DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Umbrella Academy episode “The End of Something” is rife with spoilers galore. You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution.
Welcome back, super weirdos! It’s time — time to bid farewell to Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy. This episode had it all: action, romance, comedy, and a massive cliffhanger. As it turned out, Lila had the ability to mimic our heroes’ powers. Like Rogue from X-Men, with the exception that she doesn’t need to come in physical contact with anyone to gain their abilities. We learned that The Handler is just as nefarious as she appeared to be. She only truly wanted Lila for her immense capabilities. Vanya and Sissy parted ways after the latter decided to stay in 1963. It was altogether a bittersweet goodbye. Oh, and our heroes wound up in the wrong timeline…again. This time, the Umbrella Academy is the Sparrow Academy. In addition, Ben is alive and well in this particular timeline.
Ready to delve into “The End of Something?” Let’s get to it.
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Now, we open with a flashback. The year is 2006 and the Hargreeves siblings are holding a funeral service for Ben. Daddy Hargreeves (Colm Feore), Mama Grace (Jordan Claire Robbins), and even Pogo (Adam Godley) are in attendance. DH proffers a terrible eulogy for Ben as far as eulogies go. I’d give it a 2/10. Mostly because he ends up turning the tables and insulting his children.
After the service, most of the Hargreeves head inside, save for young Klaus. We see young ghost Ben is with him. Young ghost Ben claims that he’s sticking around because of Klaus. Aw, that’s nice. No “going toward the light” for him!
Later, we’re back in 1963, right after Kennedy’s assassination. We see our protagonists are being labelled as “terrorists” by media outlets. Luther (Tom Hopper), Vanya (Ellen Page), Diego (David Castañeda), Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Klaus (Robert Sheehan), and Five (Aidan Gallagher) are all in Elliot’s hideout. Five and the others are hellbent on finding a way home. However, Vanya receives a phone call from a frantic Sissy (Marin Ireland) explaining that Harlan is in danger. He’s caught in the throes of his own powers — just like Vanya was earlier.
Now, Vanya makes her case for going to the farmhouse to assist Harlan. Her siblings agree in tandem that their top priority should be getting back to 2019, not helping some kid in 1963. Vanya asserts that she needs her family now more than ever to pitch in. But since no one volunteers to join her, Vanya sets out alone.
Well, not actually. Klaus pops in the passenger seat, citing that he wouldn’t dare let his sister go at it solo. Vanya relays the message Ben had for Klaus while imprisoned in her mind. Ben didn’t stick around for Klaus — he was afraid. Fearful of what might happen should he follow the light. Klaus lets out an embittered laugh.
Suddenly, everyone else trickles into Vanya’s car. Diego, Five, and Allison. Finally, Luther crawls into the trunk of the car because, giant gorilla man. We’re all in this together (cue that High School Musical song)!
Later, our team arrives at the farmhouse to find Sissy brandishing a shotgun in their direction. Vanya insists that they’re there to help out. Oh, and the strangers towing Vanya are actually her siblings. Small world, big family. Everyone makes their way into the barn. Poor Harlan is levitating while enveloped in a sphere of light. His powers are completely out of control. Vanya enters his light sphere and attempts to quell his rampant emotions.
Meanwhile, The Handler (Kate Walsh) and Lila (Ritu Arya) are standing some distance away from the farmhouse in a field. Diego, Five, Allison, Klaus, and Luther spot them. Diego and Five decide to greet them. Sniff them out for any nefarious, underhanded plans.
Now, The Handler and Lila are insistent on the Hargreeves’ eradication. In short: they’re gonna die today. Well, that’s what they believe. The Handler snaps her fingers and a mass of Commission lackeys materialize. They’re all armed with briefcases and various weaponry. Diego and Five decide to make a break for it. Suddenly, the lackeys surge forward en masse and begin firing upon our heroes. Diego and Five seek refuge behind a tractor. Luther, Allison, and Klaus all huddle behind farm equipment as well.
Bullets are whizzing by at a rapid pace — it’s a wonder the Hargreeves are able to avoid them. Vanya emerges from the barn while levitating and manages to kill the Commission lackeys in one fell swoop. The Handler urges Lila to show off her abilities. We see her slowly levitate. A blue light emanates from her chest while her eyes glow. A burst of power launches forth, creating destruction all around the farmhouse. She possesses the same powers as Vanya. Diego goes flying, and a tractor falls on his leg, pinning him under.
Next, Lila takes on Five, mimicking his ability to teleport. She dispatches him rather quickly. Luther also tries to take her on, but her super strength appears to surpass his own. Then, she squares off against Allison. The pair physically duke it out. Lila “rumors” Allison into not breathing. We see Allison start to choke. Luther feverishly urges Allison to breathe.
Thankfully, Allison eventually starts breathing again. Success! Meanwhile, The Handler wanders toward Harlan inside the barn. Vanya was successfully able to calm him down. However, The Handler wants him to join her at the Commission. She’ll help him understand his abilities. Don’t do it!
Then, the Hargreeves help Diego crawl out from under the massive tractor. They mull over how best to take on Lila. She’s quite formidable in the powers department. But, more importantly, she’s also one of them — a person with immense abilities who was also born on October 1st, 1989. It would be prudent to convince Lila to join their side.
Next, everyone regroups in the barn. Lila approaches Five and reminds him of a certain night in 1993. The wherein he killed her parents. Five recalls that incident, but also mentions that he’s killed a boatload of people over the decades. He does mention a tidbit that The Handler failed to mention — that she was the one who initiated the mission. The Handler approved it. Lila refuses to believe this. Diego tries to coax her into joining the Hargreeves family. He reminds her that she’s not alone. That The Handler only wanted her for her powers, so she could bend them to her will.
Again, Lila is stalwart in her beliefs. She still wholeheartedly believes that The Handler loves her. Suddenly, The Handler shoots everyone, including Lila. They all die in tandem, save for Five. Five is critically (fatally) injured, but still breathing. Just as The Handler is about to put Five out of his misery, the lone Swede (Kris Holden-Ried) stealthily approaches her from behind. He fatally shoots her and she collapses. Five recalls his conversation with Daddy Hargreeves about starting out small with time jumps. Start with seconds, then minutes, and so forth. Five puts that into practice now.
Then, Five jumps back just enough so everyone is brought back to life, including Lila. Then, as The Handler is about to shoot everyone again, Five quickly snatches up her rifle. The lone Swede reappears and he instantly slaughters The Handler again. Just as he’s about to kill off the gang, Five rattles off “enough” in Swedish. The lone Swede acquiesces. He even agrees that enough is enough. That’s when he flees the scene.
Meanwhile, Lila races to snatch up the The Handler’s briefcase. Diego attempts to stop her, but Luther tackles him. Lila disappears with the briefcase. Diego confesses his love for her to Luther. Dude — she’s tried to kill you, she’s poisoned you, and kidnapped you. Take off the rose-colored glasses!
Next, Vanya sits with Harlan. He contracted her abilities whenever Vanya saved him from drowning in the pond. Thankfully, Vanya is able to take said abilities back from the young boy. All is well now. Sissy embraces her son.
Later, Herb appears in the field of slaughtered Commission lackeys. He tells Diego and Five that he’s now in charge of the Commission since The Handler bit the dust. Oh, and the pair can take any briefcase belonging to a dead Commission worker. Time to go home!
Meanwhile, Sissy reveals that she’s planning on staying in her timeline. Now that she knows about Vanya’s explosive powers and the fact that villains pursue her on the regular, Sissy doesn’t want to expose that lifestyle to Harlan. Vanya is, obviously, upset. However, she understands. The pair embrace and share some goodbye smooches. I’m not crying — you are. Raymond (Yusuf Gatewood) finds a letter that Allison left behind. She delves into her love for him, and how vital his work with the Civil Rights Movement is.
Then, we see Dave get on the bus bound for military boot camp. The lone Swede encounters the hippie bus that’s chock full of Klaus’ prophet followers. He decides to climb aboard and indulge in a more peaceful existence. Luther tries to reconnect with his former mafia boss, but there’s no answer on the other line. Sissy and Harlan are driving in a car bound for sunny California. We see Harlan in the back seat toying with a wooden sparrow. Said wooden sparrow begins to levitate while in his hand. It would appear some of Vanya’s residual powers latched onto Harlan.
Now, it’s time to go home. Five arrives armed with a briefcase. Everyone clasps hands and forms a circle. Then…boom! Our protagonists are standing in the foyer of the Umbrella Academy. They’re home! Huzzah! They wander into the dining area. Diego spots a painting of Ben hanging above the mantelpiece. That’s when Daddy Hargreeves appears. He tells the gang that they’re not supposed to be here. This isn’t the Umbrella Academy — this is the Sparrow Academy! Uh oh. Our gang also spots a slew of powered up kids standing on the balcony above them.
Suddenly, Ben (Justin Min), fully formed and tangible, shows up. He asks his father a dire question in need of answering — “Who are these a**holes?” I think it’s also worth noting that Ben looks like the personified representation of a My Chemical Romance album. I dig it.
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Holy guacamole, Batman! Our heroes successfully made it out of 1963, but now they’re stuck in what appears to be an alternate timeline. Ben’s alive but the Umbrella Academy flies under a different flag. They’re still in 2019, at least according to a newspaper in the foyer. I’m really intrigued by alternate timelines, so I’m curious to see just how different this one will be from the Hargreeves’ original timeline. Lila is also still on the loose, and there are more specially powered kids out there, as proof from Daddy Hargreeves’ Sparrow Academy. I wonder if these kids all have unique abilities as well? Regardless, the wait for Season 3 will be a long one. Longer than Klaus’ magnificent beard before he chopped it off.
The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
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