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Eagle-eyed fans of The Umbrella Academy have spotted a major editing error in the fourth season, which is also being panned for its lacklustre writing.
The fourth and final season of the show started streaming on Netflix on 8 August and fans noticed that a camera rig setup in the back of a car can be seen in an exterior shot of the vehicle in a scene from the fifth episode.
“I am watching The Umbrella Academy season 4 and noticed they forgot a whole a** camera rig in the backseat of a car during this shot,” a fan posted on X.
The error has added to disappointment that fans have expressed over the fourth season.
They have questioned the “lazy” writing they believe has ruined the development that some characters went through in previous seasons and plot twists that are extremely out of character for others.
“The Umbrella Academy writers cooking up a worse ending than Game of Thrones,” said a fan on X. Another added: “Absolutely horrendous, wish I had not bothered watching. Commits total character assassination on characters that I’ve loved for years. Disgusted and disappointed.”
On the post about the editing mistake, fans called out what seemed like minimal interest in the season.
“What the actual f*** if this isn't proof of how little care was put into this season what is?” wrote one fan.
The sci-fi drama, which began in 2019, holds a critical score of 61 per cent on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, but only an 18 per cent audience score.
It faced controversy in July when showrunner Steve Blackman was hit with allegations of toxic and bullying behaviour on set.
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Blackman, who created the show with Jeremy Slater, was accused of creating a discriminatory environment towards women, Rolling Stone reported.
At least 12 staffers claimed that Blackman had hired a female writing team, one of whom was pregnant and took maternity leave one month into the 20-week job. The employee returned a month before her contract was due to end and, while the rest of the team’s contracts were extended for another 10 weeks to finish the season, the female writing team’s was not.
“He told me he fired them because one was pregnant and didn’t tell him,” an employee alleged, while another claimed Blackman felt “ripped off” that he didn’t know the writer was pregnant when he hired her.
Allegations against Blackman also said that he made “sexist, homophobic, and transphobic” comments throughout the show’s filming. The complaint, made in 2023, said that Blackman wrote to an unnamed recipient: “Elliot [Page] wants to come out as trans on the show. As Ivan. Oh my f***ing God. Kill me now.”
Blackman has denied all allegations, with his representative saying his apprehension with including Page’s trans storyline was due to scripts already being completed.
“Over six years and four seasons overseeing thousands of crew, actors, and writers, Steve Blackman led The Umbrella Academy to become a beloved series with devoted fans, enthralling stories, and a dedicated team making it all possible,” Blackman’s representative said.
“These allegations from a handful of disgruntled employees are completely false and outrageous, and in no way reflect the collaborative, respectful, and successful working environment Mr Blackman has cultivated.”
The Independent has contacted Netflix and Blackman’s representatives for comment.
The Umbrella Academy, adapted by Blackman from the comic book series written by My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way, follows a family of adopted sibling superheroes.
It stars, among others, Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman and Robert Sheehan.
