DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Umbrella Academy episode “Öga for Öga” is rife with spoilers galore. You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution.
Welcome back, super weirdos! Sh*t got real in episode seven of The Umbrella Academy Season 2. Five killed a bunch of people for The Handler. Everyone was on a time crunch because they only had a 90-minute window to travel back to 2019. Obviously, that failed miserably. Vanya and Sissy tried to run away with Harlan, only to encounter Carl’s police officer brother and a flurry of other agents. Vanya went all super-light-blaster on their bums. Allison “rumored” one of the two remaining Swedes to kill his brother. Raymond freaked out, and rightfully so. Diego needlessly threatened a poor woman named Öga. Essentially, the poo has effectively splattered across that fan.
Ready to delve into Öga for Öga?” Let’s get to it.
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Now, we open with Five (Aidan Gallagher) arriving in Wisconsin in 1982. The Board is hosting a meeting within The Lonely Lodger Inn. An upbeat Midwestern woman points Five in the right direction. As a Midwesterner, I’m grossly (not) offended.
Next, after putting the smack-down on a malfunctioning vending machine, Five wanders into the meeting room wherein the Board are discussing top-secret stuff. Five proceeds to brutally murder every member save Fishbowl Head a.k.a. AJ. Fishbowl Head gives him chase, until finally Five also lays the smack-down him. Additionally, he figuratively castrates Fishbowl Head by extricating him from his human body. Then, he pops the fish that was formerly Fishbowl Head into a small plastic bag. He’s just a fish now. Just call this Mission: Successful!
Meanwhile, in 1963, Ben (Justin Min) desperately wants Klaus (Robert Sheehan) to give him permission to commandeer the latter’s body. Just for a while. Take it for a spin. After plenty of persuading on Ben’s part, Klaus reluctantly acquiesces. Of course, there are concrete ground rules.
Later, Five hands over the fish formerly known as Fishbowl Head to The Handler (Kate Walsh). She’s ecstatic — the Board is no longer and she reduced Fishbowl Head to just a plain old goldfish in a plastic bag. She gives Five a briefcase frequently used by Commission members to travel through time. Then, she gives the Hargreeves siblings 90 minutes to return home. Otherwise, the window closes. Naturally, with The Handler, there’s always a catch. Now, Ben must wrangle his siblings together. The same ones currently scattered all over Dallas.
Next, Diego (David Castañeda) and Luther (Tom Hopper) attempt to decipher what “Öga for Öga” means. Those words were left in the wake of Elliot’s brutal murder at the hands of the Swedes. The pair assume that it’s a name — perhaps the person responsible for killing Elliot. They procure a handy dandy phone book and find the name “Öga Foroga,” a Swedish woman in Dallas. Diego calls her up and puts on his most ominous, formidable voice ever. He threatens that this day will be her last.
That is, until Five reveals that “Öga for Öga” means “an eye for an eye” in Swedish. Diego quickly switches gears and claims he called the wrong number. That moment made me legitimately laugh out loud. That makes sense — the Swedes are under the impression that the Hargreeves are the culprits in exploding their other brother.
Then, Five reveals to the duo that they only have 90 minutes to gather the remainder of their siblings and get back to 2019. Clock’s ticking! Meanwhile, The Handler is at Commission headquarters proffering a grand and eloquent speech regarding the mass murder of the Board. But, now that they’ve kicked the bucket, she’s in charge. And grief counseling is offered, but it’s not within their insurance network. Sorry!
Later, Ben is about to take Klaus for a spin. Ground rules have been enacted. It’s showtime! Ben masquerades about as Klaus, really savoring the senses that come with being a tangible human. He tries fruit for the first time in 17 years. He’s not a fan of fruit, as it turns out. Next, he tracks down a girl named Jill. Ben is quite sweet on her. Of course, she’s under the impression that Klaus is hitting on her, even though it’s really Ben. They make dirt angels while barefoot and laugh about rolling in the dirt. Because it’s fun.
Meanwhile, Carl asks Vanya (Ellen Page) if she can drive him over to a friend’s house. Hey, that’s actually a responsible move if he plans on imbibing. However, he really wants to lay down the law with Vanya. He’s aware of her tryst with his wife Sissy. Carl proceeds to not-so-subtly threaten Vanya to step off. In his homophobic eyes, no one of the same sex should be together. He orders her to move out by the end of that evening. Vanya isn’t scared of him, though.
Next, Luther heads over to Allison’s (Emmy Raver-Lampman) to inform her of Five’s latest plan. They only have roughly an hour to say their goodbyes and get the hell out of dodge. 2019 awaits! Naturally, Allison is upset because she dearly loves her Raymond. Raymond (Yusuf Gatewood) learns of the situation and is also rightfully upset. Luther gives them space so they can say goodbye.
Later, Diego tries to persuade Klaus/Ben to tag along so they can go home. That’s when Ben reveals that he’s currently inhabiting Klaus’ body. The pair officially reunite for the first time in several years. It’s a lovely moment in an otherwise packed episode. However, Diego asserts that he has something in need of dire care. He vows to return to collect Klaus/Ben.
Meanwhile, Five runs into Vanya as she’s driving back to the farmhouse solo. He gives her the lowdown. She refuses to go home with them unless she can bring Sissy and Harlan back. Five puts his figurative foot down, citing that Sissy and Harlan’s presence in the future will affect the timeline in drastic ways. Vanya insists that they’re insignificant, to which Five retorts that “no one is insignificant.” It’s a sweet thought, really. The two square off against each other and put their abilities on display. But, just when you think a fight is bound to break out, Five relents. He just urges Vanya to make haste. Time is of the essence!
Next, Diego is burying poor Elliot. What a thoughtful thing to do. Lila (Ritu Arya) inexplicably appears. Diego wholeheartedly believes that Lila was merely using him to get to Five. Lila insists that her feelings for him are genuine, but her job was to protect Five. She was simply doing what she was supposed to do. Lila procures a flask and hopes they can let bygones be bygones with a drink. Suddenly, Diego slumps ground-ward and promptly falls unconscious. Lila spits out the drink she didn’t swallow. She poisoned our Diego! Lila proceeds to drag him away.
Later, Allison and Raymond are bidding each other farewell. She asks him to join her in 2019. However, he knows his place is in 1963. He wants to contribute as much as he can to the Civil Rights Movement. While this shatters her heart, Allison understands. Then, the two Swedes show up on Allison’s doorstep. Uh oh. That’s not good.
Meanwhile, Vanya hurries home and urges Sissy (Marin Ireland) to pack her things. Sissy grabs a coffee tin chock full of cash that she kept away from Carl’s prying hands. She scoops up Harlan and the trio make their getaway. Klaus/Ben tries to feel the mansion but is caught by one of the prophet’s most devoted followers. Now, the follower is in charge. Klaus/Ben leaves said follower with a bit of sage wisdom in the form of song lyrics — “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) by The Backstreet Boys. God, I love the music selection for this show. As the song plays, we see Allison and Raymond fighting off the Swedes. Klaus/Ben running back to the alley to meet his family. We see Klaus is fervently trying to expel Ben, but the latter is hellbent on staying inside Klaus for as long as possible.
Finally, Klaus arrives to find Luther and Five waiting for everyone. He promptly vomits out Ben. Of course, the other two can’t see Ben, but we see our ghost boy is slathered in Klaus’ vomit. Yummy! In the Chestnut household, Allison “rumors” the lead Swede to murder his own brother. Said lead Swede proceeds to choke his brother, powerless to stop Allison’s “rumor.” Then, the lone Swede flees the scene. Now, they have a dead body on their hands. Just another day for The Umbrella Academy!
Unfortunately, the gang misses their window back to 2019, much to Luther and Five’s chagrin. Diego wakes up in The Handler’s office. Apparently, in her new regime, Lila is Head of Security. Diego, as “her boyfriend,” is her underling. He’ll make a fine addition to the security team at the Commission. Well, that’s nice. Diego apparently doesn’t get a say in the matter. He merely sits there, flabbergasted by the situation unfolding.
Meanwhile, Vanya, Sissy, and Harlan are driving to meet with the former’s siblings. However, they’re stopped dead in their tracks by a slew of police cars. Multiple officers emerge — one of whom happens to be Carl’s brother. Hopefully meanness doesn’t run in the family? Answer: it does. After Carl’s brother threatens everyone, Vanya steps out of the vehicle and goes all Super Saiyan on their bums. She kills a multitude of officers in the process. Then, Vanya’s knocked unconscious by Carl’s brother. Sissy cries out and flees to her side.
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Holy guacamole, Batman! The Umbrella Academy Season 2 just gave us its best episode yet. Fraught with tension, dire stakes, and plenty of action, “Öga for Öga” is proof positive that this show continues to improve over time. The last three episodes are going to up the ante, folks. I can’t wait to see where this ride takes us. Hopefully Klaus can finally get his tacos.
The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.
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