Critic’s Rating: 4.3 / 5.0
4.3
The best part about breaking down an hour of FROM every week is figuring out how to begin. I usually want to start with a string of expletives because I’m either flabbergasted or confused as hell.
After FROM Season 3 Episode 9, I’m a bit of both.
It does not feel like these people are any closer to getting home this season, but they’re making discoveries left and right. So, what does that mean? What does that really mean in the grand scheme of things? I’m not sure.
This hour revolved around the search for Fatima, but before that search began, we had many conversations with various people, perhaps none more interesting than the one between Boyd and Ellis.
Boyd and Ellis have this super complex father-son dynamic, and it’s one of the best relationships on the show.
When FROM began, they weren’t even speaking for the most part, but through this horrific nightmare and the loss of Abby and beyond, they reached this lovely place where they understand each other better.
We never saw the immediate aftermath of what happened between Ellis finding Fatima and then the beginning of FROM Season 3 Episode 8, when Fatima and Boyd were scrambling through the woods.
It’s safe to assume Ellis went directly to his father, the one person he knew he could count on, and they immediately hatched a plan.
The love has always been there, but what happened to Abby changed them, and ever since then, Boyd has, at times, seemed to keep Ellis a bit at arm’s length.
When Boyd’s legs seized up, and Ellis had to help him back to town, Boyd finally decided to come clean about his illness. I’ve been waiting a long time for this conversation, and while brief, it was so necessary.
There was barely any time to sit with the information, considering they had no idea where Fatima was, and a monster was taunting Boyd just outside. Still, it was a long overdue talk between a father facing his mortality in a different way than they’d become accustomed to.
And a son must come to terms with this being kept from him.
In typical FROM fashion, there wasn’t much time to marinate before the next crisis, but hearing Boyd wonder out loud if whatever was happening to Fatima was because of him was fascinating.
The monsters have long wanted to break Boyd, and now they’ve officially gotten him thinking that other bad things are inherently his fault. And isn’t that a psychological trip?
We haven’t seen the monsters much lately, but you could still feel their presence.
Sara also had the monsters back in her head, and wasn’t that a sight? I was so sure this would end badly for Sara, but instead, the monsters were using her as a vessel to deliver a message.
Listen, everything with Fatima and Elgin does not make sense right now, but what does make sense is that Elgin is being fed information from the kimono lady that he believes will help.
Elgin has never come across as a bad guy, and even though he’s keeping Fatima against her will, he’s still not behaving maliciously. Something is growing inside Fatima, but what it is and what it will do remains to be seen.
Brushing off Fatima killing Tillie because the baby got scared was just one of the bizarre things Elgin said during the hour, but you can’t ignore the correlation between the blood and the rotten food at this point.
When Fatima feeds the beast, so to speak, she does seem to be less agitated, if only slightly, and in less pain. So, Eligin’s clearly onto something, but how this “baby” is supposed to change everything remains to be seen.
But Elgin’s so convinced he’s doing the right thing that it’s starting to feel Sara-like. The monsters had her convinced that everything they told her to do was for the greater good of the town.
The whole sacrifice one to save plenty kind of mentality.
The reality of the situation, though, is that Elgin is being haunted by something paranormal, and he trusts it or is influenced by it. From the outside looking in, all we know is that Fatima is being held against her will, and something terrible is happening inside of her.
I’m of the mindset never to believe the monsters, visions, or anything supernatural on this series because outside of the boy in white, how many of them have actually helped in any meaningful way?
You can’t trick me, FROM land!
Fatima spent much of the hour trying to escape her mini-prison to no avail, even while the entire town was looking for her. And I fear that we’re headed for some kind of birth in the season finale, and there’s probably a high likelihood that it ends in absolute calamity.
Elgin got into his little villain bag by teaming up with Ellis to search for Fatima around the town, and there was not a subtle bone in his body while the two searched.
My guess for the finale is that Ellis picks up on what Elgin is putting down and forces him to lead him to Fatima. He’ll be too late for whatever happens to Fatima, or he’ll get there right in time to “save” her, but he’ll also trigger something that disrupts the flow of what is supposed to happen.
Either way, all signs point to disaster for Fatima, and I’m finding it increasingly difficult to imagine her coming out of this completely unscathed.
With Fatima missing and the two, for the most part, split off looking for her, there were A LOT of deep conversations taking place, which almost seemed out of place considering how dire the situation was becoming, even if not everyone was privy to all the details.
But as a viewer, I was screaming at the television because I desperately needed these people to do something and do it with a sense of urgency!
There’s been a lot to like about this third season, but things have gotten very slow lately. While the character exploration has been excellent in some respects (e.g., Boyd and Ellis, Henry and Victor), some of the other stuff feels wildly misplaced.
It becomes hard to remember that only some in the town have the information we do, but my goodness, some deep talks felt like a significant waste of time.
For example, Acosta has been in the town for 17 minutes, and all she has done is be a bother. We don’t particularly need her yapping to Donna about how she can be an asset when all she’s done thus far is chastise how others handle things.
Donna’s so beaten down this season because she was much nicer than she could have been. Maybe Acosta should work on doing one helpful thing first before trying to get everyone to believe she’s the perfect cop who’s arrived to save the day.
Then you have Jim, who’s suddenly decided, after a whole season of being labeled a deadbeat dad and horrible husband, that he’d like to leave that old Jim behind and be more present and understanding to his family.
That’s all well and good that it took him all this time to sit back and listen, but some of these life lessons could have occurred much earlier in the story because there should have been more screaming and less self-reflection in the penultimate hour.
Though, much like I’m worried about Fatima’s chances of making it out of this season alive, I’m also wondering about Jim’s chances because this has all the makings for Jim to be put in a position where he has to sacrifice himself for his family, which would necessitate him making these amends now.
And something is bound to happen with Tabitha in the final hour.
The bond between Tabitha and Victor has always been interesting and felt very maternal. Tabitha has given Victor space to trust in her and feel comfortable around her in a way we don’t often see from him.
Their connection has always seemed predicated on understanding and comfort. And while we’ve seen them touch one another, that physical contact has suddenly unleashed something in Tabitha.
First, it was a fleeting feeling, but in the closing minutes of the hour, Tabitha was literally transported into the night that Smiley killed Victor’s mom, and what the hell?
Victor spent the whole hour reeling after discovering that his search for Jasper was useless and that he was no closer to discovering anything new. It was so sad to see him so utterly defeated because he put so much stock in himself being able to summon up all these repressed memories for the greater good.
And he was so disappointed in himself that he just lost it a bit. His attempt to chop down the tree was born out of pure pain and shame that he couldn’t do more.
The boy in white always shows up at the correct times, but only when he feels like it. Unlike everything else in that place, he is the one entity they can trust, but he’s also stingy with his knowledge and help.
He won’t always do it, and he won’t always tell you exactly what you need to know, but he’ll nudge you in the right direction if he can.
He was forthright when he told Victor not to chop down the tree, but even after Victor begged him, the boy couldn’t do more than basically shrug his shoulders and tell him he’ll have to keep on keeping on.
Now, he offered a few tidbits, like explaining that he was physically changing because that place was changing, and he mentioned that Christopher ruined it for everyone, apparently when he wouldn’t heed the boy’s earlier advice.
Things have been changing, from the weather to the increasingly sinister nature of the monsters. The boy’s message felt very much like a call to action because how much change can that place sustain before it’s uninhabitable?
But back to the final moments, we’ve known Tabitha was connected to that place, but now she can see into the past? When was that kill unleased? And more importantly, how can she harness that for good, if at all?
Julie can time travel. Tabitha can see into the past. Ethan can solve puzzles. And what the hell can Jim do?
I kid, but we’re heading into the final hour with all these moving parts, and it should be exhilarating, but none of them feel like they’re on a collision course to reach each other.
Julie hasn’t told anyone outside her mother what happened, and the three were standing right outside where Fatima was being held with no idea she was in there.
There are all these threads, but everything feels so far apart. I wish I could be excited thinking the threads will connect, but I’m more or less just expecting one or two answers, 38428484 more questions, at least one or two deaths, and a cliffhanger that makes me ready to go on the ride all over again.
I don’t know whether to say thank you to FROM or conclude this review with that string of expletives I wanted to start with.
Loose Ends
- Boyd asking Kenny to step into the role of sheriff once he’s no longer there was a bittersweet moment as the two continue adjusting to the new realities of their relationship. Kenny didn’t seem ready to accept what he was saying, but Boyd got his deputy back.
- One thing about Jade is that he’s often the worst, but you team him up with anyone, and it just works. Of all the people Henry has chatted with, he probably got the most profound advice from dear old Jade.
- Has it seemed as if certain characters have been sidelined this season? Where has Kristi been? She hurt her ankle, and it’s as if we never see her anymore.
- Bakta re-opening the diner was nice. The diner has been one of the places in that town that has made everyone feel a bit of comfort and normalcy.
We have finally reached the finale, and I imagine everyone has as many questions and thoughts as I do.
So, please share all your thoughts and theories below so we can discuss them!
You can watch FROM on Sundays at 9/8c on MGM+.
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