One of the biggest gripes I had about FROM Season 2 was how slowly it moved at times.
Hours passed, and nothing happened, at least not by FROM standards.
But even in a slow-moving season, there were still standout hours, and the build-up towards the end made up for the meandering start.
All that to say, FROM Season 4 Episode 3 was another one of those hours in which not much happened. But it was also the kind of hour FROM needs to start setting various stories into motion.
Take, for example, Boyd’s whole presence throughout this one.
When FROM Season 4 began, Boyd was broken after witnessing Smiley’s rebirth, and he was tired of trying to hide it. He was no longer carrying all of his feelings silently, but letting them out to the people he trusted.
Jim’s death effectively locked those feelings back up, basically forcing him to put the sheriff hat back on and reassert his leadership over the town.
Plus, he seemed to be at least somewhat encouraged by Jade’s information, enough to make him rethink his earlier thoughts.
I’m sure many of Boyd’s thoughts are consumed with Abby, especially when he tries to sleep, but for her to be at the forefront of his mind right now makes sense. That was the worst moment of his life, done to protect innocent people whom he’s now on the verge of giving up on.
Maybe that’s not fair to say, but when you strip everything else away, doesn’t it just come down to fighting or giving up?
I wholeheartedly understand where Boyd is coming from, but I can also acknowledge what he meant.
Boyd and Acosta have arguably the worst relationship in that whole place, and that’s saying something considering Sara is still walking around.
I’ve seen people theorize that Acosta is some kind of reincarnation of Abby, which I’m not sure I buy. But then again, FROM is beginning to be that show where you can truly say anything is possible.
Boyd will always blame himself for Abby’s decline because he was too busy being everything to everyone else when he could have been with Abby. And with Acosta, he sees that the strong veneer she came into town with is slipping away, replaced by the kind of anger and hurt that starts to manifest into something much uglier.
Old Boyd would have never even bargained with her about a bullet, but this is no longer the Boyd that’s full of endless hope. This Boyd recognizes that with each passing day, everyone is getting a little more terrified and unhinged.
But even feeling that way, his taking her down there to the cellar and giving her a task to do was his way of trying to protect her from herself. And it’s those moments that remind you why he stepped up to be the leader of that town.
It was always going to be him.
When he sat down with Abby at the episode’s end for one of his vent sessions, you could see he was at a bit of a crossroads. He sees that everything is slipping away and that the community they built will never be the same again, but he’s also slightly encouraged, leaving him in a state of limbo.
Because none of it will matter if that town is completely fractured beyond repair.
I love a good cliffhanger, but the hand coming out of the ground, like the ending of Carrie, wasn’t all that terrifying. Though it came at a moment when Boyd was expressing doubts tinged with renewed optimism, however slight.
“Knowledge comes with a cost,” might be the theme of the season, but never forget that town absolutely hates it when you start to feel a little less like you’re at the end of your rope.
Someone seemingly at the end of their rope? Tabitha.
Tabitha came into that town a woman trapped in her hurt. And she had to set aside so much of that to be a mother, someone who put on a brave, happy face for her children, even when it killed her to do so.
With Jim gone, I felt like one of two things would happen. She would either shrink in on herself completely or go into proactive mode.
She did the latter without even thinking about it.
We already know the bottle tree is not the solution to everything, as evidenced by Dale’s adventure in FROM Season 3. And considering Tabitha’s had success with it, I could understand why she wanted to try again, because doing nothing felt like settling for just waiting for it to be your turn to die in that place.
The thing is, just jetting off to the tree was impulsive, and not in a good way. Henry was right to push back on her rationale because there was literally no guarantee she would duplicate her past success, or even have a positive outcome.
Henry was the right person for her to have run into that day, and I truly thought she was going to tell him she was Miranda. What the hell does that conversation even look like?
There’s so much to process in that place on a daily basis, but trying to come to terms with being introduced to the reincarnation of your wife may be on a whole other level than the scary monsters that come out at night.
The Boy in White, who will pretty soon be the Middle-Aged Man in White at the rate this show is going, appeared just in time because I have no doubt that Tabitha would have pushed Henry to the side if she had to in order to get into that tree.
The idea that they’re getting close but running out of time leads me to think about The Man in the Yellow Suit, because the fact that he’s asserting himself into the story now must mean he’s there to make sure things go as they’re supposed to, right?
Or was he always supposed to be here at this moment?
Speaking of that man, who has shapeshifted into Sophia, Victor’s reaction to seeing that suit made me so incredibly sad.
Victor has been through so much, and he has seen so much throughout his lifetime in that dreadful place. But even with all that he’s endured, I’m not sure he’s ever been as truly frightened as he was in that moment.
I had to wrack my brain to remember Victor’s connection to the man, outside of Miranda’s drawings, but did Victor ever meet him before? Or is this just a case of him knowing, based on the drawings, how scary he is?
The way he just broke down like that was tough, especially because he, Ethan, and Jade were actually making some headway out in the woods, trading stories and searching for the lake.
Jade finding mushrooms was so on brand for him, but I’ll be so curious to see if they actually unlock any more core memories, because Jade’s the only person in that town who is currently completely locked in on finding answers.
Well, maybe him and Julie.
This whole season is leading to Julie cutting her hair and then trying to save Jim, like we already saw.
But seeing her try to fine-tune the storywalking ability is kind of interesting in its own right.
If there is a way to do it in a controllable way, whatever that may look like, think about the possibilities. Even if she can’t change the story, there are many other things to gather from various moments in the town’s history.
I hadn’t thought much about the old Matthews house, and Randall going inside to get Ethan’s books was not super entertaining, but why does it feel like he’s not going to get out of there before dark?
Yes, we’ve been there, done that before with people trapped in that very house when the sun goes down, but we’re going to be almost halfway through this show soon, and we haven’t had a nighttime adventure yet!
Some of the best hours of this show have always taken place in the evening, when everything goes to hell, and the tension that constantly envelops it reaches its peak.
I love a slow burn, to a point. And I know this show is ramping up to something because it always does, but this calm before the storm could use a little wind or a stray bolt of lightning just to remind us the storm is on its way.
Loose Ends
- Fatima is like an actual queen, because she had every reason to curse Elgin out, and instead, she was nothing but gracious. That being said, what are they going to do with all that dirt?
- Ellis will always be the boyfriend of the year in that place. Creating a rage room for Fatima was so violent and so incredibly sweet.
- Many people called Sophia staying with Sara, and boy, does it make all the sense in the world for The Man in the Yellow Suit to hone in on Sara and get her to play a part in burning everything down this season.
- I need Kenny away from Sophia so badly. I have such a bad feeling about Kenny this season, and their proximity stressed me out!
- The Man in the Yellow Suit took the priest’s tooth like a souvenir of sorts. You know who else took souvenirs from people? Victor. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
A bit of a slow hour, but a slow hour of FROM is still better than many shows currently airing on television.
What did you guys think of this one?
What new theories did it unlock?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments!
You can watch FROM on Sundays at 9/8c on MGM+.
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