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The Umbrella Academy Season 4: 8 Major Problems With The Series' Finale
The Umbrella Academy season 4's rushed ending left fans disappointed with unresolved storylines and lackluster character development.
Sadly, Netflix's The Umbrella Academy ended on a sour note because of the extensive narrative issues in the final season. An ending that was expected to be satisfying was greatly weakened by making the count of episodes six instead of ten, similar to the rest of the seasons. The lack of payoffs that were set through threads weakened both the ending and aspects of seasons 1-3. That made its inability to stick the landing a disappointment, since it was one of the few Netflix original series that finished its story, which was undercut by season 4's many problems.
1. The Hargreeves siblings' deaths
The ending of The Umbrella Academy was them sacrificing themselves to save the universe, hence putting an end to all these broken timelines and apocalypses. Very noble, but it certainly made retrospect of the series a bit pointless since, in the grand scheme of things, their actions add to the universe brokenness and make any previous victories from the series hollow.
The addition in the seasons makes it feel as if the series was prolonged just to reach the truth of what the Hargreeves did and lived through, which, by the time this restored timeline has been set, nothing is remembered. Eventually, Five and his siblings all knew the truth and sacrificed themselves; thus, it was prolonged for no reason.
2. The awkward romance
The whole plot of Season 4 centered around the unplanned love between Five and Lila, who had been stuck in a subway running between universes for seven years. The more sibling-like history of the two, though, didn't exactly make for a smooth romantic transition. Most of their relationship building had been summarized in a montage, which did not make the plot twist feel earned.
The multiversal subway played an important part in the endgame of the series and Five's realization of what he and the Hargreeves needed. But with Five and Lila, it was an avenue for unnecessary drama that really harmed their arcs and took away time from this final season when storylines deserved more attention.
3. Klaus didn't find out how the original Ben died
Because of what became known as the Jennifer Incident, the Umbrella Academy learned about the death of the original Ben. Klaus was not there and never came to know the truth before being wiped out of existence along with his siblings. Klaus had a deeper connection with Ben than his siblings, as they only knew him as a kid, while for years, he spent time with the ghost of an adult Ben.
The real deal behind Ben's death is something Klaus should have learned throughout the fourth season, instead of trying to pay off the debts to Quinn, escape Quinn, and get himself out of a coffin. It's the other Hargreeves siblings letting Klaus in on the truth that would have felt more earned with Klaus' decision to sacrifice himself and his siblings.
4. Abigail Hargreeves
Season 4 had this plot twist involving Abigail Hargreeves posing as Sy Grossman, who would trigger one final apocalypse to move the main timeline. That storyline wasn't well-thought-out, considering Abigail was a poor waste of on-screen time and an unfamiliarity to her fellow characters and audience members, which made her deception and betrayal not quite as emotive on deeper levels.
The twist about Abigail and what occurred due to her manipulation would have been more effective if she had been more visible during season 4 or the series altogether. Reginald's only true reveal only made matters worse because the Hargreeves children were never shown the identity of Sy Grossman, and their relation with Reginald felt so underdeveloped that their last scene on the bench was worth nothing.
5. Season 3 mid-credits scene
The Season 3 finale of The Umbrella Academy features a mid-credits scene of a nicely dressed Ben riding the subway in glasses reading a book. The shot, seemingly, was to tease Ben's storyline for Season 4, yet the storyline was never pursued or even mentioned in Season 4. It is not clear why it appeared at the end of Season 3 or what it was intending to set up.
Public transportation was different for Ben: not that multiversal subway Five and Lila used for seven years. Yeah, maybe the mid-credits scene was a tease for this, but it would have only been confusing since Ben was never on the subway. Umbrella Academy, a show literally hailed for unique storytelling, fell into one of the common pits: a credits scene teasing something that never comes to fruition.
6. Sloane
Although a member of the Sparrow Academy, Sloane was also Luther's wife, yet she was never revealed in season 4. Making her way into the Hargreeves' camp in Reginald's reset timeline, Sloane was completely disregarded in those final episodes. This did give off a lack of resolution, hence making a season 3 and the relationship-building between Sloane and Luther feel pointless. Sloane's absence really hurt Luther's storyline in The Umbrella Academy season 4, because it wasn't fitting for a character that seemed to have just given up on finding her. Ultimately, Sloane was deleted from existence, but her fate should have been clarified long before that.
7. The ending felt rushed
Poor pacing hurt the final season of The Umbrella Academy in part due to its reduced episode count; everything felt super rushed with no narrative breathing room at all. New characters, such as Jennifer and both Dr. Gene and Dr. Jean Thibedeau, weren't fleshed out at all, so it was quite hard to invest in their lives or even their fates.
Ten episodes were needed to tell the usual amount within The Umbrella Academy season 4, showcasing the full adventure of Hargreeves regarding their powers, saving Jennifer, and other personal trips. More episodes could be used to fix some other narrative issues and allow for a longer story.
ALSO READ: The Umbrella Academy: How Did The Team Get Their Powers Back in Season 4? Explored
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