"Run Boy Run" is the second episode of The Umbrella Academy's first season.
Vanya is skeptical of Five's prediction. Diego interferes in the police investigation of the doughnut shop event, led by his former friend Eudora. Agents Cha-Cha and Hazel — who are trailing Five — later torture and kill the police's witness. Luther finds out that Diego was in a boxing match at the time of their father's death. Five, assisted by Klaus, attempts to find the owner of a prosthetic eye, whom he believes is connected to the apocalypse. Vanya meets her newest violin student, Leonard. Hazel and Cha-Cha corner Five in a department store. Allison attempts to come to terms with events by watching recordings of the family from when they were younger, and in the process comes to believe Luther's suspicion that there is more to Reginald's death than initially seems. The episode ends in another flash forward to the apocalypse, showing Five uncovering his siblings' corpses in the rubble of the mansion.
Tropes for this episode include:
- After-Action Patch-Up: After Five cut out his Tracking Chip from his arm in the first episode, Vanya tends to the wound.
- The Alibi: Luther regrets suspecting Diego because the latter had a boxing match when Reginald died.
- Angry Collar Grab: Five grabs the eye manufacturer by his collar in order to press information about the owner of the glass eye. It doesn't work out as the secretary calls for security.
- Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: This exchange happens when the tow truck driver tells Cha-Cha and Hazel about Five:Tow truck guy: He said something about coming there when he was young.
Cha-Cha to Hazel: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Hazel: Italian for dinner?
Cha-Cha: Focus, I'm talking about the kid. - Cassandra Truth: While Diego's assertion that the diner shootout was not what it appears to be is correct, Detective Patch refuses to listen because Diego is an illegal vigilante who impersonated a detective to interrogate a witness, and thus has zero authority.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Allison is smoking in her room following her fight with Vanya.
- Electric Torture: Cha-Cha tortures the tow truck guy with electric shocks.
- Enemy Eats Your Lunch: When Cha-Cha and Hazel interrogate the tow truck driver, Hazel starts eating the guy's tuna sandwich.
- Eye Scream: Implied with the bloody glass eye clutched in Luther's hand at the end.
- Foreshadowing: Five left fingerprints on a knife during the diner shootout, which matched a cold case from 1938 — we learn later in the season that Five operated as a time traveling hitman.
- Impersonating an Officer: Diego talks his way into an investigation using military surplus weapons and a badge he got on eBay.
- Indestructible Edible: Five tells Vanya that the endless shelf life of Twinkies is only a rumor.
- Insult Backfire: The representative at the eye prosthetics company tells Klaus that he is a "real sick bastard". Klaus feel flattered.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Cha-Cha and Hazel are wearing mascot heads when they attack Five.
- Not What It Looks Like: Invoked by Klaus, who punches Five in the face, smashes a snowglobe on himself, and calls security, telling the executive that it's going to look like he assaulted Five and Klaus unless he gives them the information they want.
- Precrime Arrest: The reason Five tries to find the glass eye's owner. If that person is indeed connected to the end of the world, then he can stop them before it happens.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Allison lashes out at Vanya after the latter attempts to comfort her following a spat with her ex-husband.Allison: You separate yourself from everyone and everything, you always have...You’re an adult now, Vanya. You don’t get to blame your problems on anyone but yourself.
- Say My Name: After Five jumps forward to the apocalypse, he immediately runs back home to find his home in ruins and calls out for Vanya, Ben, and Sir Reginald.
- Static Stun Gun: Detective Patch knocks out Diego with her taser.
- Titled After the Song: Specifically "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid, which plays in a flashback to when Five traps himself in the future.
- Trespassing to Talk: Luther awaits Diego in the boiler room. The latter gets alarmed by a ripped tape in the doorframe.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Klaus and Five inflict wounds on themselves to blackmail the eye manufacturer into handing out information.
