This New Umbrella Academy Pairing Is The Best Thing About Season 4

This New Umbrella Academy Pairing Is The Best Thing About Season 4


Warning: spoilers ahead for The Umbrella Academy season 4.


Summary

  • Despite mixed reviews,
    The Umbrella Academy
    season 4 shines with the odd and entertaining duo, Gene and Jean Thibedeau.
  • Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally’s chemistry as alpaca-milking cult leaders adds a unique and hilarious twist to the final season.
  • The show’s tradition of great supporting characters continues with Gene and Jean, who bring humor and villainy in equal measure.


The Umbrella Academy season 4 ranks as the show’s lowest run yet on Rotten Tomatoes, but one fascinating duo proves the final season isn’t all doom and gloom. Ending a beloved TV show in satisfying fashion is a notoriously narrow tightrope to walk, and Netflix’s decision to grant The Umbrella Academy only six episodes to wrap everything up hardly helped. Season 4 has received criticism for its character arcs, pacing, and plot holes, while The Umbrella Academy‘s ending faced backlash for killing off the Hargreeves siblings and effectively wiping the show’s events from history.


Nevertheless, The Umbrella Academy season 4 has its high points, and many of those come courtesy of Gene and Jean Thibedeau, played by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, respectively. A real-life couple offscreen, Offerman and Mullally join The Umbrella Academy‘s cast as onscreen lovers – not for the first time, as the duo previously appeared together in Will & Grace, Parks & Recreation, and elsewhere. This is, however, the first time Offerman and Mullally have played alpaca-milking cult leaders who love dancing to Cher almost as much as they love bringing about the end of the world.

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Gene & Jean Are Clearly The Best Thing About The Umbrella Academy Season 4

A Stroke Of Gene-ius In The Umbrella Academy Season 4

Gene (Nick Offerman) and Jean (Megan Mullally) kissing in The Umbrella Academy season 4.


If there is a slice of greatness within The Umbrella Academy‘s final season, Gene and Jean are it. An incredibly odd mix of endearing and terrifying, Offerman and Mullally are hilarious to watch as they drawl cute pet names and dance with all the grace of broken puppets. Much of Gene and Jean’s chemistry evidently derives from the actors’ real-life connection, and viewers would be forgiven for coming out of The Umbrella Academy season 4 fully convinced that Offerman and Mullally spend their evenings choreographing dance routines in their attic.

It’s actually quite disappointing when Abigail Hargreeves kills Gene and takes his place, because the pairing is never quite the same…


At the same time, the two leaders of The Umbrella Academy‘s Keepers are absolutely terrifying. Whether in explosive ways, like shooting their own workers, or via subtly sinister inflections, the Thibedeaus are ripped straight from a rural Blumhouse horror movie. Gene and Jean strike an appropriately odd balance between kooky comic relief and merciless villainy, and that combination makes them utterly watchable. Any viewer that dares take their eyes away from the Thibedeaus risks missing an offbeat glance from Nick Offerman, or an unnerving threat veiled by Megan Mullally’s sweet and charming sing-song voice.

The Umbrella Academy is a quirky show based on a quirky comic, peddling a very unique aesthetic and vibe. Gene and Jean uphold that spirit perfectly with their kitsch home and off-kilter romance. It’s actually quite disappointing when Abigail Hargreeves kills Gene and takes his place, because the pairing is never quite the same from that point onward. The Umbrella Academy season 4 loses something intangible and the Thibedeaus quickly fade into irrelevance, compounding the series finale’s various other issues.


Gene & Jean Continue The Tradition Of Great Umbrella Academy Supporting Characters

Agnes and Hazel sitting down and holding hands in The Umbrella Academy season 1.

Gene and Jean continue what The Umbrella Academy has always excelled at: supporting characters. In season 1, Hazel, Cha-Cha, and Agnes create a compelling and emotive subplot. Hazel and Agnes return in The Umbrella Academy‘s final scene, confirming the loveable couple’s immense impact on the show, despite a long absence. The likes of Sissy and Raymond served as wonderful love interests for the Hargreeves siblings in season 2, while season 3, of course, introduced the Sparrow Academy members. For many TV shows, single-season characters are easily forgettable, but The Umbrella Academy‘s have been nothing less than enchanting.


Gene and Jean are arguably the best of the bunch, partly because of how the duo were written, but largely because casting Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally was an inspired decision. There is a degree of consolation in how, despite its various failings, The Umbrella Academy maintains its impressive streak of complementing the Hargreeves clan with side characters that elevate the show. The Umbrella Academy season 4 without Gene and Jean Thibedeau would undoubtedly have resulted in a far bleaker, less enjoyable ending.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes

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