In the tapestry of the enthralling characters woven by Umbrella Academy, there lies a yearning within me, a desire for an episode that solely indulges in the intricate tapestry of Five's life. His prowess in time-traveling unlocks a treasure trove of narrative possibilities, and his singular quest to avert the impending apocalypse, a secret he bears alone, stands as the beacon amidst the show's myriad storylines.
Thus, my heart leaped with joy when "Number Five" embarked, fittingly, with an immersive montage centered around Five. This vignette delves deep into the solitary decades he spent traversing the desolate post-apocalyptic landscape, having fled to the future as a mere boy. As the seasons shifted, painting the wasteland with hues of change, Five trudged on, dragging Dolores in a wagon, his beard growing ever longer, until he became a half-mad old man, convinced he was the last soul left on Earth.
In the charred remains of the Argyle Library, Five found solace, his attachment to the structure later echoed in Umbrella Academy's primary narrative. There, he toiled over intricate calculations, yearning to breach the veil of time, conversed with his mannequin companion, and quenched his thirst from the endless supply of wine stored beneath a ruined mansion's cellar.
Yet, it seemed his fate was to perish in this desolate sanctuary, until the enigmatic Handler appeared, dangling an alluring job offer. The Commission, an omnipresent organization that polices the sanctity of time through "manipulations and removals," had kept Five under their watchful eye. In simpler terms, they traverse the timelines, terminating lives to maintain the balance. The Handler proposed that Five join their ranks as an assassin. In exchange for five years of service, he would be rewarded with a fortune and the freedom to settle in any era he desired.
Five acquiesced, swiftly ascending through the Commission's ranks. He danced through time, dispatching targets, and vanishing into thin air before anyone could grasp his shadow. But when tasked with eliminating JFK, he hesitated. Instead, he harnessed his extraordinary abilities, leaping through time's fold, only to land at Hargreeves's funeral—a scene etched in the premiere's opening—where he discovered, to his utter shock and dismay, that his leap had reversed the clock, transforming his 58-year-old frame back into the body of a teenage boy.
As it transpires, Hazel and Cha-Cha are undercover agents of the Commission, entrusted with the arduous task of hunting down the rogue Number Five. However, the involvement of Five's siblings has intricately tangled the web of their mission, making it exponentially more convoluted. At the forefront of these complications stands Klaus, who, in his haste to flee the motel, pilfered Hazel's time-traveling briefcase, unknowingly unleashing a nightmarish sequence of events.
Klaus, a notorious opportunist with a penchant for stealing, found himself on the receiving end of a devastating twist when he cracked open that briefcase. He was instantaneously transported to the fiery crucible of Vietnam in 1968, where he was conscripted into a regiment and endured ten grueling months as a soldier. His return to the present was marked not with triumph but with a palpable shattering of his psyche.
We are granted mere glimpses into the horrors that haunted Klaus during his time in Vietnam, but the depths of his trauma are unmistakable. He, who was once a tangled web of eccentricities, is now a quivering mess, his screams punctuated by sobs that seem to tear him apart. It appears he encountered a camaraderie that transcended mere friendship, a bond with a fellow soldier whose death was so unspeakably brutal that it etched a permanent scar on his soul.
In the present, Klaus's ordeal is met with skepticism and rejection from his fellow Vietnam veterans at the VFW. Their disbelief, though rooted in reason, only adds to his isolation. Halfway through this season, it becomes abundantly clear that one of The Umbrella Academy's most captivating themes revolves around the tragic consequences of time travel. To the world, Klaus's absence was fleeting, yet he bore the weight of a year's worth of life-altering experiences that forever changed him, experiences that remain forever unshared and uncomprehended.
His brother, Five, a victim of relentless time-hopping, is so emotionally scarred that his closest companion is a lifeless mannequin, with whom he conjures elaborate conversations in the solitude of his mind. Even Hazel, stalwart in her duties, finds herself adrift, seeking solace in a heart-to-heart with Agnes, the innocent bird-watching waitress oblivious to the impending apocalypse, as she takes a much-needed hiatus from the relentless pursuit.
The fateful encounter among these time-traveling misfits transpires on a desolate stretch of highway, miles away from the bustle of the city. Five brokers engage in a cunning ploy with Hazel and Cha-Cha, dangling the briefcase stolen by Klaus as bait for a reinstatement into the Commission's good graces. As the stakes escalate, Klaus and Diego storm the scene, their eyes burning with vengeance for the assassins who inflicted untold pain upon Klaus and extinguished Patch's life.
Yet, amidst this web of extraordinary abilities showcased by the Umbrella Academy, none can compare to the Handler's awe-inspiring feat. With the confrontation spiraling towards a catastrophic climax, she intervenes, freezing time in its tracks. Once more, she approaches Five at the precipice, wielding a proposition that could alter the course of his existence. The Commission's insatiable desire for the apocalypse stems from a rigid belief that it is an inevitable occurrence; the timeline must be adhered to, even if it means the world's demise. Should Five agree to rejoin their ranks, he stands to gain not only a prestigious promotion but also the restoration of his adult physique, accompanied by the Handler's pledge to safeguard his siblings' lives.
Subtle manipulations ensue as Five alters the course of events, ensuring his siblings' safety from Hazel and Cha-Cha's deadly intent. Together with the Handler, he vanishes into the shadows, leaving behind a handshake deal fraught with uncertainty. Trust, it seems, is a luxury none can afford in this intricate game of betrayal and redemption. It strains credulity to imagine the Commission granting absolution to Five for his treachery during a presidential assassination mission fraught with peril. Equally implausible is the notion of Five, after enduring so much, complacently accepting the world's end.
But as time unravels its frozen embrace, the apocalypse looms ever closer, its vessel gradually revealing itself. Vanya, liberated from the shackles of her medication, radiates with a vitality and strength unparalleled. Her triumphant ascent to the first chair of her orchestra is merely a prelude to a deeper transformation. Her bond with Leonard blossoms into intimacy, unveiling the extraordinary powers long suppressed by her medication. A spectral energy creeps towards the attic, where Leonard's hidden trove of secrets awaits—a corpse, a book once discarded by Klaus, now harboring the key to Vanya's untapped might.
The book's revelations, it stands to reason, have emboldened Leonard to exploit Vanya's vulnerability. If this is merely the dawn of her awakening, one can only fathom the extent of Vanya's burgeoning power, a force that could tilt the balance of the impending apocalypse.
