'The Umbrella Academy' Season 4 tried to redeem one insufferable character, but bombed miserably
Contains spoilers and speculations for 'The Umbrella Academy'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFONRIA: One thing that Netflix's superhero show 'The Umbrella Academy' has cemented organically over the years, is the disdain of the Hargreeves siblings towards their father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore). Reginald, who is depicted as emotionally deattached from his adopted children, often has been a cause of dustrust, thus disrupting family dynamics.
While the chunk of season 1 of 'The Umbrella Academy' was basically around 'daddy issues', where adoptive siblings were less than delighted to attend their father's burial, and who can forget the notorious funeral scene in which all seven siblings fought, leaving just Klaus Hargreeves (Robert Sheehan ) behind. This sequence, although subtle, reveals much about the connection shared by the adopted siblings with their adoptive father.
Why is Reginald Hargreeves the most loathed father in 'The Umbrella Academy'?
While there are numerous viewpoints that support the claim that he is the most despised father, not just on 'The Umbrella Academy', and the reasons are quite apparent. Reginald treated his children more like experiments than his own, sending Luther Hragreeves (Tom Hopper) to the moon and undermining the capabilities of Viktor Hargreeves (Elliot Page) has to be some of the misdeeds he unleashed upon his adpoptive children.
Reginald's incompetence as a parent is shown by the fact that he never gave them proper names, instead referring to them as numbers he allocated based on how valuable he thought they were. He also played favorites, labeled Viktor as worthless, and confined Klaus Hargreeves (Robert Sheehan) in a room to put his abilities to the test.
The most painful has to be what he did with Luther, since he was the one who placed the greatest confidence in Reginald. Reginald, while conducting his experiments, cursed Luther with an ugly chimp-like body, and to top it all off, he sent the poor guy to the moon, convincing him that he was doing a wonderful deed for the world when, in reality, he was unwillingly protecting a cryogenic cell housing Abigail Hargreeves (Liisa Repo-Martell).
To top it all off, Reginald even revealed about it to Luther coldly and without remorse, demonstrating how harsh he had been to the siblings. Another factor contributing to his reputation as the most despised father is his constant manipulation and control of superheroes, exploiting their vulnerabilities and pitting them against one another.
Why did Reginald Hargreeves's redemption arc fail terribly in Season 4 of 'The Umbrella Academy'?
The fourth season of 'The Umbrella Academy' was the last where our favorite superheroes's stories were told, but what surprised me was the effort to make Reginald appear good. It all started when the siblings ended up in Reginald's timeline and openly expressed their dislike for their father. Reginald was stunned at first, but swiftly reminded them that it was not him, but the other Reginald, who had died in their timeline and had done them dirty. While his assertion is correct, it should be emphasized that this new Reginald is not an extension but rather the real Reginald. So, if the situation arises, Reginald will not hesitate to betray his children once again.
While his bond with Viktor was wonderful and gave the boy much needed closure, Reginald's redemption arc ended terribly when it was subsequently discovered that he was the one who murdered Ben Hargreeves (Justin H. Min) and then obliterated the siblings's memories. That suggests that he was not just trying to control them using mind games, but was really messing with their brains. While the new Reginald made it clear that it was the previous Reginald who did it and tried to make amends, his attempt to be a wonderful father was rushed and did not make sense since the buildup of the difficulties and challanges between him and superheroes siblings was way more that itself warranted a season of its own.
What may have been the ideal send-off for Reginald Hargreeves in 'The Umbrella Academy'?
While Reginald was generally the most despised character in 'The Umbrella Academy,' his character was an icon in its own right due to his unique style of speaking and, of course, his brilliance. Reginald dies in season 4, along with his wife, Abigail, but it is distressing to see that the siblings still had a lot of resentment against their father, which deserved to be settled in the last season.
Not for Reginald, but for the sake of the supehero siblings becuase they deserved much more and, of course, a closure as well. Reginald having been with the siblings during 'The Cleanse' would have been more impactful. He could have apologized to his children or expressed regret for the harsh treatment in his final moments to end the character.This could have been a satisfactory way of ending bad blood between the siblings and their father.
How to stream 'The Umbrella Academy'?
In order to watch 'The Umbrella Academy' on Netflix, it is necessary to own a premium membership, since the streaming service provides a range of subscription options tailored to different financial capacities. The Standard Plan with advertising requires a monthly membership fee of $6.99 and provides full HD (1080p) streaming.
The Standard Plan, devoid of advertisements, has a monthly fee of $15.49. It permits the use of one account on two screens simultaneously, with the ability to stream content in 1080p/full HD resolution. The Premium Plan, priced at $22.99 a month, allows customers to stream content in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos and HDR on up to four screens simultaneously.
'The Umbrella Academy' trailer