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The Umbrella Academy season 4 has generated lots of discussion among fans since all six episodes were released on Netflix on August 8, 2024. While the emotional finale has drawn much attention, the romance between Five and Lila in episode 5 has not gone unnoticed either.
Episode 5 of The Umbrella Academy season 4, titled Six Years, Five Months, and Two Days, refers to the period that Lila and Five are stuck in the portal of the multiverse or the subway. During this time, they have no one but each other to hold on to.
As a result of being stuck in the portal and visiting several timelines until they finally find a way back home, the two characters grow closer, and their bond blossoms into a romantic relationship. The Umbrella Academy season 4 episode 5 features a montage where they share a happy life as romantic partners.
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However, this part of The Umbrella Academy season 4 has not been positively received by the fans. Many have taken to various social media platforms to express their views. On Reddit, for instance, viewers have almost unanimously condemned this angle of the final season.
A Reddit user named Specific_Writer_4027 posted on the platform, listing various reasons why the romance between Lila and Five is odd. The romance, despite the age gap between the two, has come under fire, particularly.
The controversy surrounding The Umbrella Academy season 4 has intensified because Five is older than he actually looks, and Lila is already married to Diego and has kids with him.
"felt weird and out of character - Five acted like the age that he looks instead of the old man that he actually is," one Reddit user wrote.
"This is the first season I forgot Five was an old man because he didn’t act like one, he acted more like a lovesick teen/young adult who messed around with his older brothers girlfriend and had a tantrum about it when his older brother called him out," another user agreed.
"Diego deserved so much better," another user added.
The other factor of The Umbrella Academy season 4 that has irked fans is that the actors who play the two characters and romance with each other in the episode are years apart in terms of age.
"While I got where they were coming from, it made me incredibly uncomfortable for their actors. Aidan was 19 when they filmed S4 and Ritu was 34, not to mention they’ve known each other since he was 15. I get they’re both adult actors doing their job, but it still felt really weird to me," one user opined.
Other users feel that a sibling dynamic between the two would have been better for The Umbrella Academy season 4.
"i was genuinely hoping they would create a nice sibling bond because well...that's how they acted this whole time!!!!!!!! who thought this was a good idea ??" one user wrote.
"It was really hard for me to watch and it almost ruined the show for me honestly," another user agreed.
"really grossed me out," another netizer added.
Fans have also complained that The Umbrella Academy season 4 does not maintain the consistency of Five's character arc.
"Five not even caring about any of his siblings after being gone for 7 years is so out of character," one fan complained.
"They really butchered my favorite character in the show. He’s not even my favorite character anymore after this," another fan echoed.
It is clear that The Umbrella Acamedy season 4, and the romance between Lila and Five in particular, will keep being discussed for some time to come.
Read more: The Umbrella Academy season 4 post-credits scene explained
The Umbrella Academy season 4: The romance affects the finale
At one point during their time together, Five comes across a note in the subway with instructions on how to return to the timeline they came from. However, he likes his life with Lila so much that he hides it from her.
Only when Lila comes across the note do we see them planning the return. Five is visibly unwilling to do it, but Lila reminds him that she is a married woman who has kids with Diego. Five reluctantly give in, and their romance ends.
In the final episode of The Umbrella Academy season 4, Diego suspects that something happened between Lila and Five while they were stuck in the subway together. This suspicion creates visible tension between the three, and during the fight with the monster (the combined body of Ben and Jennifer) in the finale, Diego and Five actually start fighting each other.
After Lila comes and pacifies the two, she tells Five that whatever existed between the two during those six years is over now. Five does not take this very well and decides to roam around forever in the subway to grapple with his sadness.
However, it is this trip to the subway this time that reveals to Five how to fix the shattered timelines. He reaches a cafe where all the workers are different versions of him from the other timelines. They reveal that the Hargreeves siblings can restore the universe to its singular, stable timeline by sacrificing themselves to the Cleanse.
This revelation forms the twist of The Umbrella Academy season 4 finale. Armed with this information, Five returns to his timeline and informs his siblings. As they willingly erase themselves from history, the original timeline of the universe is restored.
The Umbrella Academy season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.
