The long-awaited final season of The Umbrella Academy It recently premiered on Netflix, but fans were horrified to learn that the show took a controversial turn and put two of the Hargreeves siblings in a completely unexpected love triangle before the series finale.
In Season 4, Five (Aidan Gallagher, 20) and Lila (Ritu Arya, 35) become trapped in a seven-year time loop and begin pursuing a romantic relationship with each other after teaming up to investigate a mysterious group.
The development came as a big surprise to fans considering Lila was married to Five’s brother Diego (David Castaneda) and shares a family with him, though the season showed her struggling in her new life. But it also raised concerns considering they have a pretty confusing age dynamic. Lila first met Five in Season 1 when she was just 13 years old. But he then gets stuck in the future and doesn’t reunite with his family until he’s 64, though he still has the appearance and body of an 18-year-old.
Fans on social media were quick to point out the age difference and expressed how disappointed they were with the direction of the show.
“We need an apology from He Umbrella Academy Writers for whatever that atrocity between five and lilac is… I’m cringing so hard right now,” one viewer said. wrote in X.
“No He Umbrella Academy “The writers make me hate Five after he was my comfort character for almost 4 years bro,” another fan said. wrote“That shit between him and Lila was so fucking unnecessary.”
This is what Five looked like when Lila met him, by the way, he was a child. image.twitter.com/toCjnkIsT5
— Emily ? TUA S4 ☂︎ (@fivefolklore) August 8, 2024
Other fans lamented that the show ended with Diego and Five on bad terms because of Five’s relationship with Lila. “You mean it ended with them hating each other?” one viewer said. wrote“I’m sick. Umbrella Academy, how could you do this to me?”
In an interview with We weeklyCastaneda expressed that he wasn’t happy with the fact that Lila chose Cinco over Diego, considering they spent several seasons establishing their relationship. (It’s also worth mentioning that Castaneda and Arya are dating in real life.)
“No, I didn’t understand. I was angry,” he said. “I was angry. I spoke to [our showrunner]Steve [Blackman]”A few times. I thought, ‘Hey, does this really have to happen?'”
He added that filming the story “was not fun.”
“I was always trying to convince Steven, ‘Who’s going to win? Come on, Diego’s going to win, right?’” Castaneda said, noting that she felt the relationship was “convenient” for Five. “You have needs. I get it. But let’s be real. Come on, Diego, who can turn down that hot cake?”
But Blackman defended the “big shift” that took place in season 4. “I felt like Five needed to have a love story. I mean, he’s a 64-year-old man in an 18-year-old’s body. So we thought he could have a love story,” she told the Netflix publication. Tudum“And I thought, ‘How can he have a love affair? He’s not the kind of guy who dates anyone.’”
She explained that she saw “an opportunity with Lila,” but knew that viewers might not like her. “We tried. I don’t know how the fans will take it,” she confessed.
Although it was quite unexpected, Blackman expressed that she felt their romantic story was “perfect.”
“You could believe they would be together,” she said of the ending. “We didn’t let them rehearse the kiss. We got it to the point right before the kiss, and then we let them do it.” [it] “The wedding day was just perfect.”
