Summary
The Umbrella Academy Episode 5 is the much-needed turning point of the series, with significant answers and an ultimate twist.
This recap of The Umbrella Academy Season 1 Episode 5, “Number Five”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
Considering the previous chapter was painstakingly slow, The Umbrella Academy Episode 5 gives us a stellar installment providing not only a worthwhile 60 minutes but answers we’ve been pondering since the start.
“Number Five” opens up with “Number 5” (Aidan Gallagher) trailing around the post-apocalyptic world, battling different conditions with his sought-after mannequin. He did get considerably older in the future, to the point he mastered a shaggy beard. He lost his head in the future, and he explains to Luther (Tom Hopper) that the apocalypse will be in four days.
But before he can explain further, Diego (David Castañeda) marches in. He has put the pieces together and figured out that “Number 5” was the reason behind the shootings at the diner, and the other locations. “Number 5” ran out of excuses for his behavior which brings the significant reveal, making The Umbrella Academy Episode 5 the best chapter so far. “Number 5” confesses it is his former employer that is trying to kill him.
In the future, “Number 5” met a person titled The Handler from a company called The Commission – they deal with time continuum issues and fix it using necessary force. Due to “Number 5” being stuck, she offered him a job to fix timeline events. He had to work for The Handler for five years, and in return, he was given the privilege to return to any time he feels is best for him. The footnote to this scenario is that The Commission does not want to prevent the world from ending because it was “meant to happen”.
There’s a strange scene in particular where old-looking “Number 5” had to try and prevent the assassination of President Kennedy, but after biding his time to figure out how to save the world, he decides to try and jump to a time where his family were old, hence the vortex explosion in the earlier episodes. He broke the contract, which has caused The Handler to send out Hazel (Cameron Britton) and Cha-Cha (Mary J. Blige).
The Umbrella Academy Episode 5 explains where Klaus (Robert Sheehan) disappeared to when he opened the briefcase and time traveled. It turns out, he went to war for a year and fell in love with a man who got killed in action. This leads to a slightly awkward scene where he enters a veteran bar with Diego, which turns into a brawl.
Remember in the last episode when Leonard (John Magaro) emptied Vanya’s (Ellen Page) medication? Well, Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is still on his case, and rightfully so. The only obstacle is that Vanya feels better without the medicine, forcing Allison to investigate Leonard on her own. Understandably, Vanya is angered by this investigation; she likes how Leonard makes her feel special – going back to my theory with her inferior complex.
“Number Five” ends with midseason finale type moments; “Number 5” decides that he wants to return a fake briefcase to Cha-Cha and Hazel to try and open up a line of communication with The Handler. Unfortunately, Diego, reeking with revenge, almost ruins the entire plan, but The Handler freezes time and speaks to “Number 5” directly. She offers him a job in management, but the world must end. He strikes a deal: if his family survive he will take the promotion; they shake hands and they disappear – leaving everyone else bemused.
The other landmark moment happens when Vanya attends her violin qualification session. As she starts playing the violin, her audience starts shaking their heads, but without her medication, she has a different type of energy. All of a sudden, invisible energy swayed through the room, and they were impressed by her music. What the power is needs to be confirmed, but Vanya does have powers, which were limited by her medication. The invisible energy passes through Leonard’s house, and you see a dead body in his loft.
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Other points worth noting to mark off a strong episode 5; Hazel has formed feelings for the Diner lady, which may be a plot element later in the story, as he knows the world is ending; Vanya finally kisses Leonard, which could cause further problems for Allison later. Pogo fixes Grace but the way they talk afterward suggests they know more then they are letting on?
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You can check out our thoughts on the next episode by clicking these words.
