REVIEW: ‘FROM’ Season 4 Fails To Answer Lingering Questions

When a series hinges itself on a premise where you can’t leave a mysterious town, monsters come out at night to kill the residents, and characters are grappling with the few mysteries they do figure out, you need to eventually answer questions rather than drag a season out. FROM Season 4 relies heavily on filler episodes and leaves fans scratching their heads about it. We shouldn’t have a deep pit full of unanswered questions during a penultimate season, but unfortunately, that’s the case right now. 

FROM Season 4 kicks off during the aftermath of the previous season’s finale, which killed off Jim Matthews (Eion Bailey) by the Man in Yellow (Douglas E. Hughes) in a brutal way, all while his daughter Julie (Hannah Cheramy) witnessed it before disappearing into thin air. It’s safe to say that FROM Season 4 delivers the goods in making the season feel like it’s heading in an interesting direction. However, instead of consistently building on that momentum, the season struggles to connect the dots and introduces subplots that go nowhere. 

As the characters deal with the grief and shock of Jim’s death, the Man in Yellow infiltrates the town by shapeshifting into a young religious woman named Sophia (Julia Doyle). To say that Julia Doyle’s performance is a highlight of the season is an understatement. Much like Douglas E. Hughes, Doyle has a presence that unsettles in how casually violent she can be. The only issue with the Man in Yellow/Sophia’s direction throughout FROM Season 4 is how the infiltration doesn’t cause nearly enough issues for the residents.

The Man in Yellow takes new forms in FROM Season 4, but it doesn’t quite pay off.

Rather than the characters cluing in to Julia’s arrival, they simply trust her and don’t suspect her when she’s acting strangely. It paints the characters out to be a bit too trusting or naive, even after everything they’ve come to know about the town. This quickly becomes quite frustrating throughout Season 4, including during what has become a divisive season finale. 

The performances by various cast members throughout the season, including in Episode 10, “If a Tree Falls in the Forest…”, are small highlights. Harold Perrineau continues to shine throughout FROM Season 4, especially in his portrayal of a man who keeps trying and failing to get everyone home. Scott McCord delivers, making Victor such a fascinating character with many mental scars. David Alpay always shines as the blunt character who is willing to ruffle feathers, and Chloe Van Landschoot‘s performance in the finale, in particular, will rip your heart out. 

In terms of the direction for the entirety of FROM Season 4, it becomes more about characters talking and arguing about what the next plan is or isn’t going to be. The writing becomes repetitive at a point because we’re stuck going around in circles over the same conflicts. Just like the characters in Fromville, the audience is no more aware of the actual reason the residents can’t physically leave the town than they are. At this point in the show, we should have proper answers to questions that have been lingering since Season 1.

Harold Perrineau and the rest of the cast continue to act their socks off, keeping us (mostly) engaged.

The biggest questions are: why are people physically stuck, who is the “Boy in White” (Vox Smith), and whether the “Man in Yellow” is an entity separate from the monsters. FROM Season 4 doesn’t answer any of these questions, and instead insists on dragging everything out until its upcoming and final season. 

One thing that FROM Season 4 doesn’t skimp on is the violence, nor does it fail in the moments involving the monsters, especially since they’re just as unhinged as ever. If nothing else, the blood, violence, and gory moments remain the show’s more consistent elements. Not to mention the fact that the series isn’t too afraid to kill off or sacrifice characters, even in ways that leave us sighing endlessly. Season 4 may potentially leave you shaken near the end with some of the people who meet their demise. 

The finale fails to deliver a payoff, squandering goodwill and patience.

FROM Season 4 is far from an ideal penultimate season, even after an initially hookworthy premiere. Despite the strong performances in Season 4 from Harold Perrineau, Scott McCord, David Alpay, Julia Doyle, and a few others, they aren’t enough to fix the plot holes or the pacing issues that are all too noticeable throughout the season. Fingers are immensely crossed that the final season of the show goes out with a bang and gives fans the answers they desperately need.

If you’re a huge fan of FROM and only care about what happens to the characters, then you may not be nearly as disappointed with this season. However, if you’re someone who’s tired of questions going unanswered, you may leave this season with more frustration than satisfaction. 

FROM Season 4 is streaming now, exclusively on MGM+ and Prime Video.