'From Season Three Episode Four' Review: A much better episode, the strongest of the season

After a few episodes of nothing, the recent episode of From felt like it had returned to its roots. A mixture of horror and thrills as the episode took place under the threat of the night. It feels like it has been forever since we had an episode like this, one that takes place during the night in which the monsters roam freely in search of people. Everything falling out of control and the characters left to make really drastic choices. It felt like it had some actual weight to it for once, less of the teasing and characters conveniently finding ways out of talking, more actual communication in this episode. Hallucinations have been a frequent event for much of the characters in the show, but one of the fundamental flaws would be how every character just refuses to tell anyone else about them, though that seemed to have changed in this episode as they felt more open to discussing them. Pointing out the oddities that have been taking place for each of the characters. One of the major strengths was how characters finally talked about the strange phone calls they get, telling each other of what would happen. The constant teasing that would send specific characters into a panic. The generally darker tone of this episode really showed how good of a show From can be when it wants to, when the beating around the bush finally ends.

It is a little disappointing that it took three episodes for us to reach the point in which someone actually happened so far in this season, but it's clear that the show is finally starting to take a stronger turn in the pursuit of its narrative, where the hellish nature of the town the characters find themselves within will start to provide some answers to the many questions we all have. Some of the changes in this have been particularly aimed at the character Boyd, to which we have seen the monsters starting to toy with him directly. In a way that tells us of a very different nature to the monsters: threatening him in English that they'll break his character. This is starting to show as Boyd is starting to be given direct choices to make as the monsters directly give him them. Questioning which route he wants to take: save one person, but in doing so allow another to die. There has been this constant question throughout regarding Boyd in which he wants to save as many as he can, though the monsters now directly tell him he can't save everyone. It's an interesting route to take where those monsters have started to show a more human, tormenting take. No longer seeming like strange creatures, but actual beings that have the ability to stand still and talk, rationalise and interact. It definitely adds another lay to things, especially between moments where they do still act barbaric and monstrous.

In episode four we start to see a more serious turn of events for the characters as each of them starts to find something off. Whether it's the return of loved ones, strange habits forming as they begin to crave rotten food and even blood, or the realisation of this whole event starting to take its toll on them. The fear really starting to set in as everything becomes more stressful, more challenging as each thing comes soon after the previous with little room to breathe or take in the events. The pacing is definitely starting to pick up, and seeing how the characters are each starting to have something going on for them is really engaging, particularly as it means there is plenty of room for character development but also giving them their own stories that in the greater scheme of things has actually some weight on the main narrative. Within this episode it almost felt for the first time that each of these characters was actually there for a reason, with their own converging paths having something to do with what's going on. I really liked that feeling, the question of maybe there is a reason why these specific people belong in this horrific place. And what could that reason possibly be?

The mystery also continued with the sudden use of Randall, a character that hasn't seen much screen time but is mostly seen as a hostile fool. Though it was revealed he has actually been spending a lot of time in the bus to keep an eye on the monsters in the night and research them, trying to figure out what it is that's going on and if there's a pattern to their movements. Something greater also happened to Randall in the episode, related to how Boyd must make decisions. I won't mention specifically what that was out of spoilers, but there's clearly some intent to use his character a bit more, and with what happens it's particularly curious as to where that's heading. I think his character has been a bit all over the place, so it's nice to see that his character might start seeing some greater use going forward, especially with the conflict he's had with some of the town's higher ups. Questioning their decisions and generally being a bit more independent in his nature. I think his character is one of the more interesting ones given he's always had a bit more of a suspicious attitude to him, which again adds to that assumption that these people are there for a reason.

The show definitely needs to hold up this momentum. Not with every episode being full of action, but mostly in portraying the atmosphere of the town. The constant feeling of threat. Too many episodes in the daytime removes some of that feeling that they're stuck in that town with a constant threat that is hunting them in the night when we just don't see it. Instead we just see the more hallucination side of things which doesn't perform in the same manner. Anyway, this episode was a great improvement over the last few. It shows the great side of the show that made so many get attached to it. I hope it can continue this way.