‘The Umbrella Academy’: Diego and Five Track Down Their Dad (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Umbrella Academy, Season 2, Episode 4, “The Majestic Twelve.”]
Following that huge revelation in last episode’s final seconds, we get a Lila (Ritu Arya) backstory to start out Episode 4. She wasn’t technically lying when she told Diego (David Castañeda) she saw her parents killed when she was very young. That was true: via flashback, we’re shown her watching from an air vent as the Commission, and the Handler (Kate Walsh), kill her real mom and dad. The Handler then finds her and takes her in, raises her to be a deadly assassin, and the rest, it seems, is history.
In the present, The Handler and Lila are still incredibly close, although Lila has her questions. She asks her mom about the Swedes and whether they knew she was part of the Commission. The Handler sets her mind at ease and says nothing bad would’ve happened to her, and she gives her a new assignment: to protect Five (Aidan Gallagher). “He’s more valuable to us alive than dead,” she says.
Allison’s Marriage Suffers, and Klaus Falls off the Wagon
When Klaus (Robert Sheehan) wakes up, he’s at Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman)’s place — but while he’s not a morning person, she’s quite motivated to go find Raymond, who didn’t come home after he found out about her powers. She heads out the door and leaves Klaus behind, only to find her husband meeting with the rest of their friends at the hair parlor. She’s enraged, and the duo head outside to discuss their problems. He assumes she was paid off or hired by Dallas P.D. She can’t tell him the truth. He walks away, and she’s left heartbroken in the street.
With Allison gone, Klaus continues Operation Save Dave. Except the mission ends up being something of a failure; when he tries to talk to Dave in a diner, he seems receptive enough, but they’re interrupted by Dave’s homophobic uncle. He calls Klaus a queer and repeatedly urges Dave to hit him, while Klaus keeps telling Dave he loves him, and, in the end, Dave punches Klaus in the mouth. Klaus deals with this soul-shattering heartbreak by going out and getting very, very drunk — and, as Ben (Justin H. Min) reminds him, breaking three years of sobriety. Drunk and carrying more liquor, he heads home … only to find his followers waiting for him.
He runs away as fast as his wobbly legs can carry him and winds up back at Allison’s place. She gives him her couch and covers him up with a blanket.
Luther’s in Trouble (Maybe?)
After losing the fight because of his Allison-related heartbreak, Luther (Tom Hopper)’s in bad shape. He wakes up to Vanya (Ellen Page) standing over him and they talk, and he tells her the truth about what caused the apocalypse: her. That’s a lot for Vanya to take in, and it’s a lot for Luther to take in when his dangerous boss suddenly fires him for throwing the fight. Vanya then ditches Five, saying she has to go back to the farm, and Luther flips Five off from a hole he punched in the wall of his apartment. “I wonder if it’s too late to be un-adopted,” Five mutters.
Luther then goes to eat his feelings, again, when Allison shows up. They hug and catch up, sharing details about their siblings’ new lives. Then Luther breaks it to her: “We did it again.” As one might imagine, she’s none too pleased to hear they’ve brought the end of the world to the new timeline.
Number One gets kicked out of his digs at the house for solitary men because the owner’s terrified of his former boss, so he heads to the place where Five’s staying. Elliot’s the only one home, but, in a scene reminiscent of Luther’s “clubbing” experience in Season 1, they pass the time by taking laughing gas.
Vanya Falls in Love
The end of the world, it seems, does not mean more to Vanya than Sissy (Marin Ireland). She goes back to the farm and explains (almost) everything to Sissy, at least about the Swedes. Sissy then says they should leave together, but Vanya doesn’t want to put her or Harlan in danger. Harlan overhears this conversation and runs away, leaving Vanya and Sissy to frantically search for him.
It’s Vanya who finds him, and, by using her powers to lift the water out of a lake, she saves him from drowning. And later, she and Sissy share a heartfelt moment in which the housewife begs her not to leave — a moment that ends with the pair sharing a passionate kiss. Finally!
Diego, Five and Lila Go on a Glamorous Adventure
Based off of the invite Five swiped from Hargreeves’ desk, the team knows where he’ll be: the Mexican Consulate. But the invitation is more than just a notification of a gala event — according to Elliot, it bears marks of the Magnificent Twelve, a group of deep state government officials.
They go to the gala, where Five tracks the officials, and Diego runs into another familiar face — his mom! Being the total momma’s boy that he is, he’s awestruck by her and shocked to learn she was real, and that she was Hargreeves’ date for the evening. Mom, only knowing him as the man he is at that time, notes that he’s “an odd one.”
But the heartwarming moments end when the Swedes show up, jeopardizing Five’s plan (he still manages to discover Hargreeves is involved with the JFK plot). Five and Diego battle them, but it comes down to Lila to choose which of them she’ll help, and with her mom’s voice ringing in her head, she chooses Five. So, Five gets away to go after Hargreeves while Diego continues to grapple with one of the Swedes, but in the end, Hargreeves leaves and Five watches him go.
The Umbrella Academy, Season 2, Streaming Now, Netflix
