Our editor, Aaron, has been reviewing FROM so far, and I wanted to get in on the reviews for two basic reasons. 1. Aaron turned me onto FROM, knowing that I’m a huge fan of LOST, and it does have a lot of similarities and a few of the same people involved. 2. Because I’ve felt different about the show than he does. I doubt that FROM will ever be as good as LOST was to me, but it’s still criminally underrated, and unfortunately, it’s on a streaming service that most people don’t even know exists.
FROM S1 was a 😊, while S2 went up to a 🤩. Much like the TV show FRINGE that I loved. An inconsistent first season turned a lot of people off to continuing. But those who did were treated to a rich serialized story that still delivered great weekly episodes balancing the long-running mysteries with self-contained stories. That’s how I feel about FROM. It took a bit to get going, but it’s now running full throttle. Last week’s episode was probably my least favorite in a while, but it still wasn’t a 🤮, sorry, Aaron! THERE AND BACK AGAIN is the best of this season so far, lucky me!
Like LOST, FROM has a large cast, and the show switches focus weekly. Unlike LOST, FROM doesn’t always hyper-focus on one character, which is a plus. Season 2’s finale set up some great story points for Tabitha, Victor, Fatima, and the show’s leader, Boyd, exquisitely cast, and acted by Harold Perrineau (LOST, OZ). Season 3 is doing a great job paying off each of these plot points, especially for Tabitha and Victor. Tabitha’s plot, especially, is reminiscent of LOST. Each time it answers a big question (Where did she go? How long has it been? Why? Will she return?), it opens up several more.Â
If you’ve seen even 1 episode of FROM, you know it’s also R-rated, unlike LOST. The show isn’t afraid to kill off characters and do so in the most tragic and grotesque ways. I don’t mind blood and gore, but if you’re squeamish, perhaps this isn’t the show for you. It’s nowhere near THE WALKING DEAD levels, and you can just cover your eyes or look away in the brief scenes that ratchet up the gore. THERE AND BACK AGAIN is a very bloody episode. Season 2 set up the intertwining stories of Tabitha and Victor, and it’s seemingly all about to come to a big showdown with perhaps more twists and turns. Fatima’s story is moving a lot slower. I guess that the writers want the audience to experience her pregnancy just as she is. That being said, it’s going to be a very long streak of episodes with her expecting, if we don’t get a time jump this season.Â
Boyd is just trying to keep spinning the plates in the air, even as more and more are added. Despite his best efforts, we’ve seen him fail before, and we will see it happen again. And when Boyd falters, there are always tragic outcomes. Dare I say that Boyd is a more realistic hero than Jack was on LOST? 2024 TV commands that our heroes be more complex. Jack was always trying to save everyone. Boyd already knows that he can’t do that and when time and lives are on the line, he has to choose who lives and who dies. I worry for Boyd. One can only take on so much trauma before completely breaking. Look at Victor. Almost his entire life has been one traumatic event after another. Can FROM keep up this momentum? I’m optimistic at this point.Â
FROM S3 streams every Saturday night in the US on the MGM+ network. You can get it as an add-on to your Prime subscription, through other cable and streaming providers, and on its own. Seasons 1&2 can be streamed via Prime Video without any additional subscriptions. Â
