Umbrella Academy S4 Reaction (spoilers)

Umbrella Academy S4 reaction (spoilers)

I'm a little surprised how negative the reaction to S4 has been. It's flawed and a bit too loose, sure, but I think there's a thematic arc, to do with the painful but redemptive potential of selfless love, that a lot of people didn't recognize, or didn't like, possibly because it's too sentimental, or too tragic, or both.

In particular, I have a really different take on That Relationship. You know the one I mean.

But before I get to that, I just want to address the issue of unexplained plot points, of which there are certainly many. UA is both of its genre and a spoof on it, and as such, it's not supposed to make total sense. Comic-book storytelling is all about the impossible premise, the unlikely twist, the overblown threat, the arbitrary race against the clock, the catastrophic non-ending. A big part of UA's appeal is that it takes that formula to an absurd extreme, unwinding a plot so convoluted and horrifying as to be comedic, then offering a resolution that raises more questions than it answers, and that seems final -- but is it ever? But scratch the surface, and it's really all about the over-the-top super(anti)heroes who are surprisingly endearing, nuanced and tragic, whom the audience roots for despite a million reasons not to. Would S4 have benefitted from a few more episodes? No doubt, mostly to give each character their due (Klaus, my Klaus, I need more of you!). But the plot wouldn't have made any more sense, and I don't think it needed to.

On to That Relationship: the much criticized story of Lila/Five (aka Live -- can I copyright this?). A moving but comically trope-laden ship (forbidden love, montage love, love triangle, enemies-to-lovers, pocket-universe happily-ever-after, etc), it fits right into the UA sensibility. To all appearances, Live are wildly unlikely, but I can't help feeling there's a deep well of right under all that wrong. They have similar histories as traumatized, sensitive souls turned cold, cruel killing machines. They're smarter, more cynical, and stronger-willed than everyone around them. And they are clearly starved of love and desperate for connection. Fate puts them in circumstances where it's almost inevitable that they'll form an attachment, only to then demand of them the ultimate sacrifice. Their surprisingly quiet, life-affirming, Guinevere-and-Lancelot love is redemptive, contrasting with the meddling, selfish, and/or destructive love of others: Reginald and Abigail, Ben and Jennifer, Gene and Jean. Live aren't an unnecessary digression, they're central to the thematic development of the story. Sacrifice saves the world, but without love, there is no sacrifice.

And yes, I absolutely think Lila loves Five to the end. And while I appreciate that some might find the age difference between the actors off-putting, I don't think there was anything inappropriate on a Doylist level, and it all makes perfect sense on a Watsonian level.

Also:

Aidan Gallagher and Ritu Arya are extraordinary;

the use of Baby Shark is genius;

Diego, Luther and Allison have been the least interesting characters from the start, and S4 does nothing to change that;

Viktor needs a sense of humor;

I love that alternate universes are all the rage these days (so many great tropes started with Trek), but tbh Loki does it better;

as visual representations of the space between realities, I love both the Loki automat and the UA subway, but at some point, using recent-past retro design to signal liminal space is going to get old, which, come to think of it, will be deliciously ironic.

Nancy and Jerome 🔥

NUMBER FIVE & LILA - CONTRASTS /// PARALLELS

for the wonderful @enidsinclaiir ♡♡♡♡♡

Sexy side of Fivela

It's been stated that Five is dealing with the side effect of being in a younger body again for multiple seasons. Klaus said, "You must be horny as hell!" Five became drunk and said he was going through puberty twice and then the above scene with his hormones raging. The showrunner mentioned that he wasn't the type to just go out and date. According to David Castaneda, showrunner said it would be impossible to not get with that 'hot cake'. Regarding Five and lila getting together. I'm paraphrasing but that was the jist of it lol Lyla has always been a rather sexual woman. Even in passing conversations having innuendo such as 'enough foreplay!' to five and mentioning doggystyle whats-it to describe a move in ice skating. Nevermind her sexual exploits with Diego in the past. Given they went years without touch. Five even longer after they lost their powers and had the 6 year time skip. Think once they kissed and made their relationship official...suffice to say I believe they made up for lost time even though their time together like that was just for a year or 6 months. They must have went at it like rabbits xDD (No distractions like kids, work...life obligations in the way. In between companionship in each others company and finding what they needed to survive with.) Do wish we had more charged banter between them once they became lovers but I am grateful we saw the banter before the subway trip, friendship and respect as former assassins via the Jerome/Nancy scenes and of course the deep love bond between them that was positively sweet and eventually angst filled.

The pain in his eyes 😔

She always chooses Five.