With its fourth and final season announced to be released on August 8th, many fans of the hit Netflix series The Umbrella Academy are looking forward to jumping back into the chaotic world of the Hargreeves siblings. With a two-year break since the release of Season 3, it’s been a long time since Klaus’s kooky nihilism, Five’s badass fight scenes, or Diego’s confused heroism have graced our screens. Especially considering the finale of Season 3, which raised as many questions as it answered concerning the mystery of the Hargreeves family, it makes sense for fans of the series to do some rewatching before the release of Season 4.
The following episodes contain some of the most iconic scenes of the entire series, along with some of the most important moments related to the twists of the Season 3 finale. Rewatching these episodes will re-immerse fans into the complicated, vibrant, and ever-changing world of The Umbrella Academy, while preparing them to fully appreciate the high stakes of the Hargreeves’ situationgoing into Season 4.
10 “The End of Something”
Season 2, Episode 10
Not only does this episode contain one of the most exciting fight scenes of the series, it also features a rare instance of the whole family teaming up to fight together. Especially since most of Season 2 sees the Hargreeves siblings spread out among a myriad of periods and storylines in the 1960s, seeing them all reunite feels all the more satisfying. This is the Umbrella Academy magic we had been waiting for all season.
Beyond seeing the siblings all using their respective powers, this episode also reveals the true power of one crucial, yet under-rated character: Lila (played by the up-and-coming Ritu Arya). The twist (spoiler alert!) that Lila can mimic the Academy’s powers is revealed in stages, with each instance of Lila teleporting like Five or reflecting Allison’s rumor onto her increasing the gravitas of the revelation. This moment also sets the stage for Season 3, where Lila plays an important role in the Hargreeves’ story. This episode’s ending is also compelling, as the romp of the final fight ends in a delicious cliffhanger. The siblings have returned to the present day, but the present has become unrecognizable. This episode encapsulates what makes The Umbrella Academy so fun to watch.
9 “I Heard a Rumor”
Season 1, Episode 8
For many fans, one of the most shocking aspects of the finale of Season 3 was Allison’s betrayal of her siblings. While, throughout the show, the dysfunctional Hargreeves siblings love to argue, and often come into conflict, it is rare to see any of them be as cruel as Allison is when she allows her siblings to have their powers painfully sucked out of them to reset the timeline. This episode, however, sheds some light on what Allison wants so desperately that she can’t have in her timeline — her daughter.
This episode demonstrates the complicated and toxic nature of Allison’s relationship with her daughter. She loves Claire, and desperately wants to be her mother, but she can’t stop using her powers on her to make her better behaved. Upon catching her rumoring about Claire, Allison’s husband leaves her, leaving Allison overcome with guilt as well as the loss of her daughter. This episode showcases the beginnings of Allison’s downward emotional spiral that ultimately culminates in her betrayal in the Season 3 finale, creating a deeper understanding of the motivation behind her actions.
8 “Wedding at the End of the World”
Season 3, Episode 8
This episode contains moments that are important to both the show’s overarching plot and the relationships between its characters. Plot-wise, the episode plants seeds for the season finale, such as when we see that Reginald has placed some kind of monster in the Hotel Obsidian (which is later revealed to be the guardians), or when Five drunkenly overhears Reginald making a deal with someone (who we later learn is Allison). Setting up these mysteries builds anticipation towards the climax of the season.
This is the episode where the Hargreeves begin to make peace with the idea that the world is going to end, the seemingly limited time encouraging them to act on their various feelings. Luther marries Sloane, for example, despite having only met the Sparrow Academy recently, and despite his siblings’ skepticism, their love is very pure. Sloane also confronts Ben about his standoffishness, bringing him one step closer to the kindhearted Ben of seasons 1 and 2. While not every conflict is resolved (Allison still refuses to forgive Viktor), this episode’s family bonding moments will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, even at the end of the world.
Season 2, Episode 2
One character who plays a large role in Season 3 is the siblings’ cold and mysterious father, Reginald Hargreeves. This episode includes one of his rare appearances in the earlier two seasons, and effectively demonstrates the brutality towards his children that Reginald employs in the Season 3 finale. In the episode, Reginald has no reservations about stabbing Diego when he attempts to break into his office, calling him an “amateur” and leaving him bleeding out. Reginald’s cruel apathy towards his son in this episode is reminiscent of the grave moment he shares with Luther in the Season 3 finale (you know which one).
Another aspect of Reginald’s character emphasized in this episode is how unknown he truly is to his children. In this episode, Five and Diego learn that Reginald was the much-speculated-about second shooter on the Grassy Knoll during the assassination of JFK. This revelation only heightens the enigma of who their father is, sparking the brothers’ mission to break into his office. The show has yet to answer the question of who Reginald is, and why he was involved in the assassination, a question which may be further investigated in Season 4.
6 “Man on the Moon”
Season 1, Episode 4
Luther becomes much more fun to watch in Season 3, as he is the happiest he’s ever been. He ends his toxic relationship with Allison, falls in love with Sloane, and gets all he ever wanted, “one big real family.” This healthy era ends, however, at the hands of Luther’s father. This Season 1 episode reveals that, all along, Reginald has always been the only obstacle in the way of Luther’s happiness. This devastating episode details how Reginald wasted years of Luther’s life by sending him on a useless mission to the moon. His decision to prioritize controlling his Number One over allowing Luther any agency in his life instilled Luther with self-hatred issues throughout Seasons 1 and 2.
Watching this in the context of what Reginald does to Luther in the Hotel Obsidian puts into perspective their cyclical relationship. No matter what, Reginald will never see Luther as a fully actualized being, only as an extension of himself that he can manipulate and control at his will. Rewatching this episode not only adds another layer to its tragedy, but provides a more concrete view of Reginald, to whom actions like this are nothing more than suitable means to achieve his self-serving ends. Also, considering that Season 3 reveals that Reginald has left his wife cryogenically frozen on the moon, this location may serve more of a purpose than initially expected.
5 “Öga for Öga”
Season 2, Episode 7
This episode focuses on Ben, a character who appears in a very different form in Season 3. TheBen of Season 3 is aggressive and cold, fearing making connections with the Umbrella siblings while also desperately wanting to be included in their family. His contentious presence almost makes us forget the “real” Ben who came before him. Because the banter between Ben and Klaus is so enjoyable, we never consider how horrible it is that, beyond being dead, Ben has devoted his whole existence to another person, watching the world go by without being able to participate in it. It is only when Ben takes over Klaus’s body and falls in love, that Ben realizes how much he has been missing out on.
This is doubly devastating considering how little stock Sparrow Academy Ben puts into his familial relationships, as we can better understand how desperately Umbrella Academy Ben wanted to connect with the world of the living. Hopefully, Ben can get some closure in Season 4. The opening of this episode also showcases something that The Umbrella Academy does best: the badass fight scene. Watching Five dispose of 11 bad guys with a fire-axe to a swamp rock song will never not be amazing.
4 “A Light Supper”
Season 2, Episode 6
This episode is crucial in understanding the Umbrella Academy siblings’ relationship with their father. When all seven siblings decide to sit down for dinner with Reginald, we see where each stands with him. Each is desperate for their father’s approval, despite some (Diego) putting on a show of hating him, performing their powers to impress him. When he appears disappointed by their attempts to seem powerful and useful, it is evident how deeply this impacts them. This has numerous ramifications for Season 3, as Reginald’s disappointment with his future children leads to a changed timeline when the Umbrella Academy returns from the 1960s, as Reginald chooses to create the Sparrow Academy instead of them.
It is also the siblings’ conflicted desire to impress their father that makes them begin to let Reginald back into their lives at the end of Season 3. Unfortunately, Reginald will be Reginald, and he uses this desire to attempt to manipulate his children into going into the Hotel Obsidian to reset the timeline. The endless cycle of the Hargreeves siblings attempting to win the love of their alien father lies at the core of The Umbrella Academy‘s themes.
3 “Kugelblitz”
Season 3, Episode 4
This episode plants the seeds for some tantalizing mysteries. For example, in Five’s encounter with his future self, he utters the cryptic line, “Whatever you do, don’t save the world.” While Five takes this as a warning against following Reginald’s plan in the Hotel Obsidian, and tries to resist doing so, the plan ultimately succeeds. Its results are intriguing, however, because although the Hargreeves do end up in an alternate universe, without their powers, where Reginald appears to run some kind of powerful corporation, we don’t see anything horrible enough to warrant Old Five’s dire warning. This sets up a new mystery to be explored in Season 4.
This episode also touches on a mystery that has remained unsolved since the start — the baffling circumstances of the siblings’ births. The episode’s closing montage, which depicts their mothers’ gruesome deaths (which led to the Kugelblitz, and the apocalypse), parallels one from the show’s very first episode, which showed each of their surprise births. While this episode explains why the mothers died (thank you, Harlan), by also referring back to the mysterious event that started it all, it reminds us that this central question still hasn’t been answered. Here’s to hoping this will finally be explained in the upcoming season.
2 “The White Violin”
Season 1, Episode 10
This is one of the best episodes in the series, and it will leave you with goosebumps and a strange desire to lock yourself inside to digest as much Umbrella Academy content as possible. The revelation that one of the Umbrella Academy siblings causes the Apocalypse is both chilling and character-driven. Viktor’s transformation into the White Violin is a consequence of the neglect he suffers at the hands of his father and siblings, which, for them, is a symptom of their toxic relationship with Reginald. Watching how Viktor’s siblings treated him in Season 1 compared to Season 3 emphasizes how much the characters have truly grown throughout the series, and how Viktor is integral to the family’s survival. Beyond this, this episode is visually stunning, excellently scored with haunting violin music, and features an epic fight scene that even Ben can participate in.
This episode is also important to the Season 3 finale and the upcoming new season. At the end of Season 3, we see Reginald standing in a skyscraper, looking down at the city with his wife, Abigail Hargreeves, a character we haven’t seen alive since this Season 1 finale. This episode’s opening features a very young Reginald saying goodbye to a dying Abigail on an alien planet, while rockets rain outside. Seeing her alive and well in the Season finale raises many questions about who Abigail is, where she comes from, and what is she doing here?
1 “Oblivion”
Season 3, Episode 10
The Season 3 ending is packed with exciting, emotionally charged moments, along with enticing promises for the upcoming season. There’s the siblings’ fight against the guardians, Luther and Klaus’ romp through the afterlife, Allison’s betrayal, all leading up to the episode’s climax, when Reginald starts a new timeline by forcibly removing his childrens’ powers. This climax is unlike those of the past two seasons, as the big fight is not the central obstacle that the siblings must overcome. Instead, it is up to Allison to decide between protecting her siblings’ well-being, or siding with Reginald, who has promised to bring back her daughter and husband in his timeline reset.
Hinging the fate of the Umbrella Academy on one grounded decision is a refreshing change of pace for the show. Having the season end on a cliffhanger, with the characters stuck in a new, unfamiliar world, however, is something we’ve seen before, and something the show will continue to pull off successfully. It will be very interesting to see the Academy attempt to start over, without their powers, in a timeline that Reginald has an unknown amount of control over. This season finale makes it clear that Season 4 will only bring more adventures.
The Umbrella Academy is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Source link
