‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 2 Episode 9 Recap: Saving the ‘Sh*tty World’ Once More
In the penultimate episode of The Umbrella Academy Season 2, the Hargreeves siblings have a lot to deal with. Vanya’s about to destroy the world (again), and she’s proving difficult to stop. Then there’s the matter of Five (and other Five), not to mention everything going down at the Commission. How will they handle it all? (Spoilers for The Umbrella Academy Season 2, Episode 9 “743” ahead.)
Ben’s goodbye
Klaus, Allison, and Diego each try to save Vanya, but the force of her power is too strong. So it’s up to Ben. He goes into Vanya’s body, where he finds her curled up inside a white violin (an homage to her name in the comics). She tells him she remembers everything, calling herself a monster. At the farm, Carl tries to take Harlan away from Sissy.
Ben tells her it’s Reginald’s fault for hiding her power from her and not teaching her. But her family is there to help her. Ben starts to disappear and says he’s been holding on to say goodbye. Vanya and Harlan come back to their bodies. Carl wrestles the gun from Sissy, accidentally firing at Harlan. Since he has Vanya’s power, the bullet bounces off him and kills Carl.
Dancin’ with myself
Luther and the Fives get to their spot behind the fence right before Kennedy’s motorcade. The Fives continue to display signs of paradox psychosis — specifically, homicidal rage. They fight one another. After Luther threatens them, the older (yet seemingly younger) Five explains where the jump to 2019 went wrong — a decimal point.
Old Man Five prepares to jump through the portal into the event of the pilot. Klaus throws the fire hydrant through the portal, knocking Luther to the ground. Old Man Five tries to take the briefcase with him, against the agreement. The other Five grabs it, and Luther kicks the traitorous Five through the platform. But the briefcase is damaged.
Lila learns the truth
At the Commission, Lila and the Handler clash again. Lila admits that she doesn’t know where Diego is and realizes the Handler was setting her up. Herb reveals how he brought Diego back to 1963. AJ (now just a fish in a fishbowl), spells out the number 743 with pebbles. Herb finds the file in question and shows it to Lila.
It reveals that Five killed Lila’s parents. Though the Handler was responsible, Lila blames AJ, whose stamp is on the file. The Handler tells Lila that maybe Diego knows Five was the assassin and is trying to protect him. After Lila leaves, the Handler, knowing AJ was responsible for the file resurfacing, swallows him.
We’re going to war
Vanya reunites with her siblings. Diego still wants to save JFK, even though Allison tells him not to. As the motorcade turns, he sprints toward the grassy knoll. Only the man in the trench coat he tackles isn’t their father. The man hands him a note that reads, “I told you so.” Kennedy dies.
Reginald talks to the Magic 12, angry that they killed him. They say all their interests are now protected, including Reginald’s. He says he won’t work with them anymore, but they threaten to expose him. He takes off his face to reveal his alien form, and kills them all.
Meanwhile, The Handler answers a call to the infinite switchboard. The operator says there’s an anomaly. She looks at the monitor to see a giant storm at the farm, courtesy of Harlan.
