'Lost in Time': Umbrella Academy Stars Lament Cut Storyline in Final Season

Full spoilers follow for *The Umbrella Academy

season 4.

Two of *The Umbrella Academy*'s leading stars have expressed their disappointment over a crucial storyline in the show's final season, which was significantly trimmed due to time constraints.

Ritu Arya and Aidan Gallagher, who portray Lila and Five respectively, spoke to TechRadar ahead of the Netflix series' conclusion, revealing their desire to explore their characters' time-hopping subplot in greater detail.

The fifth episode of the season, titled 'Six Years, Five Months, and Two Days', sees the pair embark on a multiversal journey, not only to prevent another apocalypse but also to mend the timeline shattered by the Hargreeves siblings' unexpected births in October 1989.

Despite initially navigating the time-traveling subway network discovered in episode 2 without difficulty, they soon become trapped within its labyrinthine corridors. Lost in time and space, Five and Lila jump between different universes, encountering numerous scrapes and capers as they search for a multidimensional escape route. Their relentless quest for a way out eventually leads them to accept defeat and settle down on an entirely different timeline, only to return home nearly seven years later. This breakthrough arrives when Five discovers a notepad belonging to one of his alternate selves, containing instructions for navigating out of the tunnel system.

The creative team behind one of Netflix's most acclaimed series devised countless ideas for Lila and Five's time-traveling escapades, enough to constitute an entire episode. Sadly, due to the condensed nature of season 4 – comprising just six episodes compared to its predecessors' 10 – many of their adventures were left on the cutting room floor.

"I'm quite pleased with how it turned out," said Gallagher, when asked about the cast's feelings regarding the season's shorter episode count. "However, I do wish that the storyline featured in episode 5 was given more time. We were briefed on numerous details of their journey that had to be omitted."

Arya added, "Yes, there was some really cool stuff in there. Apparently, Five and Lila travel to Tokyo, experiencing a multitude of crazy adventures as they fight their way through different worlds in search of an escape route, which we didn't have time to explore. I wish they hadn't mentioned any of that, as it sounds like it would have been incredibly epic to act out and then watch."

It's unclear whether any or all of these ideas progressed far enough in production to be filmed before ultimately being cut. One thing is certain, however: *The Umbrella Academy*'s fourth and final season suffers from its six-episode run. This became a major point of contention for many viewers, including myself, as detailed in my spoiler-light review of *The Umbrella Academy

season 4. To gain further insight, be sure to also read my article explaining the ending of *The Umbrella Academy* season 4, offering answers to your biggest questions about the conclusion of the show's numerous storylines.