Irrespective of genre, handling an ensemble of over a dozen diverse characters is a daunting task for any media venture, especially if the venture in question is a mystery survival thriller that already deals with a number of themes and possibilities to begin with. MGM+’s From makes this intimidating job seem like a cakewalk, by the way it juggles through story arcs, motivations, and perspectives of multiple characters with ease in every season. As a result, in the confluence of different worldviews and varying approaches to tackling the quest for survival, the series itself gets imbued with a rich, layered subtext, which enhances the central mystery as well.
Spoilers Ahead
Sheriff Boyd Stevens
Military veteran Boyd Stevens carried demons within him long before getting trapped in Fromville, as the trauma of seeing his war buddy Brian Kelly dying in his arms never left him. Perhaps the tragic motivation led him to assume the role of de facto leader of the township, aiding people in need—the survivor’s guilt, which had weighed heavy on his soul, needed an outlet. But as Boyd became too busy helping the people of Fromville, he became unmindful towards his wife, Abby, who became troubled by the emotional stress the town was exerting until it became too late, and she finally snapped one day. Boyd ended up taking the life of his wife to save his son, Ellis, which resulted in a prolonged estrangement between father and son. Boyd’s leadership skills, unshakable resolve, and fighting spirit are all that stand between impending dangers and Fromville.
However, Boyd isn’t in his best mental state, as the town’s woes have done a number on his psyche. Often faced with insurmountable troubles, he finds himself visiting the late Father Khatri for consultation, though he is nothing except a figment of his imagination. This doesn’t necessarily make him an unreliable leader per se, but the narrative itself makes us feel that Boyd’s role as a leader is more of a preordained state of affairs than one chosen by him. On a number of occasions, Boyd’s presence and actions trigger particular events, which are not random or related to any simple causality. At present, Boyd himself is also aware of the fact that he is a crucial figure in the context of the fates of the townsfolk, and in accordance with that knowledge, he continues to make desperate attempts to unravel the mysteries that keeps the townsfolk from escaping Fromville.
Victor Kavanaugh
Viktor is one of the most tragic and broken souls residing in Fromville, and he has spent the majority of his life stuck in the hellhole—since his boyhood days. Victor has witnessed the true horrors the town has to offer, and the resulting shock has contributed to his stunted mental growth. Victor knows the town and its secrets and whims better than anyone, thanks to his experience as a survivor—but usually he isn’t willing to uncover the mysteries of the town, considering that curiosity only ends up killing the cat in this part of the world. Victor’s eccentric behavior has distanced him from others, and loneliness has taken a toll on his mental health as well. The place has kept him separated from his mother and sister, and longing for his family, he possibly still hopes to reunite with them one day in the future. In any case, Victor’s contribution will be absolutely pivotal to solving the riddle that is Fromville and helping its residents find their long-awaited freedom.
Tabitha Mathews
The mysteries of Fromville have a way of reaching out to people, as they seem to attain own interpretations depending on the mind assessing them. Tabitha, the maternal figure of the Mathews family, acknowledges the signs conveyed to her by the town as her chance of getting redemption, which for her would be a way to escape the hellscape of Fromville and from her mental prison as well. Long before arriving in the town, Tabitha and her husband, Jim, had lost their youngest child, Thomas, due to their own momentary negligence—and seeing visions of the hideous children of the catacombs time and time again, she considers this to be her chance of making amends with her past by saving them. A caring and loving mother, Tabitha subverts the stereotype of being a passive maternal figure by actively taking part in untangling the mystifying secrets of the town, even if it puts her own life in great danger. In fact, aside from Boyd, Tabitha might just be the most involved resident in Fromville, and at the end of the second season, she presumably manages to make it to the outside world while attempting to save her daughter’s life. It will be intriguing to see whether she has indeed escaped or found herself stuck in a more complex reality in the third season, as Tabitha will try her best to reunite with her family.
Jade Herrera
Initially coming off as a cliché obnoxious techie rich guy, Jade soon becomes a prominent figure in the conspiracies of Fromville, and like Boyd, he too feels there is a preordained role he needs to play as events from the town’s past start haunting him through visions. Jade lacks social skills and often comes off as rude and clueless to others’s plight. But his hyperactive mind and connection to the town itself can pave the way for the townsfolk to attain freedom at the end.
Jim Matthews
Jim Matthews had a much more prominent role to play in the story during the first season, when he, with Jade’s help, built a radio and attempted to communicate with whatever was out there. However, in the second season, his role gets a bit reduced, as his curiosity mostly fuels Randall’s conspiracy theories and alternatively he gets reality checked by Donna. Jim is an upstanding, reasonable guy who, at times, can be a bit skeptical towards others but values reason more than emotional attachments.
Rudra Khatri
Even though Father Khatri lost his life during the Colony House massacre in the first season, his involvement in the affairs of the town makes its presence felt through Boyd’s visions in the second season, and possibly the third season will follow a similar approach as well. For a man of faith, Father Khatri was exceptionally rational, pragmatic, and wise. His astute judgment and foresight led Boyd to seek advice from him time and again, which conveys how detrimental his loss was to the fates of the townsfolk. Father Khatri had hidden a secret of his past from the rest of the world—his failure to save a boy from his abusive father—and to escape the pangs of guilt, Khatri followed the voice of God, which led him to Fromville. Father Khatri might be physically absent at present, but his influence and ideas will continue to make an impact in the upcoming season.
Donna Raines
Donna is the tough co-leader of the residents of Fromville who tries her best to save the townsfolk depending on her and make some sense of the inexplicable events that continue to rock their godless town, but time and again her efforts are thwarted. Eventually, even a fearless leader like her starts feeling nervous and terrified—at the absolute helplessness at the hands of unknown forces that control and observe everything in Fromville.
Sara Myers
Sara is an unfortunate victim of the unknown forces controlling Fromville, as ever since the arrival of the Matthews family, she has been compelled by the unseen forces to take part in atrocious acts in exchange for the false promise of gaining the chance to free the townsfolk. Despite her actions speaking otherwise, Sara means well, is caring of others, and is at present on a road to redemption as she is willing to use the psychical connection she shares with the place to help Boyd and co. free the townsfolk from this hellscape.
Kristi Miller
The sole medic of Fromville, Kristi got separated from her family and fiancée after getting stranded in Fromville and is a very caring, sympathetic person who can help others to share their emotional burden. Kristi’s role is really significant given how often tragedies occur in the town, and despite being an unfortunate witness to those, she tries to keep herself positive and hopeful for a better tomorrow.
Kenny Liu
Kenny, the deputy sheriff of the town, looks up to Boyd as his father figure, especially since a distance was created between him and his own father, who was diagnosed with dementia. Living in the nightmarish town is especially tough for Kenny, with his elderly parents trapped in there with him as well, and in the first season, his father’s death took a major emotional toll on him. Learning Sara to be responsible for his father’s death and Boyd choosing to not reveal the truth to him, Kenny was extremely distraught for a period of time—and occasionally, had violent outbursts that cannot be overlooked. But otherwise, Kenny is an upstanding, reliable, and helpful person who wants to help Boyd in fulfilling his mission of freeing the townsfolk.
Ethan Matthews
The youngest prominent character in the list, little Ethan shouldn’t have to experience the horrors festering in the town, but fate has different plans for him, as like Boyd and Jade, he too is burdened with a role in the context of Fromville’s machinations. Ethan is a good friend of Victor, and in a number of ways, both their perspectives match as well, which prompts viewers to consider that Ethan is going to take Victor’s place in the near future. Ethan’s connection with the Boy in White might be a key to uncovering the dreadful mysteries hidden in the underbellies of the town, which will be one of the major highlights in the third season.
