From season 3 review: The popular horror series is back

PLOT: 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. In the wake of Season Two’s epic cliffhanger, escape will become a tantalizing and very real possibility as the true nature of the town comes into focus, and the townspeople go on offense against the myriad horrors surrounding them.

REVIEW: The fact that we are reviewing the third season of the MGM+ original series From is a blessing. The era of peak television we have experienced over the last decade is primarily thanks to revolutionary shows like The X-Files and Lost, both of which altered the landscape for mainstream genre television. While those series generated multiple failed copycats, we have had more shows follow the fantasy, zombie, and comic book formula rather than horror-tinged science fiction. While From started out with an intriguing premise, the uneven first season led to a superior second, which deepened the show’s mythology and set up a series of plot threads for this third year of mystery. From continues to echo its predecessors in the best way possible while keeping us guessing what is really going on in the town that does not let anyone escape. Or, as we found out in the second season finale, almost anyone.

If you have not tuned in to the first two seasons of From, here is a crash course: a mysterious town in New England is teeming with monsters that come out at night, viciously killing the trapped inhabitants of the village. In the first season, Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and Jim Matthews (Eion Bailey), along with their kids, find themselves in the Township, which is under the leadership of self-appointed sheriff Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau). In season two, a bus crashes and adds more residents, each of whom has their own backstory that lends either skill to help the residents or adds insight as to why they became trapped. Over the first twenty episodes, mythology builds that includes the spectral monsters revealing their true nature, a music box that may control them, and a looming tower that is connected to the odd Victor (Scott McCord).

At the start of the third season, the characters are once again divided. The second season opened with some characters trapped in a collapsed house, while this season splits Tabitha as she explores her mysterious escape from the town and everyone else who stays back in the Township. Some begin to explore the trees that are some sort of portal, while others contend with the escalating presence of the monsters keeping them captive. The safety of all denizens of the Township remains tenuous, and the idea that no one is safe is especially true in the five episodes made available for this review. To divulge anything about this season would be a disservice to those who have been on this ride for twenty episodes thus far, but trust me when I say the gore and body count are higher this season than ever before. The series continues to figure out ways to add new characters by expanding roles for background actors and bringing new visitors to the town via supernatural means.

What works well in From is what will likely be the rationale for many not to be interested in the series. The format of From follows very closely to the template of Lost, which splits each episode into subplots that explore individual characters. At the same time, the main protagonists were embroiled in their own tasks. From ends every episode with a shocking cliffhanger that leads into the next episode, but each entry remains largely the same. At one point this season, Harold Perrineau’s Boyd states that they must do something differently rather than sit around and try to survive. Season three gives the characters higher stakes as the monsters get bolder and the human residents respond in kind. Subplots centered on Victor and his childhood add to the town’s backstory. At the same time, Jade Herrera (David Alpay), Kenny Liu (Ricky He), and Fatima Hassan (Pegah Ghafoori) get key storylines that elevate their characters to major roles compared to where they were in the first two seasons. Harold Perrineau and Catalina Sandino Moreno stay the leads of the series, while Eion Bailey and the ensemble cast, including Elizabeth Saunders, Shaun Majumder, Corteon Moore, and Hannah Cheramy, stay consistent with supporting roles this season.

As in the previous seasons, the third season of From opens with episodes directed by Jack Bender and written by John Griffin. Based on a story developed by Griffin with Jeff Pinkner, From seems to have an overall endgame in mind, with each season peppering just enough development amongst ten episodes of mysterious goings-on. The format and tone of From are scarier than most shows on the airwaves, but the look still sticks close to the network genre production values. The special effects are substantially better here than in other cable series. At the same time, the use of profanity and mature subject matter makes the series feel more realistic than network shows of the 2000s. I appreciate that Jack Bender and John Griffin, two veteran talents from genre series, have kept the quality of this series consistent from the series premiere on Epix to the show’s new home on MGM+. At no point has From ever felt like it sacrificed the story it was built around to meet studio standards and it shows.

From continues to be a unique genre offering compared to the other series on the air today, as it is actually pretty scary. With solid character development across the entire ensemble, creepy special effects, and engaging mythology, From continues to build out one of the most intriguing narratives on television. I would like to see the series continue to push the boundaries of what it is about and shift out of the formula it has kept going for three seasons while still being a great source of scares. Harold Perrineau has been a supporting player for so much of his career that it is long overdue for him to have as good of a leading role as he does here. From is a frightening and enjoyable watch premiering just in time for the Halloween season.

The third season of From premieres on September 22nd on MGM+.