‘The Umbrella Academy’: Vanya Learns (Part of) the Truth & Luther Suffers Heartbreak (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Episode 3, “The Swedish Job.”]
Whether you liked Luther (Tom Hopper) and Allison (Emmy Raver)’s romance in the first season or you found it a little too close to incest — they were raised as siblings, after all! — it’s hard not to feel a little bad for Luther. The dude just needs somebody to love. Too bad that somebody is happily married! That’s an unpleasant surprise to Number One, who goes searching for her after thinking he sees her on the street. Unknowingly, he sows discord between husband and wife.
Meanwhile, Vanya (Ellen Page) runs for her life after the Swedes chase her into a cornfield, the Handler (Kate Walsh) shows up in the ‘60s (uh-oh), Klaus (Robert Sheehan) meets a familiar face and Allison goes ahead with the sit-in.
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Klaus’ Epic Backstory
We finally understand how Klaus got to be “The Prophet.” Kicked out of a café for not paying the bill, he’s taken in by a rich elderly woman who also seems to be something of a flower child, and he makes a name for himself by using Ben to make him “levitate” in thin air. Problem is, because Ben’s dead, he’s not getting any credit while Klaus travels to exotic locations and amasses a tribe of glassy-eyed worshippers.
Except worshippers and luxury, while fun for a few years, wear thin. Klaus has another mission, which becomes apparent when he strolls into a hardware store and sees a familiar face behind the counter: Dave. He’s only a teenager when Klaus finds him, but Klaus is awestruck to have located the person who’ll eventually become his love. Befuddled, he buys a can of pink paint from him and leaves, eventually revealing his plan to a disapproving Ben: he wants to convince Dave not to join the war effort, and thus save his life.
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Diego and Lila, Sittin’ in a Tree…
Things heat up between Diego and Lila this episode, as she tends to his knife wound and they talk about their painful pasts. Turns out, she saw both of her parents die when she was just four years old, and she’s never fully recovered from that trauma. Shared trauma is a pretty big turn-on for these two. They end up sleeping together, but Lila leaves before Diego wakes up. How un-romantic.
Vanya Meets Another Brother
Vanya’s not having a very good time. The Swedes are after her, and they chase her into a cornfield, where, despite her best attempts to escape, they eventually corner her. Her powers kick in at just the right moment, and she saves herself, but Five (Aidan Gallagher) has to step in to get her out of the field and back into the world.
He brings her to a café, where they catch up over coffee. It doesn’t take much for her to believe he’s her brother (why isn’t she more suspicious of a random kid who’s convinced the world is ending?), but she’s pretty angry with him when he hangs up on Sissy (Marin Ireland) while Vanya’s talking to her. “Whoever this person is, they can’t be more important than the end of the world,” Five says, but from the look in Vanya’s eyes, that might not be true for her.
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Luther Eats His Feelings
Number One makes a request to his boss to find Allison, and in no time, he’s given a paper with her address. He shows up at her front door with a box of chocolates in hand, but he’s greeted not by his sister/love interest, but by her husband (yikes). Raymond (Yusuf Gatewood) invites him inside, and Luther proceeds to eat his feelings; Raymond’s courteous enough, but it’s apparent he’s displeased that his wife never mentioned another brother. Later, when Five and Vanya show up at his fight club, he’s upset enough to let his opponent utterly pummel him — he just wants to feel every ounce of his heartbreak.
Meanwhile, Allison’s standing her ground at the sit-in, facing racist slurs being hurled her way… along with burning coffee. Her pain is only increased, though, when Raymond makes an appearance and barely talks to her. The situation at the diner escalates and Raymond’s dragged outside and beaten. Allison’s forced to use her powers. She tells the police officer, “I heard a rumor that you walked away,” which accomplishes her goal of freeing her husband — but it also pushes him away from her.
The Handler Has a Daughter?!
Glamorous as ever, the Handler struts into the past and into a pet store, where she thoroughly creeps out a kid who’s looking at some fish in a tank. She leaves something behind in the tank’s treasure chest, but we don’t know what until the end of the episode, when Lila — gasp! — strolls in and opens it.
Turns out, that chest held a key, and Lila’s plenty comfortable inserting it into a lock and turning it. This leads her to the Handler’s hotel room, where she asks if she can order room service. “Of course,” the Handler says, “you deserve it.” “Thanks, mom,” Lila replies. Uh, hold on a minute, here… MOM?!?
The Umbrella Academy Season 2, Now Streaming, Netflix
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