Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy has come and gone seemingly in a flash, but it still left a wealth of new discussion topics in its wake. Among those is a curious relationship between two characters which some fans see as incestuous. While the "family" in the show shares no blood relation, there still may be something to these concerns.
In The Umbrella Academy, the characters Luther (Tom Hopper) and Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) share a close relationship which the show seems to imply is romantic, at least potentially. The trouble is, Luther and Allison, along with the rest of the main cast, are all part of a family. Granted, they are only related through adoption, but since they all grew up together, viewers were quick to point out the arguably taboo nature of the relationship.
Showrunner Steve Blackman was already aware of the discussions, as season 2 featured a joke about the relationship as his own response to the criticism. However, in an interview with Digital Spy, he elaborated on his thoughts. He explained that he acknowledges how the relationship between two unrelated people who grew up together can be complicated, and then continued his thoughts with "are they siblings? Sort of. But they’re also not biologically related, and there’s such a puppy love story. You know, I don’t know if it’s real love. It might feel like real love to them. But it’s sort of a kid love from growing up together, and beautiful moments from their past when they hung out together."
Blackman's explanation certainly makes sense. The relationship has been part of the show since the first season, and his answer could suggest that they're planning to elaborate on it as the series continues. Granted, Netflix has yet to officially order a third season of The Umbrella Academy, but after the cliffhanger ending of season 2, it seems all but inevitable.
The audience reaction to such a relationship isn't exactly surprising. Even in the most open-minded of communities, people tend to see the relationship between two adoptive siblings as incest, and no different than one between blood siblings. Perhaps it's heartwarming, in a way (the reaction, not the incest). From a certain point of view, this could reinforce the idea that family is what you make of it, rather than who your blood dictates. It's not uncommon to see two unrelated friends who consider each other to be family, after all.
But aside from this small controversy, reactions to The Umbrella Academy season 2 appear to be generally positive. Blackman's response, both in the show and outside of it, suggest that the people behind the series pay special attention to feedback, and that tends to be a good sign. It will be interesting to see where this relationship goes, as well as the rest of the story and characters, as the series continues.
The Umbrella Academy season 2 is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Digital Spy