The time has come to close out the first chapter of The Umbrella Academy and describing that ending as blazing would be a huge undersell. Reginald’s fear of Vanya’s capabilities transferred to Luther and reliving the harrows of her youth brought out the full force of the White Violin. Her brother’s misread lead to devastating consequences and unintended doom. The apocalypse is still on the docket and Vanya is the catalyst. There’s only one thing left for the Hargreeves family to do: take down their uber-powered sister. At least they have a pedigree when it comes to dealing with family dysfunction.
The Fall Of House Hargreeves
Vanya, fresh off trashing the door of her soundproof prison, rampages through the mansion as her siblings scramble to escape. Forced to relive all the painful memories of exclusion at the hands of her family, Vanya destroys the home room by room. Ben saves Klaus and Diego from falling rubble as Pogo distracts Vanya long enough for Luther and Allison to escape. He begs Vanya to not punish her siblings for Reginald’s actions but Vanya only wants to hear Pogo confirm that he knew her secret. Pogo’s truth gets him launched across the room and impaled on a deer head. Her siblings rush out just in time to see Mom blow them a goodbye kiss as their childhood home is reduced to rubble. Number 5 arrives with a startling revelation: Harold was just the fuse. The cataclysm is coming and Vanya is its harbinger.
The family regroups at a bowling alley to figure out their plan of attack. Luther points out that they might have to kill Vanya but no one else is keen on the idea. Klaus informs them of his new ability that allows Ben to interact with the physical world but fails to convince them with an unsuccessful example. They all get snappy with one another until Klaus reveals Luther’s wild night to Allison. She walks away in disgust as Number 5 receives a message from The Handler requesting a meeting. He teleports away as Luther apologizes to Allison, expressing his affection for her while helping her reconnect with her daughter.
New Assignment
Hazel and Cha-Cha really stepped in it but The Handler isn’t altogether unforgiving. She has a new assignment for the two: protect Vanya Hargreeves. In exchange, she offers Hazel the chance to retire from the Commission and live out his days with Agnes and Cha-Cha will be assigned a new partner. The duo sort of make up as they stake out Vanya, but Hazel doubts that Handler will keep her promise. The absence of a briefcase supports his claim. Those concerns take a backseat as they locate and tail Vanya as she travels to her concert. The chase doesn’t last long though. Hazel speeds headlong into a concrete barricade, ejecting Cha-Cha from the car, and sets his sights on the countryside.
Back at the B&B, Number 5 arrives to meet with Handler. The complications he presents are growing more annoying yet she still offers him a way out. She offers to transport him to the post-apocalypse, effectively forcing him to possibly relive all of this over again. It’s either that of be vaporized with the rest of the world. 5 Catches on that the meeting is actually a distraction as Handler’s forces move in to secure Vanya and leaves. It isn’t long afterward that Hazel returns and kills Handler as Agnes looks on. Agnes accepts Hazel and his past as its revealed that Hazel stashed a briefcase in the room’s air vent.
The White Violin
The Hargreeves children struggle to come up with a plan as Handler’s forces invade the bowling alley. A firefight erupts, forcing them to escape through the bowling lanes. Allison tries to reason with her brothers as they arrive at the concert hall. Luther lets her enter the hall first, utilizing her as a decoy for his and Diego’s ambush. Klaus, believing he can contribute to the fight, gets stuck on lookout duty.
Reginald remains a mystery but the man appears to have lived many lifetimes over. He’s at least 120 years old and his lover’s violin remains a constant in his life until it ends up in young Vanya’s hands. His pleasure in the instrument finding its way to her is well placed as her skill lands her on a prestigious stage. Allison stands intranced at her sister’s skill as the two make eye contact and share a smile. It also proves problematic when she lashes out at a rushing Luther and Diego, sending the audience into a panic. Vanya continues to attack via violin solo as Number 5, Klaus, Cha-Cha and Handler’s agents rush into the auditorium.
Diego takes down Cha-Cha but refuses to kill her, honoring Patch’s belief in people. The agents pin down the family until Klaus conjures Ben, allowing him to release the beasts within his body upon the gas masked forces. All that is left is Vanya, her suit now fully turned from black to white. Her brothers have no option but to surround and rush her. The plan fails, leaving them suspended in air as Vanya drains the life from their bodies. In a turn of events, the Hargreeves boys prove to be the distraction needed for Allison, gun drawn, to approach Vanya from behind and break her focus with a shot fired next to her ear. All of Vanya’s collected power fires into the moon, causing it to explode and rain down on Earth. The Umbrella Academy are failures once again.
Second Chance
With the world doomed, the Hargreeves family settles in for the end. All but Number 5 who proposes a radical idea. All six of them should travel through time together to have a second chance at saving the world. Everyone doubts the plan, but it’s the only option that doesn’t doom them. Luther takes Vanya into his arms and the siblings lock hands as Number 5 opens a vortex. Elsewhere, Hazel has the same idea, though he has a briefcase. He and Agnes disappear just as the brimstone approaches. The family begin to resemble their younger selves as they all vanish from a world engulfed in flame. The Umbrella Academy will get another shot. Maybe they aren’t failures after all.
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