DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Umbrella Academy Season 4 Episode 3, “The Squid and the Girl,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
It’s hard to believe we’re now halfway through the final season. “The Squid and the Girl” sees Ben rescue Jennifer from the Thibedeaus while our Hargreeves siblings visit Daddy Hargreeves to retrieve some key memories. This outing boasts a compelling performance from Robert Sheehan (who always brings his A-game). David Castañeda is my MVP for this season thus far, but perhaps I’m biased as a Diego girlie. Narrative-wise, I’m intrigued to see where it will go, even though the pacing seems off. I’m struggling to see how we’ll wrap this up in three episodes; however, I’m trying to remain cautiously optimistic.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous episode of The Umbrella Academy, “Jean and Gene”
The Umbrella Academy, “The Squid and the Girl”
We open with a news segment from 1995. Two fishermen caught a massive squid. A journalist proceeds to interview them on camera. Suddenly, a young girl, clearly Jennifer Grossman, emerges from said squid. Jennifer only mentions one thing to the journalist: “The Cleanse.” How ominous. We see Reginald (Colm Feore) watching Jennifer in the background.
Later, in the present, our titular heroes stand outside Diego’s (Castañeda) busted van. Ben (Justin H. Min) can’t believe his new fam would botch a “simple rescue mission.” Diego asks Lila (Ritu Arya) why Dr. Jean and Dr. Gene Thibedeau called her “Nancy.” Lila avoids answering the question. Instead, Five (Aidan Gallagher) reveals the Thibedeaus are the founders of the Keepers, an extremist group who believe they have memories from an alternate timeline. Ben asks what they wanted with Jennifer, but Five can’t answer that.
A Good Dressing-Down
Meanwhile, Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) notices that Klaus (Sheehan) seems down in the dumps. He’s upset because Allison gave him the marigold without his consent. That seems to be a prominent theme with Allison and her powers — consent. Klaus and Allison argue in front of the family. Then, Klaus proceeds to name everyone’s issues. However, when he gets to Lila, he acknowledges that she’s pretty self-actualized. Klaus pushes Allison to be honest with him. Is he just her project? Someone she can save?
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During this argument, we learn that Ray left Allison. Getting Ray back was part of Allison’s deal with Reginald in Season 3. Klaus makes digs at her acting work, stating that she’s been struggling to get jobs. Ouch. Allison notes she’s not thrilled to have a grown man living in her basement. Klaus storms off, deciding not to partake in the next step of this adventure.
Later, Diego gets his van fixed. Luther (Tom Hopper) reminds Ben to check in with his parole officer. Luther also tells the group about what he saw in New Grumpson—everyone wearing Hargreeves-branded military gear. Why did Daddy Hargreeves build a town to imprison Jennifer? Viktor (Elliot Page) suggests they pursue the Keepers or talk to their father and learn what he knows. Diego, Lila and Five split to investigate Jean and Gene. Ben leaves to find Jennifer himself. Viktor, Allison and Luther decide to visit Reginald. This should be fun.
The “Affair”
On their way to Jean and Gene’s place, Diego confronts Lila about what he saw in that cafe the other night. She laughs loudly, realizing Diego didn’t recognize his own brother. Lila reveals she and Five have been going undercover and attending Keepers meetings. Diego must be relieved she isn’t having an affair; however, he’s still upset that she lied about book club. Insert GIF of Jeff from Yellowjackets saying, “There’s no book club?”
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Meanwhile, Ben’s not having a great time. He notices red scales on his forearm. They glow and pulsate. We switch scenery to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Jennifer (Victoria Sawal), whose forearm glows like Ben’s, wakes up in a quaint bedroom.
Jean (Megan Mullally) and Gene (Nick Offerman) pop up with fresh clothes for her. They joke about dominant and recessive genes, which doesn’t garner a chuckle from Jennifer, but it did from me. They claim they saved Jennifer from the Umbrella Academy. Gene asks if they can call anybody—mom, dad, friend. Jennifer realizes they’re all gone. Jean comforts her, vowing they’ll take care of her.
Traveling to Different Timelines
Then, Diego lets Viktor drive Wanda, his van, to Daddy Hargreeves’ house. After that, Diego, Lila and Five search Jean and Gene’s apartment. At one point, Lila grabs Five’s arm, and they wind up at that peculiar subway station with the unrecognizable symbols on the signage. Five reveals how he took the subway in New Grumpson and wound up in the same place but in a different timeline. They find a map, which Lila tries to read. When that proves impossible, she drags Five onto an approaching train.
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Later, Klaus breaks into Allison’s house and starts scooping up items to sell. He breaks Claire’s money jar and steals the cash. Claire (Millie Davis) walks in to find her Uncle Klaus in theft mode. It’s sadly apparent he’s started using again. Claire tries to calm him down, asking him to sit with her so they can talk. He claims it’s too late for him. Then, he yells at her to move out of his way. I hate seeing Klaus like this, but damn, Robert Sheehan kills it on this episode.
Elsewhere, Diego digs through a dumpster to find something on the Thibedeaus. He sees a course letter from when Jean taught at Golden Mesa Community College. Then, he finds a file on the “Jennifer Incident,” with “The Cleanse?” written on one piece of paper in pen.
Original Timeline
Then, Lila and Five get off at one stop. Five notes their surroundings so they can track when (and where) they are. They ascend the staircase to the outside world. They discover what’s left of Jean and Gene’s apartment. Five remarks that this is the original timeline—his apocalypse, wherein he spent 40 years trying to survive. Five spots Delores, his mannequin partner, and himself. The other Five starts firing on Five and Lila.
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Next, Lila and Five return to their timeline. Diego reveals his findings, deducing that Jennifer and Ben are inexplicably linked. Why? The file is dated October 14, 2006, the day Ben died in the original timeline. The CIA is sorely regretting not hiring Diego now. That’s my lil Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, Ben runs into Sy Grossman (David Cross), who asks if he’s found Jennifer yet. Ben admits that the Keepers kidnapped Jennifer. Also, Jennifer doesn’t know who Sy is.
Sy evades answering that question, instead urging Ben to find Jennifer. She’s in danger. He adds that she and Ben are connected. Ben experiences flashes of memories, from young Jennifer climbing out of the squid to present-day Jennifer seeing the alpaca outside her room at the Thibedeaus’ farmhouse. The red, glowing patches appear on Ben’s face and on Jennifer’s, who we see moments later. Jean and Gene usher her into their barn to show her the artifacts from the other timelines they’ve collected.
The Cleanse
Jean and Gene insist that this is the wrong timeline. They hope the Cleanse can return them all to the original timeline. We see more Umbrella Academy figurines, a nod to dear Pogo, Hazel’s mask, Viktor’s white violin and more. Jean and Gene want to learn more about the Cleanse. They hope Jennifer can share what she knows about it. More than that, though, they want her to bring about the Cleanse. However, she seems bewildered by it all.
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Jennifer calls them crazy, grabbing one of (presumably) Diego’s knives and brandishing it. In response, the Thibedeaus unveil their grandest artifact yet: the massive, dead squid from which Jennifer emerged. She looks terrified. The Thibedeaus lock her in the barn, hoping the reminder of a traumatic time in Jennifer’s life will change her mind (or jog more memories).
At the same time, Allison, Viktor and Luther head inside Reginald’s home. They meet Abigail Hargreeves (Liisa Repo-Martell), who’s playing the piece Viktor performed in Season 1 on the violin. Talk about a blast from the (apocalyptic) past. Abigail stops and introduces herself. She claims that Reggie has told her so much about them. Abigail invites them to sit with her while they wait for Reginald.
Klaus and Quinn
Next, we see Klaus levitating while sitting cross-legged. That’s a new ability for him. Quinn (George Tchortov), a dealer who’s a member of the Mothers of Agony, approaches Klaus. He thought Klaus was dead, but hey, he’s just floating now. Quinn reminds Klaus that the latter owes him money—40 grand, to be precise. Klaus reminds Quinn that he doesn’t have that kind of cheddar. He urges Quinn to kill him, reaching for the dealer’s gun himself.
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Klaus slaps Quinn, angering him. He whips out his weapon and shoots Klaus in the head. However, Klaus is only dead for a few minutes before coming back to life. If I had a nickel for every time Robert Sheehan played an immortal character, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. (The other show is Misfits, which is super fun. Highly recommend.)
Meanwhile, Abigail asks Viktor, Allison and Luther about their careers. She seems genuinely sweet. She thanks Luther for watching over her on the Moon. Then, Reginald arrives. Reggie scolds them for wreaking havoc in New Grumpson. He notices they now have their powers after Viktor almost erupts on him. Reginald claims he wasn’t holding Jennifer prisoner but protecting her from the Umbrella Academy. He adds that she’s nothing like them. She’s more powerful than all of them combined. Even Viktor?
A Tragic Accident
Next, Klaus wakes up in a strange room. He’s hanging upside down, the logo for the Mothers of Agony on the floor beneath him. Quinn enters. He plans to torture Klaus for the money since he can’t kill him. At the same time, Diego, Lila and Five arrive at Reggie’s mansion. Diego presents the files he found at Jean and Gene’s home. The gang tries to recall what they know about Ben’s death. “It was a tragic accident,” they all say, reciting some nothingburger of a statement. Of course, Viktor and Five weren’t on the mission that day, so they don’t know anything.
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They confront Reggie about this. Did he tamper with their memories? Reggie admits that he’s played around with that stuff in the ’60s. The Reginald in the original timeline might have altered their memories. Thankfully, he has a machine that can return what was stolen.
Then, we get a diegetic moment in the episode, with Jean and Gene performing a dance routine to Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.” Ben arrives at the farmhouse, killing all the security guards outside with his scary tentacles. He barges into the barn to free Jennifer. They crawl through a hole in the back wall while two other guards fire on them. Jean and Gene slink up behind said guards, shooting them in the head. The Thibedeaus let Jennifer escape. They claim that shooting Ben and Jennifer would’ve “ruined everything.”
Restore the Past
Later, Reggie sets up his memory-restoring machine, strapping in Luther, Allison, Diego and Viktor. Lila decides to spectate. She chats with Diego beforehand. He makes her promise not to keep any more secrets. She claims she wants a break from their marriage. Suddenly, Reggie switches on the machine. We see flashes of images from over the seasons. Restoring their memories will help them remember how Ben died and potentially how Jennifer is involved.
Bring on the emotional pain.
RELATED: Read our recaps for The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy Seasons 1-4 are now streaming on Netflix.
Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: ALLISON HARGREEVES
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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