The Umbrella Academy season 4 review: "Like any good family reunion, most frustrations can be waved away, at least in the moment"

It's the end of the road for The Umbrella Academy. The Hargreeves siblings' fourth outing on Netflix is their final one, but it's anything but a straightforward sprint to the finish. 

The new season kicks off six years after the season 3 finale, and sees the Hargreeves – mostly – fully adjusted to a life without powers. Viktor (Elliot Page) is managing a bar and breaking hearts in Nova Scotia, but the rest of the family is living in the same nondescript, unidentified US town. Now-married Diego (David Castañeda) and Lila (Ritu Arya) are a delivery driver and stay-at-home mom, respectively, Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is acting in commercials, Luther (Tom Hopper) is an astronaut stripper, Klaus (Robert Sheehan) is three years sober, and Ben (Justin H. Min) is fresh out of jail after orchestrating a cryptocurrency scam. Only Five (Aidan Gallagher) is up to the same old tricks with a job at the CIA. 

Back in business

It's not all paychecks and childcare, though. When dry cleaning salesman Sy Grossman (David Cross) enlists their help after a family reunion to find his missing daughter Jennifer, domestic not-quite-bliss quickly turns into more regular Umbrella fare: guns, violence, and the imminent threat of apocalyptic doom. 

The season gets off to an intriguing start, but, even with its shortened six-episode run (seasons 1-3 clocked in at 10 episodes apiece), it feels a little loose around the edges rather than fitting like a glove around the new plotlines. 

For one thing, it feels like the show doesn't know what to do with fan-favorite Klaus. This season, he's off on another side quest away from his siblings. This isn't new ground for the character, but this time his shenanigans don't just seem irrelevant until they're not – they really don't have any bearing on the wider plot. His relationship with his niece, Allison's daughter Claire, is an interesting addition to the season, but it comes at the expense of her and Allison's mother-daughter dynamic. We don't see the pair interact very much, which somewhat cheapens season 3's big showdown. Allison's husband Ray is also out of the picture, which makes her willingness to sacrifice her siblings' lives last season feel kind of pointless.

New faces

A new strength, however, comes in the form of the show's latest additions. Former Parks and Recreation co-stars and real-life spouses Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are evidently having a blast as married gun-toting cult leaders Gene and Jean, who head up a conspiracy theorist group known as the Keepers, and it's infectious to watch. David Cross also makes an impact, despite more limited screentime, as dry cleaning salesman Sy Grossman. 

The show continues to be at its best when the siblings are all together. Lila is also given space to shine this season, particularly during an arc with Five. While this particular story thread (that we won't spoil here) may feel like it comes a little out of left field, it arrives at the right time: at the start of the season, both Diego and Lila are flattened to fit into oblivious husband and long-suffering wife archetypes, so it feels necessary to see Lila get to come into her own as the episodes progress. 

The finale (which, again, we won't spoil here) is a twist ending we didn't see coming, but it falls a little flat. While enough questions are answered to satisfy viewers (and enough are left unanswered to avoid the feeling of being spoon-fed logical conclusions), there are one too many plot threads seemingly forgotten, dismissed, or left by the wayside to carry through the emotional weight of previous seasons. Still, like any good family reunion, most frustrations can be waved away, at least in the moment. It's just good to get together – and to save the world. 

All episodes of The Umbrella Academy season 4 are streaming now on Netflix. For more, check out our guides to The Umbrella Academy season 4 ending explained and The Umbrella Academy season 4 post-credits scene.

When you're done, check out our guide to the other best Netflix shows to add to your watch list.