TOM VS. FROM EP401: THE ARRIVAL

MGM+’s surprise horror hit FROM returns for its 4th season right where it left off, but is it worth returning to the town lost in space and time?

(****EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE ASSESSMENT OF EPISODE 1 OF SEASON 4 OF FROM***)

“From” unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.

Created by John Griffin

Showrunner Jack Pinkner

Directed by Jack Bender

Starring Harold Perrineau, Eion Bailey, David Alpay, Elizabeth Saunders, Shaun Majumder, Scott McCord, Ricky He, Chloe Van Landschoot, Pegah Ghafoori, Corteon Moore, Hannah Cheramy, et al.

SEASON 4, EPISODE 1: THE ARRIVAL—A new arrival throws the town into chaos; Jade and Tabitha struggle with their revelation at the Bottle Tree; Boyd grapples with the implications of Smiley’s return.

LOST was my jam (and I like the ending because I got it). So a few years ago when I learned some of that show’s producers had released a similar “mystery box” TV show, starring a former LOST cast member (Harold Perrineau), of course I was going to jump on board. Then I learned Joe and Anthony Russo of MCU fame have a hand in this…and I couldn’t have been more happy. FROM has done what it promised, it’s brought me back to those days of LOST, of wondering what happened and what might happen for a week in between episodes. But the difference between them is, as opposed to LOST, the producers of FROM have a fucking plan.

Everything about FROM makes it cool. Featuring a diverse and large cast, the show is rich in characterizations. Not only has it given us well written, quality television, it’s done a wonderful job of preserving the template for the weekly episodic cliffhanger—in an era of streaming when no one wants to wait a week for the next chapter. It’s hidden, you could say, on a little known platform, the former EPIX, now called MGM+. As a result of this pigeonholing, FROM may not be the cultural phenomena LOST was, but it sure as hell is doing its best to recreate that aesthetic. It’s already made an impact on the horror fandom rallying around it. Middle America can’t be far behind, especially with the announcement of this being its penultimate season.

I won’t delve too far into the internet’s thoughts on what is going on here, as we saw with LOST, there are fan theories galore and you can easily find them in any FROM social media group. Let’s suffice it to say we’re in a cosmic horror loop and it may have some connection to Robert Chambers’ cosmic horror classic THE KING IN YELLOW. The town, collectively called FROMville by the fandom, could indeed be lost Carcosa of Ambrose Bierce and Chambers fame. FROMville is on the coast of a body of water called “The Lake of Tears,” whereas Carcosa ports Lake Hali, aka the Black Lake. These creators aren’t the only possible source material. Episode names in previous seasons have been taken from things ranging from fairy tales to classic children’s books and more. And let’s not forget the musical connections, which also link this to Chamber’s book. Oh, and how about that little onomatopoeia linking young Ethan’s Cromenockle monster to the King in Yellow? But I digress, much like LOST you can go down this rabbit hole forever, that is until you find a tree blocking your path (wink).

So let’s jump forward to now, and the show’s fourth season premiere, titled THE ARRIVAL. The highly anticipated entry did not disappoint, picking up moments after the shocking climax of the season three finale wherein a cherished cast member was unceremoniously murdered in front of their adult child by the arrival of a new player in the game, a child was born and taken away, and the fallout after another was tortured by the people they trusted. As is typical of serialized programming of this nature, we got answers, we got more questions, and we got a whole lot of WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK? Much of the dialogue throughout this episode surrounds a trio of plot points: the curse, the monsters, and storywalking, each being told with different characters in the ensemble cast. This is spoiler-lite territory, so I will only divulge what we already know to this point…

THE CURSE & THE MONSTERS: These two are working hand-in-hand, but with two different groups. Fatima, who gave birth to a placenta we watched transform into what we believed was a dead monster, the infamous “Smiley” from the show’s advertising, tells everyone what she learned about the curse. It was established in season 3, how the original residents of this town, some 500 years ago, made a deal with an entity (the King/Man in Yellow?) for immortality. The cost of this was their children, to be sacrificed in a ritual. Meanwhile, Jade and Tabitha are both at odds with this knowledge, and the understanding they are the reincarnations of key players in this story, the parents who reneged on the ritual and damned them all to repeat this process for all time until they find a way to break the curse. 

STORYWALKING: Our other storyline reinforces what was established in the season 3 finale, that Julie is a storywalker and she can’t change a story that has already been told. What is a storywalker? In FROM’s mythology, they’re similar to time travelers. As The Man in Yellow tells Jim, and Ethan told Julie in Season 3, these storywalkers can move through a story and observe it, even interact with it, but no matter what they do, it will not change a story, as it has already been told. Stories, like time, are static once told, and they can’t be fucked with. 

Or can they?

This question is the riddle Boyd and company must solve if they ever want to leave this cursed place. And now, with the arrival of new residents, a pastor and his daughter, the tension increases and brings with it the episode’s surprise twist: the revelation that there has possibly been a mole in their ranks, reporting to the entity in control, all along. As Season 3 ended, this made me think Tillie—a late arrival in Season 2 who perished in season 3—was an old version of Julie, but now with the reveal of The Man in Yellow’s <redacted spoiler>, I don’t think this is the case any longer. If there’s anything I love about entertainment, it’s how a well written, serialized show can swerve you so well.

THE ARRIVAL is a stellar episode from beginning to end, pun intended, and its last minute reveal has opened fans up to more theories. THE ARRIVAL has made me eager for the next chapter, FRAY. Oh, and unlike most streaming shows, FROM’s episodes debut at midnight Eastern Time the day before officially airing. What theories do you all have?  Share them in the comments below! 

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.