Right off the bat, The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Episode 2 drops a major revelation. The Handler is alive!
Honestly, I'm not mad about it.
Kate Walsh was too good as the Handler NOT to bring her back. And man, can she make an entrance or what?!
Not dragging out this mystery was such a good move on the show's part. We know The (former) Handler will be out for blood after Hazel, Cha-Cha, and Five screwed her. To add insult to injury, they just HAD to demote her and put her at Five's old desk?
Oh, yeah. She will not be going away quietly.
It appears she is not the only one looking to settle a debt, either. She or someone else at The Commission seems to be after the Hargreeve siblings.
The Big Bad Trio (hereafter "The Swedes") are indeed after The Umbrella Academy siblings. So far, they've attempted to kill Five and Diego. They received the Commission's signature capsule tube with a photo at the end of the episode with a photo of Vanya, assumedly the next target.
If it's not our former Handler seeking revenge on the family, it's most likely someone even higher up in the Commission looking to clean up the messes the family has caused all over the timeline.
The Swedes almost got their chance at Allison if it hadn't been for the unfortunate arrest of her husband, Raymond Chestnut.
Raymond: They were going to arrest me regardless. They can't have us making noise, embarrass them while the president's in town.
Allison: I made it worse.
Raymond: No. No, no, no. You make things better. You make me better.
Of course, he was going to be arrested. Honestly, I'm surprised nothing worse happened (like a KKK visit). Allison humiliated Mason on the street in front of many onlookers.
Sure, it was brave, but this isn't 2019. Southern white men of the 1960s would NOT let that go unpunished. Luckily, an arrest is all that happened.
Raymond tells her it isn't her fault, but it kind of was, though.
Raymond is such a sweet and peaceful man; he obviously follows Dr. King's methods in his pursuit of racial justice. Allison struggles with that, which is likely attributed to her having been raised in a different, more progressive time.
Allison's approach to the civil rights movement with a 21st-century mentality will be a character arc worth exploring this season. She is obviously struggling with not using her power to her advantage, which begs the question: Why hasn't she?
Raymond asks her why she was saying, "I heard a rumor" when he was getting arrested, but she never answered. She has kept her powers a secret from him.
Utilizing The Rumor would have been a significant help during the civil rights movement. Maybe Allison feels they've already toyed with the timeline too much? Either way, it will be good to see her reveal her power to Raymond and explain why she hasn't used it yet.
Raymond wasn't the only one in jail, though. We see Klaus is still there after having stolen that car on his way to Dallas, and he unknowingly meets his brother-in-law.
It was only their first meeting, and already, they have great dialogue and seem they will eventually become good friends.
Raymond truly is an inspiring man. He is unjustly arrested so as not to cause any "trouble" when the President comes to town. Instead of simmering in his anger, he is calmly waiting and still manages to give Klaus some counsel.
Klaus: Shakespeare had no idea what it's like to be me, though.
Raymond: Perhaps. But it's in the struggle that folks find out their true calling.
Klaus was some sort of cult leader in California. Go figure. He can't stand the attention, though.
While Vanya always felt unseen, Klaus was the screw-up. His time in California seems to have been a chance for him to do some good and help others. It looks like he even got filthy rich from it (Hello, wealthy benefactors who are friends of the governor!).
At what point did he get sick of it? He amassed wealth and gained loyal followers, but he doesn't seem to care for it at all.
He seemed irritated and annoyed with his follower, Keechie, who was locked up in the jail with him. Or maybe he was just tired and didn't feel like entertaining. Either way, he was not very gracious.
Seeing the former addict who shied away from responsibility now leads others in a life of peace and happiness is growth, for sure. He's also the funniest of all the Hargreeves. The guy has the best comedic timing!
Keechie: Any nuggets of wisdom that you can give to me?
Klaus: Don't go chasing waterfalls. Stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to.
Keechie: That's so.... deep.
We need flashbacks ASAP, because if he gained followers by quoting 90s R&B as guidance, then ... well, he deserves it. There were a lot of gems in music from those days.
Luther could have used some "Prophet Klaus" knowledge after finding Vanya. He showed up at the house with a gun, ready to kill her. What?!
When Five tells him another apocalypse is coming, Luther immediately blames Vanya for it. During the first one, he was the main one trying to lock her up and then again trying to kill her to stop her.
Maybe if he and his family had tried to listen and talk to Vanya, the whole apocalypse could have been avoided.
It most definitely (maybe) would have been avoided if HE didn't take it upon himself to lock her up in the first place. This is exactly why he should be ranked #7 in the Umbrella Academy.
He deserves credit, though. When he showed up and realized Vanya had no memory, he was overcome with sympathy and regret -- as he should be.
If you're hiding out here and don't want to be found, I understand. I just came here to tell you that I'm sorry for my part in what happened.
Luther
Vanya deserved that apology from him. He escalated the situation the last time, so him admitting he was wrong and apologizing for his part was warranted.
It left Vanya with something to think about as she and Sissy try to figure out his relationship to her. Sissy, however, is not keen on Vanya going back to whoever he is.
It is not necessarily a given that Sissy is jealous of this figure from Vanya's past, but it is a possibility. The two had a very sweet moment as Sissy comforted Vanya over this new revelation.
Sissy's assertion that Vanya should not have any more to do with Luther is nothing more than selfishness. Why would you not want your friend to fill in those blanks in her memory? The only explanation is she wants to keep Vanya to herself.
Unfortunately for Sissy, Vanya has a dream/memory of the white violin with Luther in it, and she runs out of the house, assumedly to find him and get answers.
Vanya isn't the only one who finds out disconcerting news about her family, though. Five unknowingly hands over some quite classified footage to Elliott when he realizes what Hazel left him.
Elliott: Are you, or are you NOT an enemy of the people?!
Diego: Well, that's such an open-ended question if you think about it, yeah?
Five: Really depends on the people.
The Three Musketeers (Five, Diego, and Lila) holding Elliott hostage while they review this footage was a comedy. He thinks they're aliens. Did he really think he had a chance against them with his gun?
Finding Dear Old Dad, Reginald Hargreeves, on the grassy knoll when Kennedy is assassinated was NOT expected. Poor Lila thought she was going crazy and seeing things. Luckily, Diego was able to calm her down.
We don't have to understand shit about it for it to be real.
Diego
Maybe this couple will turn out to be okay, after all.
This episode had shocking bookends. On this end, is the Reginald (and Baby Pogo!!) reveal.
It would have been nice for Five to be the one to find Reginald, if only because he hasn't seen him in 45 years. Instead, he got to find Pogo!
The boys seem to have forgotten they haven't been born yet, though. Sir, you are a stranger. So, yes. Pogo will attack -- stranger danger.
Diego also had to learn this the hard way. He almost had an advantage in his fight but paused when he saw Reginald's face.
That "Dad?" very nearly lost him his life. "Nearly" because no way they kill Diego only two episodes into the season.
To add insult to injury, Sir Reginald just had to throw in that "amateur" as he walked away. We get it, old man. You can fight.
He just threw salt in the wound. When Klaus hears about this, Diego will never hear the end of it!
What is going on at D.S. Umbrella Mfg. Co.?
Five notes the business appears to be a front, but a front for what? What was Dear Old Dad up to in the years before he adopted a group of supernatural children? Did he have anything to do with Kennedy's assassination?
Over to you, Fanatics!
What do you think Reginald is up to?
Is The Handler going to seek revenge?
How long until the siblings get reunited?
Don't forget to sound off in the comments with your thoughts!
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