A Review of From (Seasons 1 and 2) by Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: MGM+
FCC Rating, 16+
Reel Rating, Four Reels
Disclaimer:
Major Spoilers
“It’s
like we only have a few of the pieces to the puzzle,” Jade (David Alpay), the
eccentric tech entrepreneur, frustratingly muses. “And not even the good ones,
like the corners. “Well,” says Boyd (Harold Perrineau), the wise sheriff, “You got
to find two that match, then go from there.” It’s probably the best explanation
of the genre I’ve heard. The “Puzzle” style began with ABC’s masterpiece Lost
in 2004. This show took the traditional castaway drama and blended it seamlessly
with horror, science fiction, and mystery. It took the “mytharc” concept
started by the The X-Files to the extreme with every single episode
adding to the mystery. Prior to streaming, this necessitated tuning in every week.
The trend continued with shows like Once Upon a Time, 1899, and Under
the Dome. From took all of this and added a mature, supernatural
twist to create one of the best entries in this ever-growing field.
From
begins with one of the most horrifying phenomena of the modern age: a family
road trip. The Matthews family of four was trekking across the mid-West when
they come across a giant tree in the middle of the road, surrounded by an ominous
murder of crows. Upon turning around, they drive through a small town where
everyone stands around shocked to see them. Quickly moving on through this
weird rural outcrop, they find themselves suddenly in the town again. They keep
driving through again and again, taking different roads each time but always
ending up back on Main Street. It is learned that everyone in town, including
themselves now, is trapped. Worse still, every night a horde of terrifying, seemingly
immortal humanoids emerge from the forest to brutally dismember anyone caught
outdoors, and this is only the beginning.
Almost
immediately, two questions arise. First, how does one survive in this strange,
new world? Second, how do we get out? These two questions frame nearly every
episode as the audience starts to get small pieces of the puzzle. The residents
have essentially two approaches to these mysteries. The first approach is
typified by Boyd who leads the residential section of the town. He takes a
logical, scientific outlook. For example, he discovered a series of strange
rocks that seem to ward off the creatures. He places them at the entrances of
all the houses to protect the residents at night. He experiments with various
aspects of the world to test its properties. At the end of the first season, he
leads an expedition into the woods away that reveals a mysterious lighthouse. The
other approach is articulated by Donna (Elizabeth Sanders) who leads a small
commune in an abandoned mansion on the edge of town. She and her followers live
for the moment. They make no attempt to figure out any mystery, simply accept
their fate, and try “to feel normal.” They also share everything in common,
including food, clothes, and…each other. Like in real life, this rarely goes
well.
The
most terrifying aspect of From is its malleable reality. There are consistencies
that allow a semi-normal existence, but many, many more questions. All the
houses have electricity and running water, but the pipes and wires don’t lead
anywhere. There are chickens and cows found wandering in the forest but don’t
come from any farm. Wounds heal quicker than usual. Many residents see things
that aren’t there or have bizarre dreams that are later confirmed true. Slowly,
these experiences are collected, and theories develop to explain the deviations
from normal reality. Boyd’s deputy makes a map of all the places residents were
traveling when they saw the downed tree (they all see the tree) and
demonstrates that this world cannot be in one specific location as they came
from areas all over the United States.
As
far-fetched as this seems, it is a good understanding of classical apologetics
of the spiritual life. Apart from the physical world, humans have always
noticed odd quirks of our universe that suggested we are “strangers in a strange
land.” The causal nature of our reality demands a creator. The miracles that
have been documented throughout history poke holes in traditional physics and
suggest another world. We live in a reality that is both “visible and invisible,”
and we use the rational process to understand amoebas and angels alike.
Our
reality is created by a benevolent God who “works for the good of all who love
him,” but the puppet master behind From seems to have much darker
designs. When Jim (Eion Bailey), the Matthews patriarch, builds a radio, an ominous
voice warns his wife to stop her investigation of the power grid. When Boyd
finds a way to finally kill one of the creatures, townsfolk start dying in their
sleep, attacked by creatures in their dreams. In the final episode, Sara (Avery
Konrad), who seems to have some psychic connection to the place, tells Boyd
that it isn’t fear on which the Entity feeds, but “hope.” This “thing” both
breaks people down but then convinces them there is a way out.
Yet
despite these circumstances, God is still present. Apocalyptic shows,
especially The Walking Dead, push the narrative that when the superego
disappears, we will all devolve into selfish monsters. From sees a group
of highly oppressed individuals who nonetheless collectively create a functional
society. There’s even a church with regular services. People respect one
another, protect one another, and, eventually, work together to find answers. We
are fallen, but we fell from our original grace. Some will do terrible things,
but there is far more heroism than malevolence.
Beyond
the mature discussions of existentialism, determinism, supernaturalism, and all
the other topics of pipe smoking English professors, From is a ton of
fun. As soon as every episode ends, the internet is flooded with theories –
profound and goofy alike – with earnest expectation of the next entry. I’ll end
with the gift of my five theories for season three:
1. There
is a mole working against the citizens of From. My primate candidates
are either Donna or Tillie.
2. The
Entity is an extraterrestrial.
3. The
town in From is a physical reality (not a computer simulation) but
created by the entity with people abducted from Earth.
4. The Entity will appear at the earliest in the
last episode of season 3, but probably not until season 4.
5. Those
who died in From really are dead, but their apparitions are not from the
Entity or deranged minds. It is the souls of the departed who are helping these
prisoners escape.
I also forgot to mention that
this is the only TV show that has given my wife nightmares; it’s the best
compliment a horror series can get.
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