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If you’re reading this, I assume you’ve seen at least seasons 1-3 of TUA. However, if you haven’t seen four, I strongly recommend stopping here because it’s all spoilers after this.
First things first, let’s do some pros, shall we?
- Klaus– Sober Klaus being a germophobe/possible hypochondriac was hilarious and something I really wish they’d explored further.
- The Soundtrack– Fucking amazing, per usual. I will say it was probably not as good as season one’s, but it held its own. Could have done without Baby Shark though.
- The New Powers– Need I say more? Those were fucking cool. Just wish they were explored further.
- The Twist Mid-season– You all know the one I’m talking about. I actually enjoyed that twist with Hargreeves offing Ben. The set up and the subsequent actions after? Not so much, but I did enjoy that twist, to give credit where credit is due.
Alright, now the cons:
- OOC Behavior– No one, literally NO ONE acted like themselves. Klaus was the only one with an excuse for that, but seriously? Everyone else?
- Convoluted Storytelling– It was just fucking confusing. I felt that the first two seasons at the very least did an amazing job at fleshing out the story and explaining what needed to be explained, but season four? Nope. It was like the show creators stopped caring about continuity or sensical plotlines.
- Too Many Sub-Plots (B-Plots)-- Seriously, save for episode one, there were always six thousand things going on at the same time. It was always jumping around and nothing felt linear. I get that the show is about alternate timelines and how they are all crossing, and the complexities of that and what have you, but this felt less like a clever way of displaying that than sloppy planning. Especially since it was only six episodes and the entire last episode was a rushed mess.
- Five and Lila– Holy fucking hell, say sike right now, Steve. In what world would Five, the guy who cares above all else about his family’s safety, security and happiness, sleep with his brother’s wife and literally start a fist-fight over said brother’s wife in the middle of the final showdown. You have me so fucked up.
- The Ending– Need I say more?
Let’s get into the specifics. Overall, I think it’s safe to say that I did not like this season. Was it entertaining? Absolutely, but it felt like a completely different show to the one I fell in love with in season one. The amount of blatant character assassination was honestly deplorable. Let’s break some of that down for shits and giggles.
Five and Lila:
I’m just going to start here because this seems to be the one most people agree about. Five would fucking never. Lila would never hurt Diego that way, and Five would have NEVER given up trying to get back to his family. He spent over FORTY YEARS in the fucking apocalypse trying to get back to them to save them, but yeah sure. He’s going to abandon them for a peaceful life in a greenhouse full of strawberries. Earlier in the season, Diego and Lila have this funny little moment because Diego thinks that Lila is cheating on him with “some little Greek man”, and it turns out to be Five because they are working together again because Lila is bored with her domestic life and what have you. It’s FUNNY because Five and Lila would NEVER do that. Right? Only to absolutely demolish that humor in episode five. W h y. Not to mention that Five would have NEVER went to go play in the fucking subway station. He got stuck in the apocalypse last time he screwed with time, there is NO way he would be so reckless. Absolutely none.
The Family Relationship:
This one just pissed me off. I mean, yeah. They have their issues, but above all, these bastards are there for each other. No matter what. Early on in the season, we see Viktor cold shoulder Allison and tell her that they might be family but they aren’t friends, and this is just never addressed again. In the very last episode, Diego is literally fist-fighting with Five. Klaus goes off on Allison early on in the season as well, and that is the ONLY relationship fixed that I can remember. What happened to the whacky family dynamics? The only two siblings I see truly getting along is Luther and Diego, and I have a bone to pick about them too.
Diego and Luther are stupid now?:
Seriously? You made them stupid? Yeah, we knew that Luther made some questionable choices, but he did that out of misplaced loyalty to his father, but he isn’t stupid. Luther has been to the moon, he’s an astronaut, therefore he has to have some kind of grasp on physics and aerodynamics and all of that, so he literally CANNOT be stupid. They made him a dumb himbo in this season, and as much as I didn’t like Luther in the past, he’s grown on me, and this just didn’t make sense to the plot. Not to mention Diego. Once again, seriously? Diego isn’t stupid either. “S-K-R-E-W”. Get the fuck out, Steve.
The Refusal to Explore Their Powers In a Meaningful Way:
It’s been four seasons, and Klaus has NEVER gotten to explore the full extent of his abilities. There was so much room for growth there for all of them, learning to use their powers together, figuring out what they hadn’t been able to with their father, but noooooooooo, now they just don’t fucking exist. They even gave them NEW powers to just refuse to address. Literally WHY.
That Goddamned Ending:
I waited HOW long just to see them all fucking disappear? I sat through hours of angst, pain, sadness, cliffhangers, EVERYTHING, just for them to, what, never exist? The worst part is, honestly, it kind of makes sense. The way they explained it, I don’t hate that being the conclusion, the way they save everyone, because they aren’t wrong. They were never supposed to exist. HOWEVER. You’re telling me Five, the guy who went through literal hell and back to save his family, is going to just lay down and accept this? No. Absolutely not. So yeah, that could have been the solution, but Five would have found another, riskier way. Even when Five was at the Five Diner, (loved that concept by the way), I was like, “oh, maybe he’ll take them all back with him and try to save the world that way.”, but no. He just fucking hears ONE guy, (that one guy being a version of him, but still), say that the world can’t be saved with them in it, and just… gives in. You’re kidding me. He could have done so many things. He could have gone back in time and talked his younger self out of time travel and told him what he needed to know to avert the apocalypse. Like I said before, he could have brought all of the provenly brilliant Fives together and formed a plan. Honestly? I would have been fine if he’d come to the conclusion that none of these things would work, and the outcome being the same, but at least he TRIED. He didn’t try here, and that’s why I’m so pissed off.
Before this gets too long, I’ll wrap it up. It goes without saying, but I’m not pleased about this season. It was not the satisfying conclusion we’d all hoped for, and it is far from the happy ending we, and they, deserved. It honestly felt like the show runners just didn’t care anymore and wanted to end it as soon as possible. Why else would it have been six episodes? The last episode could have been three episodes, EASILY. I have a lot more thoughts on all of this, so if you want to leave a comment and talk about something, or disagree with me on something, or agree with me on something, all conversation is welcome. Just remain respectful to anyone you interact with.