A Shocking Twist: Abigail Hargreeves, The Brains Behind The Umbrella Academy's Chaos
If you think you've seen every possible mind-blowing twist on The Umbrella Academy, buckle up! Season 4 was packed with them. Remember Abigail Hargreeves? She first showed up in a flashback in the first season, but her full debut was reserved for Season 4 - talk about a delayed, dramatic entrance. She's more than just Reginald's wife. Abigail, spoiler alert, was the mastermind behind all the havoc.
The Hargreeves and Lila get kidnapped, a situation they just cannot avoid with the powers of their enemy, Sy Grossman, pulling them into an ever-changing reality where all they know seems to break apart, even the time period they exist in, their reality gets completely rearranged as a consequence of Sy's scheming.
The True Reason For The Cleanse: Abigail's Desperate Wish
Let's unpack Abigail's story. Back on their planet that was getting destroyed (remember the heart-wrenching scene? The show got super dark then), Abigail, realizing that her time was running out, did the ultimate sacrifice! She gave Reginald the jar of marigolds. This one jar turned into the main factor in the creation of forty-three superpowers - yes, including those superpowers that messed up The Umbrella Academy and caused havoc across different realities. She was also pretty concerned about a new, darker particle called "Durango".
We're talking about something super dramatic, an entire world getting ripped apart, all thanks to this little particle. It sounds pretty cosmic, and then there was another super-powered group, called The Keepers who showed up, all thinking the universe is broken because the main timeline was fractured! These Keepers were all set for The Cleanse (aka a universe-ending event!), and nobody knew it would happen. Well, until Abigail got her way!
From Villain To Sacrificing Hero: The End of The World and Abigail's Destiny
It gets even more intense when you find out that Abigail was, to be blunt, a total guilt-ridden disaster. She had the responsibility of unleashing a super destructive force. But in true The Umbrella Academy style, she came back to life. Now, you know what happened to the marigolds – they caused mayhem and messed up timelines, but Abigail knew she messed up big time! And what does she decide? That the Apocalypse (also called “The Cleanse” ) was the answer – a sort of 'make it right' moment.
Get ready for this Twist: To achieve this impossible plan, she needed to play the role of Sy Grossman! It's basically an epic undercover mission to trigger The Cleanse, making sure the universe ends with the biggest bang. In the process, she manipulates everyone from the Hargreeves to Lila – and in the end, everyone accepts their doom, thinking there's no escape!
Sy Grossman Unmasked - Abigail's Desperate Scheme
Now, it gets pretty convoluted, and there is no easy way to explain it, so get ready to follow those shifting timelines! This dude, Sy Grossman, starts playing an interesting game by bringing everyone back together for the mission to find Jennifer (who apparently had something to do with all of this). And he gives them Marigolds - yeah, more chaos-inducing particles. We learn that this whole “being Jennifer’s father” act was just a façade – Abigail was already disguised! It's a master of manipulation game!
To add to this super confusing scene – Sy also joins the Keepers’ meeting, totally a game! At the Keepers' party, this whole act just blows up! In the most chaotic style, she exposes herself – killing a key Keeper leader to ensure "The Cleanse" keeps rolling, and now everything falls into place. What a crazy story.
The Ending of The Umbrella Academy: A Reset
We all know The Umbrella Academy isn’t a story with a neat ending! In the final moments, we get a shocking ending: The universe is saved (from its doom) and the world gets reset - but without a single Hargreeve in sight. No wonder those Apocalypse-stopping shenanigans made everyone super messed up.
Now, some folks may think it's a tragic end, others might just think it's confusing as all heck! But it’s also kinda a nice, fresh Twist. While the story leaves the Hargreeves to their crazy adventures, and doesn't have a super happy-ending, the world they live in (for those who didn’t get zapped by The Cleanse), has now a much smoother ride! And while the final ending might have everyone wanting more, The Umbrella Academy season four sure packed a bunch of powerful twists to tie everything up and start a new journey in a much happier (or a very confused, and messed up) universe.
