The Umbrella Academy season four hit Netflix on August 8th. And already it’s taken the number one spot in the U.S. top ten. Judging by the numbers, many fans have already binged their way through the final season. And people have already begun voicing their opinions. But if you’re anything like me, and haven’t yet had a chance to dive in, you might need a little refresher. Let’s recap where the show has gone and what there is to expect from the closing chapter before diving in.
Season Three Recap
Personally, The Umbrella Academy season two remains the best season of the show for many reasons. The siblings landed in various time periods, all vividly reimagined on screen. This opened up the door for a lot of interesting storylines. The settings allowed for discussions on race, gender, class, and more that felt naturally woven into the story. Plus, season two introduced us to Lila Pitts, played by Ritu Arya, who brought new life to the cast. However, season three is what we really need to remind ourselves of as we pick up in season four. Though not as impactful as season two for me, it was still a great continuation of the series. Season three took the show in a whole new direction.
The creators flip the script by bringing both Reginald Hargreeves and Ben Hargreeves back from the afterlife. Not only that, the Umbrellas meet the Sparrows, their father’s replacement group of superpowered kids, who Ben is now a part of. With Ben a part of a new group and decidedly less nice, we do miss out on the dynamics between ghost Ben and Klaus that I loved from previous seasons. But the new cast of characters is interesting in its own right, with Fei and Jayme being my personal favorites. Luther also takes an interest in the Sparrows. He and Sloane fall in love rather quickly, leading to conflicts between the two groups.
Between Lila being pregnant and Allison’s family no longer existing, this timeline throws the characters for a loop. But at least the world isn’t ending, right? Well, when a mysterious source of energy consumes the Sparrow’s leader, Marcus, it’s obvious the Umbrellas can’t get off that easily. The Umbrellas later identify this energy source as the Kugelblitz. It threatens to end the world once again and at its root is a grandfather paradox: The Umbrellas’ mothers all died before they were born, making this timeline an impossibility.
Harlan, the young boy Viktor met in season two, accidentally transferring some of his powers to, is at the center of it all. When Harlan’s mother died, his powers unleashed a violent rampage, killing the Umbrellas’ mothers. This incident doesn’t only create this season’s apocalypse conditions. It also creates a massive fight between Allison and Viktor. Allison then kills Harlan, placing the two even more at odds.
With tensions high, the Umbrellas and Sparrows band together to save the world. They attempt to contain the Kugelblitz but end up creating a blast that kills sparrows, Christopher and Fei. As the blast spreads, the world is on the brink of full collapse. But when their father offers up a plan to save it, the Umbrellas refuse. Five receives a warning from his future self not to save the world, as well as from a conversation with Pogo that leads him to distrust Reginald Hargreeves even more. We learn Five was right to distrust him when Reginald stabs Luther. Klaus discovers a new side to his powers and retreats to the afterlife along with his brother.
Meanwhile, Reginald takes one last shot and convinces the Umbrellas to get together and reset the universe. Reginald’s ultimate plan comes together, drawing out his children’s life force as the energy to power his machine. Allison, who has spent the season in a dark place, distanced from the rest, has a change of heart and kills Hargreeves to save her siblings. But she still completes the reset that Reginald started. With that, the universe is back to normal. Except the Umbrellas have no powers left. Allison does have her daughter back as well as her husband from season two. But in this universe, Reginald Hargreeves is in power and he’s brought his wife back to stand beside him. These twists can only mean trouble for the siblings as they move into the final season.
The Umbrella Academy Season Four Preview
Now that we’re up to speed, let’s talk about The Umbrella Academy season four. One thing to be excited about is that Ben is finally back with the crew. This time he’s alive and not incredibly mean which’ll be fun to see for the first time. That being said, the previews do reveal that Ben will likely be at the center of the apocalypse. Particularly, the circumstances surrounding Ben’s death are unclear. There seem to be some loose ends there to explore.
From the trailers, season four seems to emphasize the bond between the siblings. This is great to see given how split everyone was last season. In particular, I hope to see Allison back to her normal self. Though her storyline in season three was interesting, many of her actions felt like a complete 180 from her usual self. The previews don’t give too much away in terms of plot so it’s hard to make predictions. I anticipate not everyone will make it out unscathed since this is deemed the “final timeline.” But who knows? There may still be room for second chances. One worry is how everything will wrap up in only six episodes. This is considerably shorter compared to the previous seasons’ ten-episode runs.
Nonetheless, this cast has never disappointed in terms of on-screen chemistry and performance so there will always be that to look forward to. It’ll be sad to say goodbye to these characters but I’m hoping The Umbrella Academy season four will be the conclusion we’re all hoping for.
