The Umbrella Academy Fans Slam "Unnecessary" Five And Lila Season 4 Storyline

12 August 2024, 16:06

By Katie Louise Smith

Some fans claim that Five and Lila's affair is the "worst thing to come out of The Umbrella Academy season 4."

It's safe to say that The Umbrella Academy's final season hasn't gone down well with fans... like, at all.

The divisive – and disappointing – final season has currently got an 18% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and loyal fans have been slating the series' ending since it dropped on August 8th.

Netflix's beloved superhero series came to quite the controversial close as the Hargreeves siblings' storylines were finally wrapped up after four seasons – but there's one particular plot twist that fans have labelled "unnecessary," "pathetic," and even "disgusting"...

The Umbrella Academy season 4 involves a romantic affair between Five and Lila, and fan absolutely hate it.

• Read more: The Umbrella Academy Boss Addresses "Hate" Over Season 4's Ending
• Read more: Will There Be An Umbrella Academy Season 5? Here's Why It's Ending With Season 4

Umbrella Academy cast reflect on the show ending

In season 4, Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Lila (Ritu Arya) discover a subway system that transports them to different timelines, at the exact same point in time.

At one point, they get lost and can’t find their way back to their family. They end up stuck in the subway for seven years (!) while trying to figure out the correct way home. To make matters even more complicated, seven years for them is only a couple of hours for everyone else.

During that time, the two strike up a romance and end up having a full-blown relationship. Although her marriage is not in the best place, Lila is still with Diego at this point, and they have three children.

When they finally arrive home, Lila tells Diego about the affair, causing a huge rift between them as a couple, and between brothers Diego and Five.

Due to the short episode count of season 4, the show is not able to resolve anything between the characters in much detail. Their relationship features in episode 5 and the series ends with episode 6.

Diego and Lila get a very small bit of closure right before they die, but Five remains heartbroken over Lila and doesn't end on good terms with Diego.

Fans have been incredibly vocal about how much they dislike the choice to include Five and Lila's affair. "The Five and Lila storyline is extremely pathetic cause neither character would do that to Diego," one fan wrote.

Another added: "Not the umbrella academy writers making me hate five after him being my comfort character for almost 4 years bruh 😭 that dogs--t between him and lila was so f---ing unnecessary."

Others were devastated that the show ended with Five and Diego hating each other. Some called it the "worst thing to come out of The Umbrella Academy season 4."

On the flip side, a handful of fans understood that Five and Lila's shock relationship "made sense", noting that they were both alone for seven years and starved of affection.

Explaining why Five and Lila's affair was included, showrunner Steve Blackman told Tudum: "OK, so that’s my big swing of the year that I’m wondering if the fans will love or hate me for." (Spoiler alert – looks like it's the latter!)

"I felt that Five had to have a love story," he continued. "I mean, he’s a 64-year-old man in the body of an 18-year-old. So we thought he could have a love story. And I thought, 'How can he have a love story? He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to date.' I thought Five needed to be with someone, whether it be a boy or girl. We thought we had an opportunity with Lila. And we tried it. I don’t know how the fans are going to take it."

Blackman explained that the decision to give Five a love story resulted in the subway storyline, allowing Five and Lila's relationship to evolve over eight years.

Discussing how they feel about their characters getting together, both Aidan and Ritu also shared their thoughts.

"I think Five doesn’t know who he is or how he relates to things. If he really digs down, he is in a dark place and so long as his family’s OK, then that’s the only thing on his list to check off," Aidan told Tudum. "It makes this season really beautiful because his character arc [goes] from not having a purpose to the relationship with Lila giving him a purpose. It’s really a beautiful thing to see a character go through. And I think it’s really relatable as just a universal human struggle. That was definitely the emotional center for the season."

Ritu also defended the plot twist, telling TVLine: "They’ve spent seven years together? Away from life, just them two? I’m sorry, but you’re going to feel incredibly connected with someone, no matter what. I feel like, of course there’s love there."

Read more about The Umbrella Academy here:

• How did Ben die in The Umbrella Academy? Jennifer Incident Is Finally Revealed In Season 4
• Who Is Abigail Hargreeves In Umbrella Academy Season 4? Her Full Backstory Explained
• What Is Durango In The Umbrella Academy? Season 4 Jennifer Plot Explained
• Elliot Page Says The Response To Viktor's Transition In The Umbrella Academy Has Made Him So Happy

WATCH: Twisters' Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos Take On A Chaotic Mystery Interview

Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones & Anthony Ramos Take On A Chaotic Mystery Interview | Twisters

Listen live to Capital, and catch up on any shows you missed, on Global Player.