Spoilers The Umbrella Academy Season 3
- Thread starter The Nth Doctor
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I've only seen the first episode so far, but they gave a good recap within the ep.Goodness, it's been ages since I watched Season 2. Do they have a good recap at the start to jog the old noodle, or should I watch the last few episodes of season 2? ..... asking for a friend ......
WOW. What a season. So much chaos and craziness and fun and emotions and actual answers and twists and turns. What a ride!
Where to start...?
Of course, we don't know why she was stored there (other than perhaps keep her safe from potential Earthly apocalypses). Maybe we'll find out next season...
How is he the same age as he was in 1963? Was he transported through time or some other crazy thing? Or just handwave it? Is he the father of Claire in this timeline or just the adoptive father after Patrick is out of the picture?
I think Callum Keith Rennie's character had the best reaction and made perfect sense considering the nature of that character.
Where to start...?
Turns out Reginald's whole long-term mission was to revive his dead wife. The Moon missions, the Umbrella/Sparrow Academies, The Oblivion Hotel, all of it were geared towards restarting the universe in order to get his wife back. Surely there could've been another way to revive the dead? But he did say he spent centuries looking for an answer and I guess there wasn't any other way.
Not only that but it's heavily implied that Reginald was directly responsible for the Simultaneous Birthing event. He specifically referred to the glowing embers flowing out of the seven as particles needed to access the universe's control room, something he was keenly already aware of. We saw him open a jar of those particles in the long ago flashback, we saw those particles enter the body of Ben's mother, and we saw them transfer from Viktor to Harlan. It's not directly stated but between all of that and Reginald only raising seven children in both timelines it seems pretty clear to me that he caused that event for his long-term goals. (It is funny how we, or at least me, just assumed that he tried to get as many children as possible but the captioning only said he got seven...not "only" seven...)
That said, I'm left wondering if all of this was really just about reviving his dead wife. Something about the nature of his drive in the last couple episodes made me think there was more to the situation than that. I can't put my finger on it precisely so maybe I'm seeing something that's not actually there. The potential season four will presumably address all of that considering the final pre-credits shot.
Not only that but it's heavily implied that Reginald was directly responsible for the Simultaneous Birthing event. He specifically referred to the glowing embers flowing out of the seven as particles needed to access the universe's control room, something he was keenly already aware of. We saw him open a jar of those particles in the long ago flashback, we saw those particles enter the body of Ben's mother, and we saw them transfer from Viktor to Harlan. It's not directly stated but between all of that and Reginald only raising seven children in both timelines it seems pretty clear to me that he caused that event for his long-term goals. (It is funny how we, or at least me, just assumed that he tried to get as many children as possible but the captioning only said he got seven...not "only" seven...)
That said, I'm left wondering if all of this was really just about reviving his dead wife. Something about the nature of his drive in the last couple episodes made me think there was more to the situation than that. I can't put my finger on it precisely so maybe I'm seeing something that's not actually there. The potential season four will presumably address all of that considering the final pre-credits shot.
I loved the Sparrows so I was a bit disappointed how they were slowly killed off throughout the season. Not surprising (big cast and all), just a little disappointed. At least my favorite ones lasted the longest, although I'm sad Fei didn't make the final cut. Hopefully we'll get to see at least her and Sloane next season. Kind of weird how Christopher's existence as a cube was never questioned or explained. I both love and hated that, but either way, I wish there had been more to him than that weird gimmick nature.
Above all, I do love how all of them, aside from Marcus (and he was the first to go!), had uniquely different powers from everyone else, although I thought for a moment Sloane was just like Viktor until I realized she only used force fields. Fei's powers were the most fascinating and that's part of the reason why I was so bummed she didn't make it to the end.
I get what they were going for with Ben but I wish he had a bit more growth throughout the season instead of being a perpetual dickhead. More about him later...
Above all, I do love how all of them, aside from Marcus (and he was the first to go!), had uniquely different powers from everyone else, although I thought for a moment Sloane was just like Viktor until I realized she only used force fields. Fei's powers were the most fascinating and that's part of the reason why I was so bummed she didn't make it to the end.
I get what they were going for with Ben but I wish he had a bit more growth throughout the season instead of being a perpetual dickhead. More about him later...
A lot to cover here but I think the biggest highlight of this season, yet again is Viktor. With a close second, again, Lila (and by connection, Diego).
As I said before, I loved how the show handled Viktor's coming out, from nonchalance to bumbling good-heartedness to simple acceptance and seeking of clarity. I also really loved his relationship with Harlan and how Viktor worked hard to reach and understand Harlan's pain, even if others didn't even recognize his pain. I get Allison's fury but it greatly bothered me how she didn't even bother to try to see his own pain.
I also greatly loved the crazy journey that is Lila and Diego's relationship. Even though I was bummed out how Stanley wasn't actually their child, the reason for her lies felt real to her and I felt her vulnerability regarding motherhood. This was the best we've seen Diego and it shows how much he has grown as a character because I don't think season one Diego would've stepped up like season three Diego did, both for Stanley and for Lila.
I know I should've seen Klaus' immortality coming but, of course, it makes perfect sense. While the second season didn't even hint at it, the first season already laid out the groundwork and it finally paid off here. I always love the surreal so I really enjoyed his time in the Void and I couldn't get enough of that madness. But now that he's mortal and powerless, I'm sad we'll probably won't get anymore of those scenes.
I have to say I really love mellow Five. He's far more cooler than asinine Five. Plus, pairing him with Lila for a couple of episodes was a lot of fun. Still, it was really weird when he nonchalantly carved the skin off the chest of his future self. Ah, the disadvantages of not having smart phones in this alternate universe!
Even though I didn't quite buy how quickly Luther found love with Sloane, I appreciated how badly he needed it and how strongly (so to speak) he embraced it. I do love how the show took the time to celebrate their wedding while still moving the story and character arcs forward at the same time.
And then there's Allison. I get her rage. I get how hurt she felt about losing Claire and then Raymond and feeling completely helpless...and then to be lied to by the one person she has tried so hard to help and believe. But at the same time, it felt like a blind rage. I know all of them are selfish with their pain and needs and desires but it really felt like Allison absolutely refused to see Viktor's and Harlan's perspectives and why what happened the way it happened. Or the fact that there was a strong chance Claire wouldn't have existed in this alternate timeline where she wasn't an Umbrella graduate. If we get a fourth season, I imagine there will be more exploration of that rage and pain, even after getting both Claire and Raymond back. At least, I sure hope so because I don't think the season did her justice in this manner.
As I said before, I loved how the show handled Viktor's coming out, from nonchalance to bumbling good-heartedness to simple acceptance and seeking of clarity. I also really loved his relationship with Harlan and how Viktor worked hard to reach and understand Harlan's pain, even if others didn't even recognize his pain. I get Allison's fury but it greatly bothered me how she didn't even bother to try to see his own pain.
I also greatly loved the crazy journey that is Lila and Diego's relationship. Even though I was bummed out how Stanley wasn't actually their child, the reason for her lies felt real to her and I felt her vulnerability regarding motherhood. This was the best we've seen Diego and it shows how much he has grown as a character because I don't think season one Diego would've stepped up like season three Diego did, both for Stanley and for Lila.
I know I should've seen Klaus' immortality coming but, of course, it makes perfect sense. While the second season didn't even hint at it, the first season already laid out the groundwork and it finally paid off here. I always love the surreal so I really enjoyed his time in the Void and I couldn't get enough of that madness. But now that he's mortal and powerless, I'm sad we'll probably won't get anymore of those scenes.
I have to say I really love mellow Five. He's far more cooler than asinine Five. Plus, pairing him with Lila for a couple of episodes was a lot of fun. Still, it was really weird when he nonchalantly carved the skin off the chest of his future self. Ah, the disadvantages of not having smart phones in this alternate universe!
Even though I didn't quite buy how quickly Luther found love with Sloane, I appreciated how badly he needed it and how strongly (so to speak) he embraced it. I do love how the show took the time to celebrate their wedding while still moving the story and character arcs forward at the same time.
And then there's Allison. I get her rage. I get how hurt she felt about losing Claire and then Raymond and feeling completely helpless...and then to be lied to by the one person she has tried so hard to help and believe. But at the same time, it felt like a blind rage. I know all of them are selfish with their pain and needs and desires but it really felt like Allison absolutely refused to see Viktor's and Harlan's perspectives and why what happened the way it happened. Or the fact that there was a strong chance Claire wouldn't have existed in this alternate timeline where she wasn't an Umbrella graduate. If we get a fourth season, I imagine there will be more exploration of that rage and pain, even after getting both Claire and Raymond back. At least, I sure hope so because I don't think the season did her justice in this manner.
I had already been tipped off that there was a post-credits scene (or really, just a post-cast credits scene)...so I was a little underwhelmed by what we did get. I guess the implication is the original Ben is still alive and now there are two Bens in the universe. That'll undoubtedly cause some...temporal apocalyptic trouble?
Still no direct answer but we at least got some hints in the form of "The Jennifer Incident." Clearly this was someone who Ben cared for as evidenced by alternate Ben's drawings of her. The implication is he died saving her but we have no details of the manner. I'm also curious if alternate Ben's Jennifer is still alive or if his drawings of her are tribute to her death...and that's why he's such an asshole? And why he got demoted?
He's definitely an alien and he's definitely centuries old. Based on what we see this season, he spent a very long time wandering the cosmos searching for the doorway to the universe control room and didn't find it until the early 20th century on Earth.
I'm guessing this wasn't the original intent in the first season, but I suspect the reason, retroactively, is Reginald knew some kind of apocalypse had to occur as a result of him accessing the universe's control room and that's what he was preparing for, and not specifically the apocalypse that occurs in 2019 because of the White Violin.
Consider me very surprised because we did get solid answers to all of these questions! Even though some were answered indirectly.
Lo and behold, she didn't...although not for the reason I thought. I still think she wouldn't have existed even if Harlan hadn't accidentally killed all of the Umbrella mothers, but that never came up. Allison was far too full of rage at Viktor to even consider that possibility.
Nope, I was wrong. We barely saw The Commission this season (which is probably a good thing, honestly)...although apparently Five created them sometime in the alternate future. But now that time has been changed yet again, does that mean The Commission was never created in the first place? Oh, dear. Another paradox!
We actually got an answer! Well, a partial one. The body of Reginald's wife was kept there and somehow Luther was suppose to safeguard her...even though he didn't know she was there. Great logic, Reggie!
Of course, we don't know why she was stored there (other than perhaps keep her safe from potential Earthly apocalypses). Maybe we'll find out next season...
Still no answer to that one. Definitely tied with the previous set of questions and we might still get clarity next season.
I'm so damn happy Harlan played a major role in this season...even if I was bummed out how his story abruptly ended. I wonder if we'll see him again now that time has been changed again.
I was quite surprised to not only see Raymond pop up, but seemingly he is here to stay! Although with that revelation, now there are new questions!
How is he the same age as he was in 1963? Was he transported through time or some other crazy thing? Or just handwave it? Is he the father of Claire in this timeline or just the adoptive father after Patrick is out of the picture?
Time has been changed again...and now the Umbrellas and the Sparrows don't have powers anymore. What does that mean for them now? Where does their story go from here...aside from desperately trying to get on with their lives? And why did Sloane disappear but Ben remained?
What are Reginald's intentions now? That final shot seemed awfully ominous with all of the buildings named after him and such. I still think his motives were more than just restoring his wife's life. And will his "children" remember that he's actually an alien? What about his alienness is so important? There's still something here I'm missing.
What are Reginald's intentions now? That final shot seemed awfully ominous with all of the buildings named after him and such. I still think his motives were more than just restoring his wife's life. And will his "children" remember that he's actually an alien? What about his alienness is so important? There's still something here I'm missing.
Yup, same here. They gave the moments just enough time to properly acknowledge his transition but without being heavy-handed about it. Luther's reaction was even a quiet commentary on such heavy-handedness but neatly stepped aside it while staying true to the characters and the moment.
I think Callum Keith Rennie's character had the best reaction and made perfect sense considering the nature of that character.
I rewatched both seasons and I'm really glad I did. There are a lot of details that I was grateful I had in the forefront of my mind that I wouldn't have otherwise (although admittedly not all of them are that necessary to recall). I don't think there was a recap which is weird because Netflix usually has that kind of thing, but maybe they did have one and I automatically skipped over it without even realizing it.Goodness, it's been ages since I watched Season 2. Do they have a good recap at the start to jog the old noodle, or should I watch the last few episodes of season 2? ..... asking for a friend ......
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There’s a post credits scene? Oops I turned off, I’ll have to rewatch
I saw a possible minor plot hole
I saw a possible minor plot hole
Grace should not exist. In the original timeline she was created because Viktor kept accidentally killing their human Nannys. I guess it’s possible one of the new children did the same thing, but it isn’t said.
I think that gets handwaved by the same notion that somehow Reginald knew how to raise them differently.
hmm, well they definitely went in some unexpected directions in the last couple of episodes, still chewing on all that.
I saw Elliot Page in an interview with Seth Meyers recently and he really undersold how much his transition was incorporated into the final product. Gotta say the showrunners definitely didn't just do lip service.
This might be useful for helping to make sense of it all when you're done watching. There's a few others but this is the first one I checked out and it was helpful especially as one who didn't do a rewatch before the new season.
This show has a really different voice from most of the superhuman shows out there. I like that it's not just vs. Supervillain stuff but at the same time they still do a lot of "super" stuff but it doesn't fall into territory like Legion or Preacher where it seems to lose the plot as it gets more out there.
I saw Elliot Page in an interview with Seth Meyers recently and he really undersold how much his transition was incorporated into the final product. Gotta say the showrunners definitely didn't just do lip service.
This might be useful for helping to make sense of it all when you're done watching. There's a few others but this is the first one I checked out and it was helpful especially as one who didn't do a rewatch before the new season.
This show has a really different voice from most of the superhuman shows out there. I like that it's not just vs. Supervillain stuff but at the same time they still do a lot of "super" stuff but it doesn't fall into territory like Legion or Preacher where it seems to lose the plot as it gets more out there.
Even though season three isn't confirmed yet, showrunner Steve Blackman says he would conclude the show after season four.
Blackman teased what that season would look like, but because it involves how season three ended, I'll spoiler code it:
Blackman teased what that season would look like, but because it involves how season three ended, I'll spoiler code it:
“I want to pose to the viewer and the fan, ‘Would they be happier without their powers?’ I mean, all they do is complain about being who they are,” the showrunner said. “So will Victor, will Diego be happy without it or will they feel like they’re missing an appendage? Will the world not be right for them anymore without powers? Can they be ‘normal’?”
Blackman also added that while the universe is now reset, “how it is reset and the ways it will be reset is a place we’re going to be going to hopefully in Season 4,” so there’s a lot of story left to tell and many plot threads from Season 3 waiting to be picked up.
Blackman also added that while the universe is now reset, “how it is reset and the ways it will be reset is a place we’re going to be going to hopefully in Season 4,” so there’s a lot of story left to tell and many plot threads from Season 3 waiting to be picked up.
That isn't Grace, she's his actual wife. Grace was a robot based on her image. It's been hinted a few times that Reginald had an actual wife in the past who looked exactly like Grace.
I'm talking about the Sparrow timeline, not the end of the season universe reboot.
I know who the robot was based on, I'm just saying the Umbrellas only had her because because Viktor kept accidentally killing the human nannies.
So unless Reginald was feeling extra nostalgic in that timeline for his wife, or one of the Sparrow kids also had uncontrollable powers as children.
I know who the robot was based on, I'm just saying the Umbrellas only had her because because Viktor kept accidentally killing the human nannies.
So unless Reginald was feeling extra nostalgic in that timeline for his wife, or one of the Sparrow kids also had uncontrollable powers as children.
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Idle speculation... Do we actually know where the series as a whole takes place? I'd assumed it was New York, but the 1918 flashback shows Reggie's hotel being built in the middle of a prairie. Chicago perhaps. It would be cool if the city is completely fictitious, the Umbrellas' version of Metropolis or Gotham.
It's been deliberately left completely vague. The graphic novel (I'm halfway through the second volume) is the same by just referring to it as the city.
What is curious is how in the first season, the driver is on the left side...but in this season, I'm they're all on the right.
What is curious is how in the first season, the driver is on the left side...but in this season, I'm they're all on the right.
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^^ The driver-on-right cars belong to the hotel.
Ah, somehow I missed that tidbit. Still weird the hotel's cars would be on the right.
Foreshadowing maybe? The right-hand-drive cars are Toyota Centuries sold only in Japan, often called the Rolls Royce of Japan, and Reginald happens to be shown driving a Rolls Royce. And we see that the Hotel Oblivion is the reverse of Hotel Obsidian what with the ass of the buffalo and all but it additionally has a more Asian motif, not unlike Toyota? Whether that means anything or is just to get people feeling something's off or whatever I'm not sure.
Man that was fun! Lila's story had unexpected emotional beats for me, I wanted to slap Allison several times, and Aidan Gallagher continues to amaze me as Five. And I agree that they handled Viktor's story very well.
We may want to go ahead and mark this a spoiler thread...
I enjoyed it, but I could feel COVID restrictions all over it. As compared to previous seasons, they mostly kept it to the main cast of Sparrows + Umbrellas, Lila, and Reginald. The extras count was greatly reduced, and they mainly kept it to the mansion set and the hotel set. Occasional forays outside, or with some extras (like in the flashbacks when Reginald brought his strike team into the hotel) but MOSTLY it was very limited in scope, and it was hard for me not to notice.
A couple of weeks late, but here's the After Show panel where they discuss what happened in season three. Same group as Geek Week (presumably filmed at the same time):
Oops, I meant to do that when the season dropped and never noticed I forgot to do it. Thanks.
All true but I didn't really notice that much. I really enjoyed the tight focus that resulted from those restrictions. It helped that the Hotel Oblivion set is fantastic.
That was really enjoyable. I'll admit I thought it sagged a bit in the middle but the final few episodes were fantastic.
And Viktor's transition was superbly handled. I never had a single issue thinking of him as Viktor.
Five continues to be my favourite character but they're all great (I forget how lovably dumb Diego is and however bad Viktor was treated growing up I do always feel very sorry for Luther, so it was nice he got a happy ending, just a shame he didn't get to keep it!)
Liking the idea of two Bens next season, and would agree that a fourth season seems like a good point to end things. How many times can you save/reboot the universe after all?
And Viktor's transition was superbly handled. I never had a single issue thinking of him as Viktor.
Five continues to be my favourite character but they're all great (I forget how lovably dumb Diego is and however bad Viktor was treated growing up I do always feel very sorry for Luther, so it was nice he got a happy ending, just a shame he didn't get to keep it!)
Liking the idea of two Bens next season, and would agree that a fourth season seems like a good point to end things. How many times can you save/reboot the universe after all?
In one of the links I posted earlier, Steve Blackman said the only reason he wants to do a fourth season is to explore what it means for these characters to have no powers after spending their whole lives defined by them (well, a little different for Viktor but the principal is the same). I'm curious to see that explored but beyond that, I agree there's only so much universe saving they can do.
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