When Five (Aidan Gallagher ) and Lila (Ritu Arya) stepped on the express train on the time-travel subway, they didn't know they would be away from home for seven years. It is not Five's first experience of getting lost in another dimension, but he has more than a mannequin to keep him company on this occasion. While traveling this seemingly infinite network, scavenging food and caring for each other, their dynamic changes in a surprising manner.
Everyone is facing challenges of different magnitudes in The Umbrella Academy season 4 episode 5, as Klaus (Robert Sheehan) is buried alive, Viktor (Elliot Page) continues to plead his case for saving Ben (Justin H. Min) and Diego (David Castañeda) and Luther (Tom Hopper) uncover a deeper plot at the CIA.
Read on for a complete recap of the episode.
Viktor and Reginald's road trip
"Trying to save Ben (Justin H. Min) is a fool's errand," says Reginald (Colm Feore) to Viktor. His reasoning? Looking at all the variables proves the odds of success are unlikely. Viktor explains this is because Reginald only views things as black and white, whereas Viktor lives in gray space. Reginald observes Viktor is different from his siblings, and he suspects the other Reginald feared Viktor's power.
However, it's too late when they arrive at the motel; phase one of the Cleanse has begun. Ben's mind has been hijacked, and his body is a vessel for what is to come.
Seemingly unaware of what they have done, a loved-up Ben tells Jennifer (Victoria Sawal) they should go somewhere just the two of them to get away from everyone. One of Reginald's men is watching and tells his boss the location of "the package." Using this information, Viktor calls Ben, but Ben doesn't believe anything Viktor says. With about 24 hours to go before the end of the world, Reginald thinks Viktor might have lost hope.
Looking for answers
At the CIA, Diego and Luther meet the elite unit known as Sector R. Everyone (except Diego) knows this is where terrible agents are sent to do busy work. Luther wants to return to looking for Ben, but Diego convinces him otherwise, saying they are in the covert ops division. Luther thinks Diego is misreading the room, so he searches for any other intel on the Keepers.
Back on the subway across time, Lila and Five have been away for six years, five months and two days. Lila thinks they will find a way home soon enough, but Five wants to go back to the timeline where they found a greenhouse with strawberries so they can take a break from the relentless mission. Lila agrees to just a few days to recuperate before they get back to it.
At the new Keepers HQ, there is a hive of activity. Sy Grossman (David Cross) tells a skeptical Gene (Nick Offerman) and Jean (Megan Mullally) that he knows about the Cleanse, explaining Ben is the lock and Jennifer is the key. It is imperative that they stop the Hargreeves siblings from stepping in and ruining their plan.
The Hargreeves siblings fight back
With Klaus still buried alive, Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) and Claire (Millie Davis) are on the case. When they find Quinn's place of business, Quinn hits Allison, rendering her powerless. Claire comes to help her mother. When Allison regains her abilities, she makes the drug dealer suffer before he reveals Klaus' cemetery location.
At the CIA, Diego finally realizes this isn't in the elite unit of the agency, and when he calls home, he discovers Lila isn't there. What Diego doesn't know is that Lila has been gone for nearly seven years and is currently playing house with Five — and the two just kissed.
Luther finds something significant on the director's floor; the CIA boss has the Keeper umbrella tattoo. Luther flexes impressive fighting skills, taking down a team of agents in an elevator. Diego gets to partake in the brawl, and the only complication is the brothers are wearing tearaway suits from Luther's job as an exotic dancer. Still the duo is thrilled to be back doing what they love. But are they too late to stop the Cleanse?
Finding a way home
Five and Lila seem settled in the greenhouse, Five has even gotten into bracelet-making. When Five goes to the subway station to find scrap metal, he finds a book he left himself with instructions on how to get home, which he hides from Lila. In fact, he keeps it from Lila for five months and only tells her when she finds it. Five is happy here, but Lila says it is for survival and nothing more. She has children who need her, and that is her main priority.
Family bonds are at the core of The Umbrella Academy, and when Klaus starts channeling his inner Uma Thurman from Kill Bill in the grave, Allison and Claire arrive to pull him out. It's a lovely reunion that proves how much these siblings love each other.
The Keepers ambush Viktor and Reginald, shooting Viktor in the arm, but it doesn't impair him too much. After saving Reginald's life, this version gives Viktor some closure: "It was wrong him to treat you the way he did."
Meanwhile, Jennifer is feeling unwell and needs to lie down immediately. The couple head into an old department store, where a Keeper spots them.
A jealous Gene dismisses Sy, but Sy returns and stabs Gene in the gut with a sword. It turns out that Sy has been Abigail Hargreeves (Liisa Repo-Martell) all along. She puts on Gene's face to guarantee her plan for the Cleanse works. But why is Abigail doing this? And can the Hargreeves save the world one last time?
All episodes of The Umbrella Academy are available to stream on Netflix.
