‘The Umbrella Academy’ (Season 4) Review: A Confusing Apocalyptic End
Since the premiere of The Umbrella Academy in 2019, it has been one of the most successful shows on Netflix. Given its popularity and creative storytelling, I would have assumed that the streaming giant would give it a proper send-off to the story and its beloved characters. But I was sorely wrong. After tackling three apocalypses for three long seasons, Netflix has decided to conclude the story that spans multiple timelines into only six episodes.
Based on the comic books written by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, the Hargreeves are a super-powered family, adopted by Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore), who gives them numbers for names and trains them to save the world. The group which consists of seven people is called The Umbrella Academy. When one of the siblings is killed in a mission, Reginald abandons the children and they are left to fend for themselves. The Hargreeves are not a normal family, that is certain. But it is their relationships and trauma that bring them together, especially when they need to fight against world-ending, doomsday apocalypses.
For five years, the series has built up the story and connections between the characters in meaningful ways. They’re always bickering and complaining about each other. But at the end of the day, they can resolve these issues because there are bigger problems, like saving the world. We have seen Viktor (Elliot Page) and Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) mend their relationship and trust each other. Diego (David Castañeda) finally finds someone who matches his freak with Lila (Ritu Arya). Luther (Tom Hopper) finds love with a member of The Sparrow Academy, Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez).
But these subplots, which were perfectly executed in season three are seemingly written out or forgotten in the final season. The character dynamics are different. The show also introduces new relationships between some characters, which, with the six-episode format, isn’t enough to explore their relationships, leaving some unanswered questions.
The fourth and final season picks up right after the end of season three. The Hargreeves lose their powers for good. They try to assimilate into normal lives but it’s not the same. A six-year time jump later, things are different. Klaus (Robert Sheehan) is three years sober, extremely cautious of germs and danger, and lives with Allison and her daughter, Claire (Millie Davis). Luther’s relationship with his wife is never mentioned. He is busy working as a dancer while keeping tabs on Ben (Justin H. Min), who recently is out of prison for a fraudulent crypto scheme. Viktor runs a bar in Canada.
Diego and Lila have started their own family together. Still, it isn’t exactly how they imagined it because it is far removed from their adventurous lives as super-powered individuals. Five (Aiden Gallagher) is now working for the CIA, infiltrating an undercover cult that believes they are in the wrong timeline with Lila. The couple at the head of this cult is Jean and Gene Thibodeau (played by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, respectively), who call themselves the Keepers. They believe that the great “cleanse” is coming.
As the story progresses, the Hargreeves are greeted by a man named, Sy Grossman (David Cross), who kidnaps Viktor and begs the Umbrella Academy to save his daughter, Jennifer (Victoria Sawal), from the Keepers. Desperate for a final adventure, some not enthusiastic about the prospect, of course, the Hargreeves get in Diego’s van and head off to New Grumspon. With the Umbrella Academy finally back together and the Hargreeves finally stopping the final apocalypse, nothing could go wrong, right?
Well, things could go wrong because everything I mentioned was completely erased to make new character dynamics and a new conflict, which wasn’t fleshed out for a final season plotline. The problem with television adaptations, which is quite evident in shows like Game of Thrones, is that if there isn’t enough source material to create a new season, the results aren’t good. Somehow, the show suggests that Klaus and Allison have always had a strong relationship.
Funnily enough, Luther doesn’t talk about his wife. It forgets the story that happened in the previous season. The relationship between Viktor and Allison doesn’t exist anymore, compared to the last three seasons, in which the writers spent a great amount of time repairing the broken relationship. Ben has his own storyline which doesn’t revolve around his mourning for his dead sibling. He builds a relationship with Jennifer, whose background and personality are important to the story but it’s never explained why.
It’s frustrating to watch the character dynamics being completely changed with no reasonable explanation but for the sole purpose of concluding the series with no meaningful ending. Whatever happened to storytelling? Instead of worthy character development, The Umbrella Academy writes scenes of the song “Baby Shark” in an endless loop.
For some random reason, the writers pair up Five and Lila and create a romantic relationship between them, which, again, was never concluded by the end of the series. But they did have time to explore this bizarre relationship for an entire episode. Also, Viktor is barely in the series. He is put aside to make room to play the “Baby Shark” song on repeat! For a character like Viktor, who has been the central protagonist for the past three seasons, the final season completely puts him aside.
The final season of The Umbrella Academy required more time to explore the new characters and conflicts. It’s unfortunate that a show of this scale and popularity has to be reduced to six episodes for its final season. Some aspects of the story were entertaining, like the Keepers. However, because of the limited time to explore all of the character dynamics and story, the ending was disappointing. It’s one big, confusing apocalyptic mess. The last chapter of this multiverse doomsday story is meant to go out with a bang. But the series is not interested in telling this story. The Hargreeves are sidelined, and The Umbrella Academy ends with a disappointing four-season show that will not be remembered for years.
Here are some reading materials to learn about the genocide, ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation in Palestine:
Books about Palestine on Verso Books
Books about Palestine on Haymarket Books
More reading materials on Palestine
Operation Olive Branch is another useful resource to help families evacuate to Egypt and buy medicine and food by donating directly to their GoFundMe links.
You can also join the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement, a Palestinian-led movement as a form of resistance to Israeli occupation:
Read about Readers for Accountability on their website.
