David Bridges
In simply six episodes, The Umbrella Academy season 4 has the unenviable activity of wrapping up a Netflix collection filled with complicated characters—and an much more complicated storyline involving superpowers, aliens, time journey, altered timelines, and a number of apocalypses. And that’s with out even entering into the present’s important theme, which is household drama. A lot household drama.
As anticipated, there’s loads of that packed into all six episodes, with private angst and long-simmering resentments compounded by the truth that—due to the occasions of season three—the Hargreeves siblings (Robert Sheehan as Klaus, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison, Tom Hopper as Luther, Aidan Gallagher as 5, Elliot Web page as Viktor, and David Castañeda as Diego—plus non-Umbrella Academy relations Justin H. Min as Ben and Ritu Arya as Lila) have been stripped of their numerous talents. Whereas we do get to spend time with the characters of their regular-human states, present on ranges that vary from “doing OK really” to “whole sad-sack,” it doesn’t take lengthy earlier than their powers are restored.
Not everybody needs to be made “particular” once more; because the present likes to remind us, having superpowers could be a blessing however is way extra typically a curse. However that is The Umbrella Academy, which buildings each season across the characters’ rush to forestall an impending doomsday. Season 4 is not any completely different, and superpowers do come in useful when the tip of the world is at stake.
This evaluation goes to rigorously keep away from plot specifics or spoilers, nevertheless it’s not giving something away to notice that the Hargreeves, final seen scattering in several instructions on the finish of season three, reluctantly reunite when considered one of them is in misery. Whereas the staff grapples with the awkwardness of regaining their powers, to not point out the awkwardness of getting to be in shut proximity to one another—particularly when it includes a puke-soaked highway journey set to the diabolical sounds of “Child Shark”—The Umbrella Academy additionally pokes into the model of actuality they’re now inhabiting.
Seems the Lodge Oblivion timeline reset did extra injury than simply eradicating the Hargreeves’ superpowers. The glue holding the universe collectively is so porous, artifacts from different timelines have began popping up—attracting the eye of a conspiracy-theorist group referred to as the Keepers. Sporting tattoos which can be inverted variations of The Umbrella Academy brand, the Keepers are led by a folksy husband-wife staff named Gene and Jean (real-life husband-wife staff Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally). They fill a well-recognized Umbrella Academy slot: antagonists as quirky as they’re lethal.
Whereas Offerman and Mullally are, as at all times, pleasant performers, Gene and Jean will not be the one season-four ingredient that feels well-worn. io9’s largely constructive evaluation of season three raised a grievance that comes again round right here, too: The Umbrella Academy is a present a few household that units apocalypses in movement, after which has to frantically work to forestall them.
Although the circumstances are completely different every time—in season 4, the disaster has an intriguing tie to a darkish second in Umbrella Academy historical past—the overall thrust of the story once more feels repetitive. Possibly too repetitive, even with the understanding that the grand finale might need extra permanence than in earlier iterations; that is, in any case, the ultimate season, and the present does discover a bittersweet if abrupt option to handle The Umbrella Academy‘s unavoidably cyclical narrative.
However alongside these traces, it doesn’t assist that throughout popular culture we’ve these days been inundated with tales about sacred timelines and alternate realities and variant characters. The Umbrella Academy‘s been taking part in round with that for the reason that present hit Netflix in 2019 (the source-material Darkish Horse Comics debuted in 2007), and actually it’s a long-familiar sandbox for sci-fi basically. However due to the inescapable presence of Deadpool and buddies, the idea has by no means fairly felt a lot within the vein of “oh, this once more?”
Thankfully, nonetheless, that is nonetheless The Umbrella Firm, and the present’s much-loved model of silliness and a spotlight to offbeat element (although season 4 is ostensibly set in up to date occasions, rotary telephones abound, and no person ever checks Google) will get loads of time to shine even with a shorter season.
Among the many solid, Web page’s Viktor will get a very satisfying storyline that sees him mending fences with the household’s troublesome patriarch, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore)—even when it’s not the model of “Reggie” he grew up with. Arya’s Lila can also be a standout; although she’s not an authentic Hargreeves child, she’s saddled with loads of her personal baggage and will get a heartfelt journey to sift by means of all of it—ditto Min’s Ben, whose season-four arc careens from salty to candy to monstrous in ways in which really feel well-earned. (Alas, fan-favorite Klaus will get a bit short-changed this season.)
And as for that trademark Hargreeves goofiness, season 4 delivers on an Umbrella Academy trademark we’ll by no means name repetitive: the kick-ass, hilarious battle scene. The truth that the motion takes place at Christmas would really feel like an afterthought, if not for an outrageous sequence set round a vacation honest (for those who’ve seen the trailer, a gun-toting Santa is concerned)—and because of a cleverly spectacular brawl involving Luther and Diego that falls later within the season, you’ll by no means take heed to “Secret Agent Man” the identical method once more.
The Umbrella Academy season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
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Brandon Fletcher
