Summary
The third season comes to an insane and messy end. An explosive finale full of iconic moments and touching tragedy, but still with some unresolved questions.
This recap of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy season 3, episode 10, “Oblivion,” — the finale and ending explained — contains spoilers.
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The finale is finally here, and the world is officially over. The Umbrellas and the Sparrows could not stop the Kugelblitz from destroying everything in the known universe, with the aggressive black hole consuming everything in its path. Therefore, the gang has been forced into following Reginald’s Project Oblivion backup plan, hurtling through a mystical portal into another realm, the opposing hotel, which is guarded by a killer monster. Episode ten, “Oblivion,” brings a meteoric conclusion to this fantasy epic.
The Umbrella Academy season 3, episode 10 recap – the ending explained
For the final episode, the narrative is split into two sections, with Klaus and Luther chillaxing in the afterlife in one and the surviving members of civilization fighting Guardians at Hotel Oblivion in the other subplot. In the Void, Klaus and Luther discuss death and their tedious plans for eternity. Although Luther is still in survival mode, desperate for Klaus to go back into the real world and warn the others. Klaus is done with existence, though, happy to remain dead and needs a little convincing. Luther gets violent with ‘The King of Death’ and manages to persuade him into returning to the land of the living.
While the siblings argue in some purgatorial nightmare, the rest of the gang find themselves thrown into Hotel Oblivion, another equally bleak proposition. There are some serious trust issues circulating, a bloodthirsty monster to evade, and some nifty symbols to hunt down. Reginald believes the key to resetting the universe involves finding a collection of symbols known as a sigil. The heroes start searching for these occult symbols, splitting up into smaller teams. Klaus returns from the dead just in time to see Reginald ringing the hallowed bell that summons the ones protecting this portal. It all seems like a game to this monocle-wearing villain, who has plenty of his own secrets.
Allison, Five, and Viktor gain some much-needed alone time to hammer out these trust issues, forming one of the sub-teams. Five thinks Allison has made a dishonorable deal with Reginald and suspects they’re both behind Luther and Klaus’ deaths somehow. Allison reverts to her usual fail-safe and storms off. Viktor gives chase, and Five is inadvertently separated from the others in this labyrinthine world. Viktor and Allison argue again in another repetitive exchange. They’re then attacked by The Guardian, wielding an ax, which slices effortlessly through Allison’s skin.
Diego and Lila are chased by a different Guardian, one with a sickle as its weapon of choice. Diego wounds the monster with a knife to the eye, but it seems unharmed overall. Diego locks Lila away in a room, protecting his partner and their unborn child in the process. Yet Lila escapes and teams up with Viktor. This energized duo defeated their Guardian in one synchronized blast. Five joins up with Ben and Sloane, who are attacked by a Guardian. This one sports a Samurai sword that easily slices through Ben’s tentacles. Five uses this distraction to his advantage and hacks at the Guardian with a hotel ax to the back, destroying the second monster.
The third and final Guardian battles the gang in the hotel foyer after fulfilling the prophecy and slicing off Five’s hand – it’s quite the entrance. Luther returns from the dead to save his wife and hurls the monster through the air. Luther says a heart-wrenching final goodbye to Sloane, then fades away, having been brought back by Klaus for a limited time only. It’s a tragic end to their romance, with those goosebumps returning once more.
The heroes believe the monster is now defeated, but no such luck. Five remembers the symbols from Pogo’s book and spots the stars on the lobby floor. They all step in place as the third Guardian attacks once more. A blue energy surges through all seven bodies, combines, and hits the Guardian full on, vaporizing the beast.
Reginald warned Allison against stepping on the stars, and for a good reason. This energy flow is killing the gang, zapping their powers. Reginald explains at rapid speed how the hotel is a façade, and they are actually stuck inside a machine in another dimension. The super-human particles fuel this machine. Reginald busies himself at an alien computer screen while the gang is drained of their lives. Allison realizes that they will all soon perish and stops Reginald in his tracks. First, she uses her powers of persuasion and then a sickle. She chops his head in half, revealing an unusual, alien underlayer. The computer screen flashes a red, alien button, and of course, Allison presses it. Cut to black.
The ending
The button must have worked because Allison is then reunited with her family, and the gang all appears back to normal. That reset button has realigned the universe. Interestingly, Luther is no longer half-ape, now fully man, and Five discovers his powers are gone. In fact, all of the gang are powerless. Luther rushes off to search for Sloane, and Ben ditches them in disgust. Lila and Diego decide to go and live the rest of their lives, playing happy families. This just leaves Five and Viktor, who stare at one another nonplussed.
In the final shot, we soar over a cityscape and Hargreeves’ financial empire. Zooming in on Reginald, he stares out over his domain from the tallest tower. He’s high up in a skyscraper with his wife, Abigail. As a reminder, Abigail was last seen, deceased, on the moon. And there you have it, that brings an end to season three.
Overall, it was an action-packed, insane finale. The series ends with many unanswered questions and an entire, complex mythology to overanalyze. This will need repeat viewings. Yet it was one hell of a ride. The show managed to outdo its earlier entries and deliver an iconic and highly entertaining third season. Where will The Umbrella Academy go from here?
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