***The following is review/breakdown followed by a detailed recap of episode 304 of FROM, “There and Back Again,” and it contains spoilers for the episode.***

Tonight’s episode of FROM really ramped up the action once again and didn’t stop. This week the stories finally converge with Tabitha returning to the town, but of course nothing can ever be easy on FROM.

From inside the town, we have the phone call, with whoever is on the other end now talking to Ethan and not just Jim. This is where it’s hard to tell if whoever or whatever it is sometimes wants to help, is just pushing its own agenda, or really just wants to screw with them so no one knows what to think. The fact that “Thomas” told Ethan that his mother was coming could have been taken as a good thing, but perhaps it was also because they knew he or Jim would run out and they wanted more deaths and chaos.

Meanwhile, Colony House is dealing with the aftermath of the crow, and I question who actually cleaned it up. Bakta refused to do it. Did Nicky end up picking up the bird? It wasn’t actually shown, but her death later in the episode makes me wonder if perhaps the bad omen was also for her. I do however think, as Tilly seems to point out, that it’s likely pointing to a bad sign for Fatima and her baby as well.

We get some nice scenes with Victor and Sara in this episode which I really liked and understand why Victor chose her to share his story with. We don’t really get a whole lot of information beyond what we already know in the end, however, during these scenes. The main takeaway is that Victor wants to find Jasper the dummy, who we’ve seen previously on the series.

If you watch back this show as a whole, there is often quite a bit of foreshadowing, and there is a piece with Boyd and Randall on the bus, when Randall talks about how there are worse things in the town than dying. He might just find out how bad it can get.

We also have the other group still in the cabins on the other side of town, and I appreciated their conversations about Tian Chen as she was such an important part of their group. I especially liked Kenny telling Jade that she did like him and only frowns at people she likes. They shared an interesting bond on the show. I also was happy that finally Jade is sharing more of his visions with someone else. We don’t yet know what they mean, but the people never seem to talk to each other enough about what’s going on. We know that Christopher changed after he saw the symbol, but it sounds like he might have become isolated as well after that, and perhaps Jade not doing so could make all the difference. I do question though that we never see the other people that came there with them, especially Dale.

The story swings back around to Boyd and Randall as the real action of the episode gets started. It’s quite interesting to hear from Randall that the monsters are creatures of habit, which really surprised me. I’m not sure that it’s relevant that they are, but it is interesting.

It was different this week with Tabitha’s storyline outside the town in the sense that you knew what was coming. Tabitha tried to warn them but once they were past the tree it was already too late. She continues to try to help to her own detriment, ending with Acosta handcuffing her. From Acosta’s point of view though, I’m not sure I blame her, and I don’t think she thought about leaving her there once people started dying.

Even though it was quite obvious there were going to be some deaths at this point, it was gory and satisfying. I wonder if it was teasing on purpose who would survive the night from the beginning. I noticed that the EMTs didn’t have name tags, which I thought was odd, but Acosta did. Perhaps it was signaling to viewers they were redshirts about to die. It also adds credence to the theory some people have about the fact it could all be a game: they were like unnamed NPCs. Also, Acosta did cause a death with shooting Nicky, but can anyone honestly blame her? I know she’s a cop and should be in control, but I feel like anyone who had a gun would have tried to kill the creatures in a panic.

I can’t say I was saddened by Nicky’s death; she wasn’t really a likable character, and was only there to serve Fatima’s story, really in most of her time on screen. I could have done without Fatima sticking her fingers into her wound though, that part was a bit much, but I guess that was the point.

Back to the action outside, Jim continues to make baffling choices as a father, in my opinion. I get he wants to save his wife, but he has two children he constantly leaves in danger. At least Boyd finally explained to Ethan he was making things worse by running out. Why didn’t someone do that weeks ago though? Clearly the kid doesn’t know better.

I was happy to see Randall step up again. It’s obvious that he has the capacity to do good, and we’ve seen glimpses of it. He ran off to get the tools on his own, even though Boyd did tell him not to, because it needed to be done. That action did also answer one question definitively if there was any doubt, even if we don’t understand why: having a talisman on you is not enough alone to protect you.

As much as I love this show I do have to point out something that annoyed me about the episode. I get the point was that Boyd had to make a choice: the trolley problem. Does he let Randall die to save three people? I would even probably venture to say he made the right decision; it was three lives for one, and also rescuing Tabitha could potentially prove fruitful in the future as she’s the only one to ever leave the town, and she clearly survived it. Maybe she is their ticket home. That part was all good. What annoyed me was Boyd accepting that Randall was just going to die. Boyd was in a vehicle. It would have taken pretty much no effort in my opinion to barrel into the creatures that surrounded Randall. Even if he couldn’t kill the creatures, there is a chance that Randall could have run to the ambulance. He had the talisman, so if it worked, Boyd could have saved all of them. If it didn’t work, he still could have made it over to Colony House faster than the creatures could have on foot. I almost wonder if he would have reacted differently if it was someone other than Randall on the ground.

I did really like Boyd going off on Acosta about Nicky though after the fact. Don’t get me wrong, he had no right to, but it shows the state his actions put him in. He clearly feels guilty. The town is slowly wearing him down, and that fact Randall (it seems) isn’t even dead but rather suffered? That just makes it worse in a way. I’m interested in seeing Boyd’s reaction in the next episode.

A lot happened in this episode, clearly, and I am really looking forward to the fallout, as well as, of course, Henry reuniting with Victor. I also really want to know who or what was knocking at the cabin. Regardless, we’re only four episodes in, so it’s just getting started.


RECAP

The EMTs and the female cop, Acosta, exit the ambulance. The one EMT is trying to get someone on the radio but only gets static. Tabitha gets out and looks in shock at the tree and the crows. Acosta tells her to get back inside.

Ethan is looking at two of Victor’s (not stated but presumably) drawings. One shows a tent with two people surrounded by what look like candles (Boyd & Sara in the tent or Sara and Victor in the fort?). The phone rings and Ethan answers. It’s the same voice as before, identifying himself as Thomas. He tells Ethan that his mother is in trouble – she’s in an ambulance on the way and he has to help her. Ethan asks who it is really, but Jim comes in and grabs the phone from him, yelling at the voice to leave his children alone. He tells Jim that they aren’t his children anymore, and Jim rips the phone from the wall as Julie walks in. He asks Ethan what they said and has to shake him to get a response. Ethan tells him that he said that his mother was alive on an ambulance and needs their help.

At Colony House, Nicky tells Bakta to pick up the crow, but she refuses, saying that whatever bad juju it has, she doesn’t want any part of it, and then yells at Tilly, asking if it was smart to be doing a tarot reading there in the first place. Donna comes in and chastises her saying that they have enough to worry about without people sniping. She asks Elgin, who is just sitting there, if he’s okay, and he says he’s good.

Marielle has come up to the house to check on Fatima, who doesn’t think it’s necessary, but she’s happy to be taking care of a patient, and it also helps to keep her mind off of Kristi being at the lake. Fatima tells her that she has shelter and a talisman and will be fine, but admits she’d feel the same if it were Ellis. Marielle says that her color has improved and asks if she’s been eating more, and Fatima tells her that she finally found something she can keep down.

Victor tells Sara that he and Eloise used to play in the houses during the day, pretending they were home, but not at night, because everyone had to hide and had no talismans. Sara asks him about coming there with his sister, and he says he came with his mother too, but they both died, just like Nathan, except he didn’t murder them. Sara says she doesn’t understand what they are doing with the blankets. Victor tells her that he has to remember. When he was a boy, his mother tried to save everyone, but she died and then everyone died, and he can’t remember how or why. He thinks he needs to remember soon, because too many things are changing; it never snowed there before. He tells her that they have to go to the basement, because upstairs is for daytime stories, and basements are for secrets.

Back in the ambulance, the one EMT questions how they are in the woods when they were just outside the city. The GPS data is unavailable. They plan to turn around, but Tabitha tells them they need to keep going forward; it’s not safe to stop there once it gets dark, but there is a town ahead where they can help them.

On the bus, Randall questions that Boyd is going to just watch how the monsters move and thinks it will help him to catch them. Boyd just asks why he’s there and didn’t go in the sheriff’s station. Randall says that if he’s going to try to do something to get out of there, no matter how stupid it is, he wants to help. Boyd questions if he’s now a team player. He says that with what he’s seen Boyd would be too and mentions that he, Julie, and Marielle went somewhere. He says that everyone there talks about how afraid they are of dying, but he doesn’t think that’s the worst that can happen to someone there.

Kristi wakes up from the pain from her ankle having been caught in the bear trap in the previous episode. She tells Kenny he can’t do anything until the swelling goes down. Kenny has been writing something in a journal to his mother; it’s part of his culture to write letters to the dead on holidays, although it isn’t a holiday. Kristi says she thinks Tian Chen would like that, and she tells him that she meant what she said before: he’s not alone. He says that it feels like all of a sudden what he thought he was fighting for is gone and she and his mother are the two people he could talk to. Kristi says he can still talk to her. Jade, who they’ve woken up asks if they can talk in the morning but gives up and gets up and drinks from his flask, giving Kristi some when she asks. He asks if they want to hear something crazy.

In the fort they’ve made, Victor tells Sara that everyone died while he was in the root cellar. His mother told them to stay there, but Eloise didn’t listen. He stayed until morning, but when he came out there were bodies everywhere. In flashbacks he explains that that is when he met the Boy in White, who she is surprised he knows. He tells her he is his friend and was his only one all those years alone. He says that the bodies were just lying in the street. Victor tells her that he couldn’t bury them all, so the Boy in White told him to gather things that were precious to them and bury those instead. Victor opens the suitcase of stuff. He confirms to Sara that he thinks it will help him remember. She asks why he needs her, and he says that he doesn’t want to do it alone. He says that he may have to remember some scary things, and she’s the scariest person there, so they won’t scare her.

Back on the bus, Randall tells Boyd that something is wrong. The monsters give creatures of habit a new meaning, because they do the same thing every night. He says that they have patterns, routines, none of which is happening.

On the ambulance, Acosta tells Tabitha that she’s not making sense. Tabitha just tells them that the people in the town can help them and to keep going. They make it to the town, and she tells him to stop, but the EMT says he isn’t going to stop in the middle of nowhere.

Meanwhile, Boyd and Randall see the ambulance, as does Ethan, who comes running out of the house. Boyd and Randall have gotten off the bus and Boyd grabs Ethan and they follow Jim in the house.

The one EMT sees a “dead body” lying in the road.

Ethan asks what if his mother is out there like the voice on the phone said.

Tabitha yells that it’s not a person on the road. Acosta tells her to calm down and handcuffs her to the inside of the ambulance. Tabitha just keeps yelling that they are going to die.

The two EMTs roll the woman’s body over as Acosta gets out. The woman is smiling. She turns into the creature and screeches and starts slashing at the two men as Acosta watches. She pulls out her gun and starts shooting at her.

Inside, they hear the gunshots, and Randall says that that means the monsters are already out there.

Outside, other creatures are coming near Acosta, and she keeps shooting, but they won’t go down. She runs, as in the ambulance, Tabitha wakes up Henry.

Jim says that if there is even a chance she’s there, he’s going out and they can do what they want. Boyd turns to Ethan and tells him that’s he has to stay inside and that if he doesn’t, he’s putting people in danger, because they have to worry about him. He makes him agree to stay inside before he and Randall also run out.

Tabitha tells Henry that there are things in the town that will hurt them if they don’t get into one of the houses. The door of the ambulance suddenly opens, but it’s Jim! Jim and Tabitha hug and kiss. Boyd and Randall come over and Boyd tells them all to get out now, but Tabitha can’t because she’s still cuffed. Jim asks him for his own handcuff keys, but he doesn’t have them on him. Randall says there is a toolkit in the bus and goes after it, even though Boyd tells him to wait. Boyd tells Tabitha and Jim to stay and shuts the door.

In Colony House, a man rings a bell yelling that they have a runner on the hill. Nicki is watching out the window. Acosta sees more monsters that she shoots at, but she hits Nicky through the window. Marielle tells them to get Nicky on the couch. She examines her bullet wound: there’s no exit wound; they need to get the bullet out. She tells people to get her the supplies she needs.

Acosta comes up to the door, banging, and Clara lets her in, her reasoning being that she's a police officer.

Marielle knows with Kristi not coming back until the next day, she needs to take care of the bullet now herself.

Acosta comes in and sees what she’s done and starts apologizing that it must have been a misfire and that she didn’t mean to shoot her and that it can’t be happening or real. Donna starts yelling at her, asking if anyone was with her.

On the bus, Randall gets the tools, but he sees Cicadas again. Meanwhile Boyd is trying to find the keys on the EMT’s body. Randall comes out of the bus with a talisman and screams for them all to get back. The one creature tells him that it doesn’t work that way. He throws the tools to Boyd, who tells him to get back on the bus, but the cicadas start to attack him. Boyd gives the tools to Jim and looks for car keys in the front of the ambulance. The female creature from the diner asks him if he’s looking for the keys she has, holding them out to him. She says to go ahead and take them – but they get to keep Randall. She taunts him that he can’t save them all. Meanwhile, Randall looks up at the creatures who have surrounded him. Jim yells to Boyd they have to go, and Boyd takes the keys. Randall yells at him not to leave him and swears at him.

Marielle has people hold down Nicki and clean her wound while she pulls out the bullet. Acosta is telling Donna about the EMTs when Boyd drives up. Jim finishes getting the handcuff off the handle she was cuffed to, he and Tabitha get out, and they and Boyd help Henry into Colony House.

They go into Colony House and Boyd sees Acosta with the gun and asks what happened. Donna tells him it was a long night for everyone. Acosta uncuffs Tabitha who says that she told her what would happen. Donna sends Jim and Tabitha to a room upstairs.

Elgin is sitting with Tilly when she says, “poor girl,” but she doesn’t mean Nicky, but rather Fatima, saying that the horrible bird might have been a sign. Elgin sees the kimono woman and follows her. She asks him for help. He backs into someone real, and then she’s gone.

Ethan asks Julie what happens if they don’t come back, but she tells him not to think like that; they will. Ethan asks her what happened to her and says that since she fell asleep, and her eyes went white she’s been different; he doesn’t believe she’s fine. He says that he’s not a baby anymore, and she can tell him things. Julie tells him that the truth is she was really scared. She saw things she didn’t understand, some she can’t even remember, but she knows she was more scared than she’s ever been. She tells Ethan that she’s not told anyone else that, but she’s trying really hard to be okay. He wants to help her, but she says she’s his big sister and is supposed to take care of him. Ethan says if they don’t come back, they will have to start taking care of each other. She hugs him telling him they’ll come back.

Back in the cabin, Jade is telling Kristi and Kenny about the man he saw with the rod through his eye then then drinking blood from the skull. Kristi asks how long he’s been seeing things, and he tells her he’s been hallucinating pretty much since he got there. He says that Tian Chen saw him at the diner drawing the symbols, and he thought he was losing his mind, and she made him tea and then took him to the storage room and gave him the journal. He has no idea how she knew about it. Kenny says that she knew every inch of the storage room. He tells Jade that she really liked him; she only frowned at people she liked, the rest she ignored. Jade tells him when he finishes the letter, to tell her they all say “hi.” Suddenly there is a knock or some kind of noise outside. Kristi questions that Jade is sure what he saw was only a hallucination.

Victor starts taking things out of the suitcase and mentions who they belonged to, until he says that there is nothing for Christopher, telling Sara that he was their friend, and he was nice but started seeing the symbol and then started getting scary. Victor gets scared and starts freaking out and says he doesn’t want to do this now. Sara talks calmly to him, trying to get him to calm down. He remembers the ventriloquist doll, Jasper, and says that that is what is missing.

Boyd is talking to Donna and is upset, realizing and trying to deal with the fact that he just left Randall there.

Jim and Tabitha talk, and she tells him how Miranda saw this place before she ever got there, and she thinks the reason why she was sent there was the little boy in the tower wanted her to see or find something, and she tried and is sorry. Jim tells her she has nothing to be sorry about. She’s back and safe, which is what matters, but she questions what if that was their only chance to get home.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Nicki throws up blood, and Marielle realizes she’s bleeding internally. She tries to help her, but she dies. Acosta keeps apologizing, saying it was an accident, while Boyd screams at her, questioning that she just started shooting because she was scared. Donna tells Boyd to come with her and takes him upstairs to cool off. Donna starts crying, saying that one thing after another keeps happening and asks why they can’t leave them alone. He hugs her.

Victor tells Sara that Jasper belonged to Christopher, who used to make them all laugh, until he started seeing the symbol and started spending more time alone. He sees a flashback of Christopher talking to the doll and the doll talking back, and then it screams. Victor says Jasper is the one who can tell them why it happened.

Ellis and another guy bring Nicky’s wrapped body into one of the bedrooms, and Fatima says that she wants to sit with her a bit, using the excuse that she was mean to Nicky. Once Ellis leaves the room, she unwraps her body, pulls off her bandage, and sticks her fingers in the wound and licks the blood from them.

Boyd and Donna share a drink. They see the ambulance lights go on outside and look out the window. Randall has been laid on the front of the ambulance. He suddenly wakes up coughing blood, the skin hanging off of the side of his face.