Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Umbrella Academy season 4.
Summary
The Umbrella Academyseason 4 brings the Hargreeves' story to a close, butthe series finale isn’t the ending the Netflix show deserved. After five years and four seasons,The Umbrella Academyhas taken its final bow. Season 4 reveals what becomes of the Hargreeves siblings in their new timeline, and it strives to give their story meaning after all their world-ending adventures. Unfortunately, it fails on the latter front, as their send-off is disappointing and renders their entire journey pointless.
Theending ofThe Umbrella Academyseason 4sees the Hargreeves ceasing to exist, as Five realizes they’re the reason the main timeline is broken — and thus, the reason the world keeps ending. WithBen and Jennifer threatening to destroyeverything they know and love, the group decides to let the marigold inside their bodies fuse with the durango inside Jennifer’s, which will undo their very existence. They manage to save Allison’s daughter and Lila’s family using the strange, timeline-hopping subway. But when the timeline resets, it’s as though the Umbrella Academy never existed at all.
Every Hargreeves Sibling’s New Powers In The Umbrella Academy Season 4
The Umbrella Academy’s Hargreeves siblings regain their powers in season 4, but their returned abilities aren’t exactly the same as before.
The Hargreeves Siblings Choosing To Die Is A Disappointing Ending
It’s Too Bleak For The Umbrella Academy’s Story (& Not Properly Built Up To)
Although viewers expected at least one of the Hargreeves to die inThe Umbrella Academyseason 4, having all of them choose this fate is incredibly disappointing. After four seasons of following the dysfunctional, super-powered family, their narrative ends in the bleakest way possible.The Umbrella Academy’s final season doesn’t lead into this well, either, as its early episodes maintain the zany, fun feeling of previous outings. It’s only towards the series' ending that things take a somber tone, and it leans entirely too far in that direction in the finale.
While tragedies often make for satisfying endings, this isn’t the case withThe Umbrella Academy.
While tragedies often make for satisfying endings, this isn’t the case withThe Umbrella Academy.The issues with the conclusion go beyond the tonal inconsistencies, too.The show kills off the Hargreeves without resolving major storylines and issuesamong family members, making it feel even sadder when they meet their end. The reason they need to die is also underdeveloped, so Five’s insistence that it’s the only way feels out of left field. Such a conclusion will also make a rewatch difficult, as it rendersThe Umbrella Academy’s prior seasons pointless.
None Of The Umbrella Academy Actually Happened After The Series Finale
The Netflix Show Feels Almost Pointless After Its Ending
The ending ofThe Umbrella Academyrenders the entire series pointless, as none of it actually happens after the season 4 finale. “End of the Beginning” doesn’t just see the Hargreeves sacrificing their lives for the greater good; the episode also highlights that they won’t exist at all in the reset timeline. No one — not even the family members they work so hard to save — will remember them. And let’s not even get into how little sense it makes that Allison’s daughter and Diego’s and Lila’s kids survive. If they don’t exist, how can their children?
The fact that none ofThe Umbrella Academyhappens after the finale also leaves viewers to wonder why they spent so much time watching the Hargreeves' story unfold. All their character growth and world-saving shenanigans are for nothing, andseason 4 doesn’t give enough of an explanation to make it acceptable. Perhaps if there was more build-up to Ben and Jennifer ending the world — or more of a connection to characters who make it to the main timeline — their sacrifice would feel more warranted. Unfortunately, the way it’s executed misses the mark.
The Umbrella Academy Season 4 Mishandles Its Romance Stories
Lila & Five’s Romance Is Terrible, And Sloane Never Gets Addressed
The Hargreeves' fates aren’t the only problem withThe Umbrella Academyseason 4. In fact, the final six episodes are lacking in multiple areas.The Umbrella Academytotally fumbles its romance storylines during its final season, which is even more infuriating with the Hargreeves dying later. The most obvious example is Five and Lila’s affair, which feels totally unnecessary to the story and makes both characters less likable. Lila and Diego’s marriage issues are interesting enough without another party. The fact that this ruins Diego and Five’s relationship makes matters even worse.
Lila, Diego, and Five are the biggest casualties ofThe Umbrella Academy’s mishandled romance subplots, but they aren’t the only ones.Poor Sloane never shows upagain after disappearing at theend ofThe Umbrella Academyseason 3, and Luther never gets closure over this.The Umbrella Academyalso speeds through Ben and Jennifer’s connection, making their bond feel too inauthentic to justify Ben’s actions later on. The short season is partially to blame for this, though the show’s other relationships indicate that it just doesn’t know what to do with romance.
The Umbrella Academy Season 4’s Subplots Feel Pointless
The Series Wastes Time On Klaus' Storyline & Other Subplots
The romance subplots are particularly poor inThe Umbrella Academyseason 4, butthe Netflix show doesn’t handle any of the final season’s minor storylines well. Most of them don’t connect to the show’s ending in any way, leaving viewers to wonder why the new episodes spend so much time on them. That time could have been used to make more sense of Ben and Jennifer’s story, explore Reginald’s background, or even just include sweet character moments ahead of their inevitable demise.
Most of them don’t connect to the show’s ending in any way, leaving viewers to wonder why the new episodes spend so much time on them.
Instead, we follow Klaus as he deals with criminals, a subplot that keeps him away from his siblings for much of season 4. This doesn’t go anywhere, nor does it improve Klaus' arc orThe Umbrella Academy’s ending. It could easily have been cut, leaving room for the series to explore more interesting narrative threads. The same can be said of Lila and Diego’s journey through alternate timelines. This subplot could have focused on the details of the timeline breaking instead of Lila and Five’s relationship, better setting the stage for the finale.
The Umbrella Academy’s Ending Leaves Too Many Questions Unanswered
The Final Season Needs More Than 6 Episodes
Apart from how unsatisfying it is,one of the biggest issues withThe Umbrella Academy’s ending is that it leaves too many questions unanswered. From the reasons behind the timeline breaking to Reginald and Abigail’s backstories, there are a lot of seemingly important details left unaddressed when the series comes to a close. Even the flash-forward to the main timeline raises more questions than it answers. For example, there’s no explanation as to why the Umbrella Academy’s kids can still exist. There’s also no telling what the golden flowers mean for the timeline’s future.
The Umbrella Academy
Cast
The Umbrella Academy is based on the comic book of the same name created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. The Hargreeves — collectively known as The Umbrella Academy — were born with superpowers, and their adoptive father utilized their abilities. However, as they grew older, the siblings grew apart as they dealt with their trauma. They are brought back together after their father dies and Five returns from the future with grave news: The world will end, and The Umbrella Academy has to stop it before it happens.
