‘The Umbrella Academy’: Luther & Vanya Meet Again and [Spoiler] Returns! (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Episode 2, “The Frankel Footage.”]
The spoiler in the headline could refer to several people who resurface in this episode, and each return feels more shocking than the last. Those who’ve been following The Umbrella Academy’s social media know Pogo’s back, this time as a baby chimpanzee rather than the wise butler at the Academy’s house. Where there’s Pogo, there’s Hargreeves (Colm Feore), but of course he’s younger — and somehow, he’s even more suspicious.
But the true spoiler here is The Handler (Kate Walsh)’s rising from the grave, although really, she was never six feet under. The bullet from Season 1 never pierced her brain thanks to a well-placed steel plate, so she’s alive, if not well. Her post has been filled by a talking fish named A.J. so she’s demoted, and she takes that as well as you might expect (which is to say, not at all).
Meanwhile, in the ‘60s, Allison (Emmy Raver)’s shoving of the white business owner gets her husband arrested, where he meets Klaus (Robert Sheehan). And Vanya (Ellen Page) and Luther (Tom Hopper) meet again, relatively unhappily. Here’s how it all goes down.
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Allison and Klaus’ Stories Intertwine
Allison goes to see her husband in jail, which is also where Klaus is being held, albeit in a different area (he’s being held with one of his followers, whom he advises, “don’t go chasing waterfalls, just stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.” Klaus is the best). He and Raymond (Yusuf Gatewood) bond, but Klaus is freed, by the governor of Texas, before Allison gets there.
She talks to her husband for a little while, who asks her why she said “I heard a rumor” before he was arrested. Before she can tell the truth — not that she was going to, anyway — time is called, and she leaves. But one of the men in the holding cell has a “hello” tattoo on his palm, just like Klaus, and when she questions him about it, he tells her that all the “children of the Prophet” have them. So now, Allison has a lead on her brother!
Her brother, meanwhile, has headed back to what seems to be his mansion. He no longer seems to enjoy statues and huge paintings of himself, and he collapses on the couch.
Luther and Vanya’s Unhappy Reunion
As it turns out, Luther’s working for Jack Ruby. “The gangster who shot Oswald?” Five gapes, then declares Luther’s lost his mind. For his part, Number One no longer cares about the Academy, or stopping the apocalypse: he’s done with it all. He ditches his brother to escort a disorderly patron outside, only — surprise! — that customer is Carl, Sissy (Marin Ireland)’s husband. Vanya shows up to get him, but he forgets his wallet inside. Luther goes to return it to him, but he’s too late — Vanya’s pulling away, and he only manages to see his sister.
With the wallet in hand, Luther tracks her to Sissy’s barn and confronts her. It’s not clear whether he intends to apologize to her or kill her, although it appears the gun he brings is only for self-defense. He says he’s sorry for what he did to her, even though she doesn’t remember it. “I never wanted to be the bad guy,” he says. They’re interrupted by Sissy, who demands he tell her his business there: he produces the wallet and goes on his way, leaving Vanya utterly befuddled.
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Five and Diego Go After Their Dad
After finding film from Hazel in his pocket labeled “Frankel Footage,” Five gets Elliot to go develop it and sets out to save Diego, who’s been labeled a fugitive on the run. Diego and Lila, meanwhile, are waiting to carry out his plan to disable Oswald by cutting off his trigger finger. Lila’s not on board with the whole thing and (correctly) calls him out for wanting to make his father happy; “you’re an open book written for very dumb children,” she tells him. Five finds him, and they all head back to Elliot’s.
Elliot is enraged when they get back, since the Frankel Footage has made him think Five and his kin are enemies of the people. Turns out, the Frankel Footage is film of the day Kennedy was assassinated, and who’s there, watching it all, umbrella in hand? Hargreeves! Diego immediately assumes Hargreeves played a part in that horrific part of history, while Five says they should just go talk to him. They track their dear ol’ dad to an umbrella warehouse, where they split up. Five finds Pogo and an invite to the Mexican consulate in Dallas meant for Hargreeves, while Diego finds the man himself… and is promptly stabbed by him.
The Umbrella Academy Season 2, Now Streaming, Netflix
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