What makes a good leader?
If we were all transported back to fourth grade, there would be a plethora of answers, ranging from dependable to courageous to strong. They’re solid answers, but they’re superficial because a leader in one situation may have to be something else entirely in another.
FROM Season 2 Episode 4 brought the idea of leadership into clearer focus and expanded upon that fundamental question: What makes a good leader in the middle of a nightmare?
Boyd has been a constant in that town, and he stepped up to lead when the residents desperately needed one. In a town like that, you need someone to take on the responsibility of authority, or everything would be nonstop chaos.
It’s already chaotic enough in that town, and at least with a Sheriff, there was a form of accountability and structure to make things feel, for lack of a better word, normal.
Venturing out into the forest was Boyd trying to do the right thing by seeking answers instead of sitting by and just accepting life the way it was. But he came back without any answers, at least none that he could make sense of currently, and he returned to an overrun town.
Sara’s reappearance only added to that crapstorm.
Kenny finding Sara was actually the best-case scenario because, outside of Ellis, he has the strongest relationship with Boyd. So, while I thought there was a good chance he would have just dragged Sara out into the streets, he went to Boyd first.
As we’ve seen, Boyd and Kenny’s relationship is much like that of father and son, more than a superior and subordinate. They respect and challenge one another, but most importantly, they care about one another.
Seeing how Kenny came to be Deputy was a nice flashback because it further showed the depth of their connection.
At one of his lowest moments, when Kenny and his mother realized they weren’t equipped to have Bing-Quan Liu at home anymore, and just the reality of what life in that place does to you setting in, Boyd found him and offered him a lifeline.
He gave him a distraction, sure, but he also gave him a purpose, and Kenny leaned into being a Deputy wholeheartedly. He had Boyd’s back and stepped right up to help protect the town.
We’ve seen Kenny doubt himself sometimes, but he never played pretend. He was made to be a leader but in a different way than Boyd.
Kenny naturally wanted to see Sara in the box for all her past crimes, and what was interesting was that Sara didn’t seem like she was going to fight against it. At this point, she’s aware that she’s persona non grata in town and isn’t looking for Boyd or Kenny to stick their necks out for her.
Whether or not she had a special connection to the town was irrelevant to her because she seemed willing to accept the consequences of her actions. If she had really wanted to save herself, she would have never told Kenny the truth.
Should Boyd have told Kenny the truth? Of course, he should have.
Boyd may try to protect the people around him by withholding things from them, and he puts an awful lot on his shoulders, but it never seemed like he tried to do that with Kenny. His whole fever-dream encounter with Khatri proved that.
Father Khatri returned shady as ever, laying into Boyd and trying to further his Sara agenda even from the afterlife.
Khatri essentially wanted him to continue the mission, using Sara to figure out as much about the town as possible. He knew that telling Kenny would derail everything, and the way he pushed at Boyd was so reminiscent of some of their last conversations.
As wrong as Khatri was, he made many good points.
Harkening back to that earlier question, one of the things that doesn’t get mentioned as much when talking about what it takes to be a good leader is ruthlessness because there are times when you have to make a devastating decision or times when you must cut the weakest link for the group’s survival.
There are these horrendous choices thrown at a person in charge, and sometimes you have to make the unpopular decision for the betterment of everyone.
Boyd: Somehow you being dead made you more of an asshole.
Khatri: Leaders sometimes have to make tough decisions. Boyd, you, of all people, know this. But you want to be everyone’s friend? Go be the new bartender, apparently, there’s a vacancy. But if you want to lead these people home, sometimes you have to make shitty decisions. I tried telling you this before, you didn’t listen. Listen to me now.
And that’s basically what Khatri was throwing at Boyd. If Sara is valuable and an essential piece needed to find a way home, then why are you considering serving her up on a platter to Kenny? Doesn’t keeping this one secret mean more in the long run than his honesty?
I respect Boyd for saying he wouldn’t lie to someone he considers to be another son because once he made a choice like that, he’d lose sight of who he is at his core.
He’d rather lose Kenny than lie to him. Was that a wise choice? You can be the judge of that.
It was undoubtedly a human choice, though it was, of course, out of his control once Sara chose to tell him first.
I wish we had gotten to see the moment Sara told Kenny because Avery Konrad and Ricky He are both such emotive actors, and the facial journeys alone while processing and explaining that information would have been a really gripping scene.
But alas, we did get that devastating moment between Boyd and Kenny when you can literally see Kenny’s heart breaking all over again. And hasn’t Kenny suffered enough lately?
His dad was gone, he almost had Kristi, and now he found out the person he revered was a lying liar that lies. It’s been a rough couple of days for the former Deputy.
You watch your own fucking six.
Kenny [to Boyd]
Watching Boyd and Kenny “break up” was awful, and you have to imagine it’s just the beginning of their beef because they still have to deal with Sara. Inevitably, the town will find out Sara is back, and they will be coming with pitchforks to send her back in the box.
If Boyd pushes back too hard, he risks losing people at a time when things are tenuous, at best.
It will be fascinating to see how things play out from here, as this new influx of people, who are very much now allowed to have their own opinions as residents, will influence things as well.
Speaking of new people, Randall continued to be the worst.
Look, everyone is entitled to have their own reaction to what’s happening around them. But most, after experiencing one night in town, would drop the bravo and start listening to the people who know what’s going on.
Not Randall, though. He’s still processing and, in doing so, being a jerk to everyone else and refusing to adapt.
Donna is also a leader, like Boyd, and Colony House is her sanctuary. There’s a fragility to that house post-radiogate, and Randall’s bad energy showed no signs of wavering, so she had a choice to make: bend the rules for one or rid the place of one.
The decision came along quickly, but there was no way Donna hadn’t been thinking Randall wasn’t a fit in that house. One of the main differences between living at Colony House and living in the town is the whole communal living thing.
They’ve built a solid community at the house, and changing the dynamics to appease one person sets a bad precedent.
Putting Randall on the bus was quite the bold move, though, and there is no way in hell I believe that Randall will see the light and come running back to Donna for a second chance. He appears to have far too much pride for that.
So, if Randall makes it through the night, what kind of havoc do you think he’ll wreak next?
Loose Ends
- I’m sorry, guys; I must repeat it. Seeing the start and end of Boyd and Kenny’s partnership during this hour was one of the saddest moments thus far, and we’ve seen multiple people die. That’s how much their relationship means to me.
- Poor Ethan. He knew Victor would be a little upset about Jade being in his room and going through his things, and he tried to make amends with those markers. Hopefully, Victor will cool off with some time because seeing Ethan that upset was hard.
- Julie stepping up to help someone like Fatima helped her was a nice little moment. She struggled when she got there, and the fact that she wanted to pay it forward by just being a listening ear was a nice bit of growth.
- Jim walked away from radiogate asking a lot of questions, and while he may be onto something, he should probably be a little more conscious of the fact someone could be watching them. Donna was right about not letting on that you know something is up. A literal house came down on him the last time he pushed.
- Tilly is everywhere and in people’s business. I love her already.
- That Jade and Bakta scene had no business being that heartwarming. Jade should never be anyone’s first choice for a shoulder to cry on, but he was right to tell Bakta to stop kicking herself over something NONE of them made happen.
This was the best episode of FROM Season 2 yet, and there wasn’t a monster in sight!
Let me know in the comments what you thought about the hour and what you’re hoping to see as we quickly approach midseason.
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.