intoxicating murder mystery and plenty of steamy love scenes.
It’s possible the series will return in the spring/summer of 2021.
The upcoming season will see a handful of familiar faces including Samu (Itzan Escamilla), Guzman (Miguel Bernardeau), Omar (Omar Ayuso), Rebeca (Claudia Salas), and Ander (Aron Piper) as they were held back due to their shenanigans. The drama will also welcome new students Manu Ríos , Carla Díaz , Martina Cariddi and Pol Granch to shake things up.
Deadline also reports that the fifth season has added Argentinan actress Valentina Zenere (Soy Luna) and Brazilan actor André Lamoglia (Juacas) to its cast.
2021 is flying by, and I have to credit the fact that there has been so much good television available!
Despite COVID-19 still holding a grasp on the world, plenty of our favorite TV shows were able to return to production and deliver outstanding seasons that are keeping us entertained every single day of the week.
March sees a return of some favorites on primetime along with some new additions to streaming.
Here’s everything to watch on March 2021:
TV
Debris – NBC (March 1)
Calling all sci-fi fans! Two international agents are tasked with investigating mysterious wreckage that falls from the sky. As British agent Finola Jones and American agent Bryan Beneventi lead the charge to track down all the debris scattered across the Western Hemisphere, they realize it’s a race against time!
The Voice – NBC (March 1)
The singing competition returns for season 20 with Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas, John Legend, and Kelly Clarkson at the helm!
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell – Netflix (March 1)
The documentary on famed rapper The Notorious B.I.G. celebrates his life and tracks his journey to rap king alongside rare footage and in-depth interviews.
New Amsterdam – NBC (March 2)
With the pandemic still in full-swing, season 3 kicks off with a plane crash in the East River.
Wandavision – Disney Plus (March 5)
One of the longest episodes of the season marks the season finale of the series as it embarks into full MCU territory.
GoodGirls – NBC (March 7)
Your favorite suburban criminals are back for season 4! Beth, Ruby, and Annie continue their life of crime by pouring themselves into Boland Bubbles to wash money for “homeboy.” With the FBI hot on their trail, will they find a way to stay above water?
Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy – ABC (March 11)
After going on hiatus in December, the Shondaland shows return with a crossover that tackles the issue of human trafficking.
A Million Little Things – ABC (March 11)
After a nearly three-month wait, A Million Little Things is finally getting new episodes and it’s going to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Per the synopsis: “As [the virus] becomes more widespread across the U.S., Boston goes into lockdown putting Rome’s movie in jeopardy and forcing Maggie to return home from Oxford. Because the hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, Eddie’s back surgery is cancelled, leading him to take desperate measures to cope with the severe pain.
Love Alarm – Netflix (March 12)
The popular K-drama about an app that alerts people if someone in the area likes them returns for its second season on Netflix!
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal – Netflix (March 17)
You’re familiar with the college bribery scandal that brought down Aunt Becky and other wealthy parents who stopped at nothing to get their children into top-tier universities. The documentary synopsis reads: “Using an innovative combination of interviews and narrative recreations of the FBI’s wiretapped conversations between Singer and his clients, Operation Varsity Blues offers a rare glimpse into the enigmatic figure behind a scheme that exposed the lengths wealthy families would go to for admission into elite colleges, and angered a nation already grappling with the effects of widespread inequality.”
Everything you’ve heard is true. But you haven’t heard everything. Using real conversations recreated from FBI wiretaps the filmmaker behind Fyre brings you Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal pic.twitter.com/kwsqTCSkqq
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Episode 1 and 2 – Disney Plus (March 19)
The highly-anticipated Marvel action series brings together Falcon and the Winter Soldier, who “team up for a global adventure that will test their survival skills — as well as their patience.” Starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, the action picks up after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” with the first two episodes airing on the streamer on March 19 and March 26, respectively.
The Irregulars – Netflix (March 26)
The Sherlock Holmes spin-off series follows a group of “troubled street teens” who are wrapped into solving crimes and saving London from supernatural elements by the “sinister Doctor Watson.”
Pooch Perfect – ABC (March 30)
Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson is set to host this dog grooming reality competition that’s based on a UK competition of the same name (also hosted by Wilson). The episodes will spotlight 10 dog groomers around the country competing in challenges.
Comedic geniuses Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reunite as Akeem and Semmi to take audiences back to Zamunda, the royal country made popular in the 80s. It’s worth the watch if only for nostalgia’s sake.
Raya and the Last Dragon – Disney Plus (March 5)
After being delayed the coronavirus pandemic, the film will finally debut months later. It’ll premiere simultaneously on Disney+ Premier Access and in theaters on the same day! Per the synopsis: ” Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned, and it’s up to a lone warrior to track down the last dragon and stop the Druun for good.”
Moxie – Netflix (March 3)
Amy Poehler lends her talents to a second Netflix original about a shy 16-year-old who is inspired by her mom’s rebellious past and publishes an anonymous zine to tackle sexism inside the high school hallways.
Yes Day – Netflix (March 12)
Saying “no” to your kids can be difficult, so parents Allison (played by Jennifer Garner) and Carlos give their kids one day where they say “yes” to all their requests.
Paper Lives(Kağıttan Hayatlar) – Netflix (March 15)
The Turkish drama finds warehouse worker Mehmet (starring Çağatay Ulusoy) working in an impoverished neighborhood where he becomes responsible for a small boy.
It’s no secret that the cast of Schitt’s Creek genuinely likes each other.
It seems to be one of the few shows where there’s no bad blood or animosity between the cast, which speaks to their greatness.
The series, which swept the Emmys in 2020 and was nominated for five Golden Globes in 2021, is a bonafide hit as it provides plenty of laughs alongside heartfelt and even groundbreaking TV moments.
But after wrapping up its sixth and final season last year, many fans have found themselves wondering if that’s really it.
What are the chances of a spinoff, reboot, or movie? It’s not entirely out of the question yet.
Dan Levy, the show’s co-creator who also starred as David Rose, has hinted at the possibility.
Now, Emily Hampshire, who played deadpan receptionist and David’s eventual BFF, spoke with Good Morning America and weighed in with her thoughts.
“I cannot share any details, ’cause I want to do it and I wouldn’t be asked back,” she explained, which doesn’t exactly sound like a “no.”
“I would be down for all of that,” she continued. “Usually when you’re on a show you don’t want to spend another day with your entire cast and we did. We loved it — I would do anything with that group of people.”
She added that it felt “extra special” to end the series on such a high note.
“Even though none of us wanted to end, I was glad we were done because I would never want the pressure of going for another season after you’ve swept the Emmys, it’s all downhill from there,” she explained.
And something tells us, the brilliant minds of the Levy’s — Eugene and Dan — could come up with a good reason to return to the small or big screen.
For now, however, we have to settle for seeing Dan and Emily in their own respective Super Bowl commercials.
Dan is starring in the upcoming M&M’s commercial that will air during the big game, while Emily is set to appear in Cutwater Spirits’ upcoming and first 30-second Super Bowl Sunday spot.
Emily also imagined what each character’s go-to Super Bowl cocktail would be, and well, it’s eerily on-point.
“Stevie Budd would be a fan of the Long Island iced tea I would say, because of its dive-bar vibes. She might also like a spicy bloody Mary or two on a Sunday — that’s Stevie vibes,” she said.
“David would most likely go for anything with tequila — he would love the new mango marg ’cause he would just want to say ‘marg’ all the time,” she said in her best David Rose voice.
“Johnny is a classic man so he would love any mule — Alexis would love the vodka soda cause it’s like zero sugar, zero carbs — she’d probably also gravitate towards cucumber because it’s like fancy spa water, but with vodka.” Finally, she said O’Hara’s character would choose the Tiki Rum Mai Tai, “’cause I would make her just to hear her say it in her Moira Rose accent.”
