Warning: This article contains spoilers about season 2 ofThe Umbrella Academy.
Season 2 ofThe Umbrella Academy, out now on Netflix, is different from season 1 in many ways.
But one thing the two seasons do have in common is a villain.
CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX
It’s hard to keep a time-traveling spymaster down.
Demoted in favor of a talking goldfish named A.J.
Carmichael, the Handler has to claw back all the power and position she’s lost and more besides.
CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX
EW caught up with Walsh to discuss her role in season 2.
Check that out below, and stay tuned for more coverage ofThe Umbrella Academyseason 2 on EW.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The Handler’s return is a surprise.
CHRISTOS KALOHORIDIS/NETFLIX
When did you first learn you would be coming back for season 2?
And I was like, “Well, tell me what you want to do.
I mean, she did get shot through the head.
How’s that going to work?”
We’re having fun playing with different timelines.
I loved having a daughter in this season, all that is pretty cool.
How did the season 2 set compare to the season 1 set, with all the period-piece elements?
You get to do these scenes which are four-page scenes, and that’s just not common in television.
Even in streaming shows, you’ll often have two-page scenes that are just cut, cut, cut.
and he’s telling her she’s been demoted.
How was your season?"
The season 2 finale really does have an epic feel to it.
Yeah, it was.
It was also heightened by weather, because we had early snow in Toronto.
That was like a big, big piece.
People were freaking out like, “How do we get rid of the snow?
We’re going to have to digitize it!”
And then they just gave into it, like, “All right, it’s snowing.”
It was freezing cold, a lot of money was spent on warming coats and heaters.
I was wearing these stiletto boots, so I literally had to be placed in the field.
It was pretty fun.
The Handler is rocking a colorful wardrobe this season.
How did that match her more underdog attitude this time around?
It is always about wardrobe with the Handler.
Steve Blackman was so supportive, and gave me a lot of leeway.
It was great to explore both timelines: Commission Handler, past Handler, and ’60s Handler.
There were so many images and personas to play with, and personas in that way.
So I was like, I hope that worked!
A different dynamic for the Handler this season is her relationship with Lila.
What was working with Ritu like?
We had a delightful time.
The challenge was to keep that relationship intact and keep it real, and not play the end.
It was really fun for me to play that.
The lines are great because she’s just insane.
It’s like this weird roommate situation.
Did you play it as the Handler having some genuine love for Lila?
Or does she just see everyone else as pawns?
I just think that she’s a narcissist and a sociopath.
So I think her pride, joy, and love is in what she created.
When that didn’t work, she’s like, “All right, it’s curtains now.”
Any pride she has in Lila is in what she created Lila to be.
She’s a user.
In a way it got a little lonely, like does she have anyone?
But I took comfort in all the shiny, sparkling things we created that I got to wear.
I loved working with Ken Hall, who plays Herb.
I want a spin-off of just her and Herb.
He was in season 1 as well but featured more this season.
He’s so fing funny, especially being in proximity with our physical disparity.
It was just really fun to work with him.
You talked about A.J.
I haven’t seen it yet.
How does it look?
It looks exactly like it does in the comic when Number Five eats him.
I’ve always had that visual stuck in my head of holding the little fish over an open mouth.
Watching the episode, I was standing in my apartment chanting, “Eat the fish!
Eat the fish!”
That was the hardest thing to shoot because I had to pretend I’m swallowing the fish.
So it was the weirdest.
I was just like, c’mon make it not look super-dirty!
There’s so much fun writing.
You have these great relationship scenes that all have a beginning, middle, and end.
It’s like doing little plays within the show.
That’s a tribute to Steve and the writers.
