The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode 1 recap: Meet the Family

This article contains The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode 1.

After saving the world in 1963 Dallas, the titular group must deal with the repercussions in episode one of The Umbrella Academy season 3.

Catch up here on our breakdown of the trailer!

This premier episode of The Umbrella Academy season 3 begins on a train in Seoul, South Korea on October 1st, 1989. A boy and a girl are flirtatiously fooling around when orange particles float into the girl’s abdomen before she eventually goes into labor.

The same introduction from the pilot episode is played, voiced by Pogo, where audiences are reminded of the 16 children spontaneously born on this day, at noon, and how Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of them. This introduction finally varies from the pilot when sparrows are on the baby’s strollers, instead of umbrellas.

Jumping ahead, audiences learn that The Sparrow Academy has been much more successful than the television show’s ragtag titular group. This is seen through their names and faces plastered all over the city with fans swarming their home.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode 1: The Sparrow Academy

Introductions are in store with Number One/Marcus working out on the roof and being cheered on by the fans. Number Three/Fei is rock climbing with no eyes as her raven caws.

Number Two/Ben and Number Seven/Christopher, who is a floating cube, are getting bottle service in a nightclub. Number Six/Jayme and Number Four/Alphonso stop some xenophobic jerks at a pizza shop before stealing the rude folks’ pizzas.

Number Five/Sloane is reading on the ceiling of her bedroom as an alarm goes off. She and her fellow Sparrows go into the main hall where audiences see the other perspective from the closing scene of season 2.

As this occurs, some rumblings occur, and a ball of energy begins appearing in the basement of the now Sparrow Academy. All of this goes on but nobody in the main hall is aware.

Five is the one who questions Reginald when he states the Sparrows are his children. Marcus is the only one of the Sparrows who tries hearing out Vanya and Five when the Grace robot walks in and Diego is mocked for calling it “mom.”

Jabs are then traded between the rivaling groups, showing how similar the two academies might be. Jayme then spits some sort of liquid onto Diego that seeps into his skin.

Luther and Marcus square up agreeing to settle this the old-fashioned way. Both Ones begin dancing to Kenny Loggin’s “Footloose” before a full dance number ensues.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode 1: Everybody cut footloose

This ends up being some sort of hallucination in Diego’s mind from Jayme’s spit. The actual academies are still trying to figure out what they are going to do.

As Klaus tries to buddy up with Ben (likely because he is still intoxicated) pushing and punching begin as the two groups fight. Marcus and Luther have an alpha-off, Diego gets out some of his daddy issues on Christopher, and the rest of the respective teams trade off fighting one another.

Eventually Jayme and Five pair off to fight proving themselves to be the sarcastic members of their families in the process. Jayme then gives Five some of the same liquid she gave Diego.

This creates a hallucination for Five where he sees his mannequin girlfriend Delores but in human form. Jayme uses this perverted distraction to incapacitate Five.

Luther is being beaten handily by Marcus with Ben, Fei, and Alfonso watching on and talking about dinner. Vanya is able to distract the Sparrows long enough so Luther can escape, but when Sloane uses her telekinetic powers to hurt Vanya, the ball of energy grows in the basement and looks more unstable.

After Klaus learns that Reginald decided to adopt the other children after meeting the Umbrellas in 1963, the group begins retreating out of the place they call home. Five tries to get the briefcase they time traveled with, but it is no longer there.

Once Vanya has endured too much, she unleashes a sonic blast that knocks all of the Sparrows back from around her. Marcus then declares the fight over and tells Vanya to leave and not come back.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode 1: The Hotel Obsidian

Regrouping after they all got their butts kicked, Klaus shares with his brothers and sisters why Reginald did not adopt them. They start trying to make a plan to fix all this but Five informs them it will be hard since they do not have the Commission’s briefcase anymore.

Turns out Grace took the briefcase and brought it to the basement where she sees the big ball of energy pulsating. This is then followed by a scene of an anxious man packing up within his house in the woods with a briefcase that reads Lester Pocket.

As they are walking through the city, the Umbrellas discuss what they should do next. They need a place to lay low, so they all look to Klaus who takes them to The Hotel Obsidian.

This once hosted socialites and world leaders but is now rundown and a flophouse. Allison tries to call home but hears her ex-husband’s voicemail.

She leaves a message for him and her daughter Claire. The rest of the Umbrellas go and try to get a room but struggle when Chet does not recognize Klaus and makes them pay cash upfront.

Luther offers up his expensive watch which gets them two rooms. As the Umbrellas sulk their way up to their rooms, the Sparrows are working out after the fight and breaking down each of their latest adversaries.

Ben wants to retaliate now, showing comparisons to Diego’s style, but Marcus is keeping the bigger picture in view. Marcus is worried that if anyone ever saw how Vanya took them all out, their brand would be ruined.

He even gives orders to Reginald before he explains how the Umbrellas lack hygiene, skill, and loyalty. Reginald concludes his assessment by saying The Umbrella Academy did save the world, so they should not be underestimated in the slightest.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode 1: Vanya and Marcus meet

The Umbrella brothers arrive in their room where Diego wants to make a plan but everyone else wants to take a minute and relax. Vanya and Allison are relaxing as they reflect on the craziness their lives have been in the last few hours.

With Vanya’s suggestion, Allison leaves the hotel to go and be with her daughter. A different man is on a bus looking anxious about something.

He resorts to putting on some bee-themed white noise and tries to relax. Marcus is working out on the roof when he uses his abilities to notice Vanya staring up at him, sending a non-verbal message that she wants to talk.

This leads to the two meeting at a 24/7 diner where Vanya explains her next move is to challenge Marcus to a fight and tarnish his image since she knows she is stronger than all of them.

The Sparrow Academy’s One believes Vanya and begins making a deal so she can get the briefcase back. While this is going on, however, one of Fei’s ravens was spying on them, revealing Fei and Ben did not trust their leader.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode 1: Marcus looks for the briefcase

Down in the hotel’s restaurant, Five informs his brothers that they all have doppelgängers who they need to avoid so they do not go insane. Diego’s chair is then hit with one of his knives which was thrown by Lila.

Diego chases her down to find a 12-year-old boy Stanley (Javon Walton) who Lila tells him is their kid. She then leaves the father and son duo just as fast as she appeared.

Back at The Sparrow Academy, Marcus is down in the basement looking for the Commission’s briefcase when he finds Grace drawing random but familiar symbols on the ground. As Marcus gets closer, he sees the ball of energy, something Grace thinks has some Godly characteristics.

She explains how she can hear God talking to her from it but Marcus does not hear that talking until he gets closer. He then reaches his hand out with a curious gleam in his eyes when a whooshing pulse emanates from the orb.

This pulse of wind and energy extends to The Hotel Obsidian. This pulse retracts and in doing so evaporates the dog sitting at the hotel’s front desk and returns back to The Sparrow Academy.

The pulse then evaporates and sucks Marcus into the orb of energy, leaving Grace alone.

How do you think Diego being a dad will impact his own father issues? What other major changes do you think Reginald adopting different kids made?

Let us know your answers and opinions in the comments below!

Watch all of The Umbrella Academy season 3, only on Netflix!