Believe it or not, or believe it and scream it to the cosmos, Abigail Hargreeves had her fingers on the apocalypse trigger in The Umbrella Academy season 4. Liisa Repo-Martell, who played the timeless, planet-destroying prodigy offered a grand banquet of twists and shocking revelations as Abigail, setting in motion the most fiery apocalypse the show has ever seen. From a game of time-twisting chess games to planetary erasure, the final season of The Umbrella Academy left us in awe and with a handful yet stimulating mysteries to chew on.

The Hargreeves, six years after their daring escape into Reginald’s timeline, had attempted to embrace a semblance of normalcy. Call it fate, call it plot necessity, their ‘average Joe’ facade couldn’t last long. A team rescue mission summoned them back to their extraordinary existence. Tasked with searching for Jennifer, they found themselves knocking at their father’s door and uncovering dark secrets about Jennifer, Ben’s death, and the mechanics of the new apocalypse. Abigail’s involvement serves as the crescendo of this memorable harmony.

A Bittersweet Farewell to the ‘Abigail’ We Knew

Slide back to season 1 where Abigail made her first on-screen appearance. Remember the frail figure on the home planet, handing over her violin to Reginald, steeling herself to embrace the end? There was more to Abigail than her lingering presence suggested. She was the wife of Reginald, the orchestra of the marigold-durango duet of cosmic chaos, and the harbinger of the apocalypse- the one who made you appreciate the antonym of ‘eternity’.

Her death and the destruction of their home planet caused Reginald to journey to Earth, build an empire, and assemble his unique brood of seven children. Season 3 shed light on a chilling detail; Reginald had preserved Abigail’s corpse on the moon. Luther’s lunar exile makes rather morbid sense now.

Abigail’s Irrepairable Regret: The Key to a Cleanse

During this dramatic reveal-fest, season 4 would also showcase the origin of the ‘marigold versus durango’ cosmic face-off – a sadly lethal medley that set the stage for the apocalypse. Abigail confessed to her role in the catastrophic, universe-wrecking particle-creation she had initiated. Aware of her guilt, she saw the Cleanse as an opportunity to set the universe right.

And thus, the Cleanse was born – an event promising to restore the main timeline by eliminating its broken counterparts throughout the multiverse. Despite their best efforts to reverse the situation, the Hargreeves could not put the brakes on Abigail’s remorse-driven plan. However, this did not stop Abigail from questioning Reginald’s actions concerning the marigold release, and the subsequent shattering of timelines that it triggered.

The Ingenious Puppeteer, aka ‘Sy Grossman’

Abigail gladly chose the road less traveled and decided to subtlety was her new modus operandi. Enter Sy Grossman, Abigail’s brilliantly crafted disguise that served its purpose all too well. The Hargreeves got their powers refueled by a jar of marigold, courtesy of Mr. Grossman, who was looking for his runaway daughter, Jennifer. Our intrepid team, now on full battery, embarked on their search for Jennifer, only to find out that Sy Grossman was alien to her. Seems like Abigail had more than one ace up her sleeve!

The Grand Footfall of the Hargreeves: Erased, Yet Jubilant

In the climactic finale, Reginald gave Abigail the company that she craved for. They welcomed the Cleanse together, jointly bracing themselves for the end of the universe. Moreover, Five, our resident problem solver, learned that the Cleanse’s repetition cycle could be broken if the Hargreeves made the ultimate sacrifice- themselves.

Thus, the Hargreeves chose to face their destiny by joining the Cleanse, setting right the timeline once more. The closing glimpse offered a paradoxical view of normalcy and oblivion with the Hargreeves erased from existence. As for Reginald and Abigail’s fates, the jury is still out on that one. Only one thing remains crystal clear – The Umbrella Academy gave us a slice of the universe that we’ll always carry in our hearts, come Cleanse or apocalypse.

Bold, bizarre, and beautifully convoluted, The Umbrella Academy is a testament to the limitless potential of creative storytelling. The Hargreeves, adopted by a man with a vision and secrets aplenty, grew up with the weight of the world (and the universe) on their shoulders. Now, they’ve made the ultimate sacrifice to save it – a tale of heroism that keeps us yearning for more apocalyptic trouble. If you didn’t catch the release on February 15, 2019, you might be blocking your sunlight with an unnecessarily large umbrella.