Streaming on: Sky Sci-Fi
Episodes viewed: 10 of 10
It’s hard to ignore the giant shadow that Lost casts across From, and not just because they’re both mystery-box-type shows. It’s created by John Griffin, who wrote the majority of the season alongside Javier Grillo-Marxuach (the first of the Lost veterans) and Vivian Lee. Jack Bender is on board as exec producer and producing director, and Jeff Pinkner is running the show, both of whom worked on JJ Abrams’ island-set thriller. And, of course, there’s Harold Perrineau, who starred for years as Lost’s Michael “Waaaaalt!” Dawson, anchoring the cast here.
Kicking off with the incongruous image of Perrineau’s sheriff, Boyd Stevens, striding through a street and ringing a bell warning everyone to get indoors before nightfall, From takes a while to unveil its various enigmas. Our way in to the story (literally) is via Eion Bailey and Catalina Sandino Moreno’s characters, who swerve off the road and crash their car after entering the town’s inescapable borders. Their arrival is a handy way for the audience to learn more about what’s going on, with domestic ructions adding another layer to the supernatural drama that stems from the human-looking, demon-like threats who whisper and creep from the trees when the sun sets. The only protection against them (besides locking buildings down) are mysterious rock talismans that hang by every door.
Perrineau and the cast are game, and the story unfurls relatively naturally, even as it bumps into the odd cliché here and there.
As with Abrams’ show, From isn’t just about a place – it’s also about the people, and the baggage they bring with them. Occasional flashbacks reveal how some of them came to town, everyone’s skeletons rattling out of their closets, often causing more problems than the forest-dwellers. The place is also divided between the more rule-orientated town and the commune-like Colony House, a sprawling mansion where more freewheeling types reside, living in the moment and painfully aware that every day might be their last.
The Lost comparisons continue through Chris Tilton’s piano-and-string-heavy score, which is reminiscent of Michael Giacchino’s work. (While Tilton never worked on the Abrams series, he was a regular orchestrator for the director/producer). And the show even nods to Lost’s controversial conclusion, as unwitting residents frequently wonder if they’re all stuck in some version of purgatory. The vibe is also reminiscent of The Twilight Zone (perhaps not surprisingly, giving Griffin also wrote on the 2019 revival of that series), though creator Rod Serling used the word “motherfucker” considerably less in his 1960s original.
Perrineau and the cast are game, and the story unfurls relatively naturally, even as it bumps into the odd cliché here and there – surly teens, weird moony types who hear voices and feel compelled to do strange things, the arrogant douche who slowly comes around. Mostly, you may find yourself hoping that Griffin and co. can set From apart from Lost by having a well-constructed plan for how it’ll all end – though with a second season already in the works, that’s still a while away yet.
From is available to watch on streaming service NOW (with an Entertainment Membership).