Summary
The Umbrella Academy Episode 4 is too slow, treading too carefully on the story. The chapter required pace and spark.
This recap of The Umbrella Academy Season 1 Episode 4, “Man on the Moon”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
After witnessing Luther’s (Tom Hopper) ape-like body in the previous chapter, The Umbrella Academy Episode 4 did not prolong the answer. Seven years ago, Luther did have a healthy human body, roaming the residence, bored and waiting for the next mission assigned by his father. Interestingly, he was the only remaining member of The Umbrella Academy at this point in his life, which leads him to tell his father to stop calling him “Number 1”, as he is the only one left. During his mission, the objective went wrong, leaving Luther severely wounded, giving his father no choice but to inject him with this serum, which transforms your body into an ape.
It’s not like The Umbrella Academy can get any stranger; it’s built on its quirkiness and its laidback approach to a profound world. To jog our recent memory, the group’s robotic mother Grace is technically dead (no pun intended), and Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) believes the two people in suits performed the deed, not knowing it was Diego. By the way, I’ve since learned the people in suits are Hazel (Cameron Britton), and Cha-Cha, who I only just caught on is played by Mary J. Blige.
“Man on the Moon” sees Klaus (Robert Sheehan) strapped to a chair in a dodgy motel by Hazel and Cha-Cha; the duo is determined to find out the whereabouts of “Number 5″(Aidan Gallagher). Unfortunately, out of the members of the group, Klaus is the most complex and foolish character to torture. They become frustrated by Klaus and air disgruntlement at their management. However, once they start eating Klaus’s edibles as a threat, they learn about the eyeballs, and venture to the company and blow up the laboratory. Why? Well, the Netflix series is keeping its cards close to its chest at this point.
In the last recap, I expressed my suspicion of Vanya’s (Ellen Page) new friend Leonard (John Magaro). Well, it turns out I was correct after Allison finds him snooping in her apartment. Oddly, Vanya is not too concerned by this, believing the story that he just needed the toilet and that she does “kind of” like him. The conversation opens the door for Allison to confess she has feelings for Luther – giving the audience the answer to their strange relationship. I couldn’t buy the story that Vanya would not be concerned about Leonard’s behavior – it felt like a cheap way to reveal more to the story.
“Number 5” is getting impatient about the eye from the future and threatens one of the company’s colleagues. When he reaches the company’s building, it blows up due to Hazel and Cha-Cha’s meddling. The event results in “Number 5” getting needlessly drunk for the rest of the chapter, while Diego (David Castañeda) and Luther try and sober him up.
As The Umbrella Academy Episode 4 ends, the investigator that has a close relationship with Diego finds the motel room that Klaus is locked up in. In a new tragedy, and a double-blow to Diego, who has just lost his degraded mother, she is shot dead by Cha-Cha. Klaus somehow manages to slip away in the ventilation system and steal Hazel and Cha-Cha’s briefcase. When he opens it on the bus, he disappears; I can only assume he jumped forwards or backward in time – I’m sure the next episode will provide answers. Also, we soon learn that Leonard has stolen Vanya’s prescribed pills.
Overall, “Man on the Moon” was a little too slow for my liking, and as we hit the midway point, hopefully the story picks up some pace.
———–
There were a few questions thrown at us in “Man on the Moon”. Did you notice that Vanya takes pills for her nerves? She explained that she had used them since childhood, making me wonder if this was her father’s way of suppressing her powers? She has always been convinced she has no powers. For some reason, Luther was the only member of The Umbrella Academy that decided to be loyal to his father, which frustrates Diego – I wonder what has persuaded such loyalty? And finally, we learn why Klaus is mentally imbalanced – his father locked him in a cemetery when he was a child so he can get used to facing ghosts, which is his main power, but does he have any other powers?
———–
You can check out our thoughts on the next episode by clicking these words.
