After three episodes of building tension and dread, From finally digs deeper into the town’s mysteries, the forest, and, most importantly, the people. While it did raise more questions than answers, “A Rock and a Farway” was a good transition into whatever happens next.
After the town’s first execution, people are a little on edge. Sheriff Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), who people look to for leadership, struggles with what happened and has been happening, and people notice. Father Khatri (Shaun Majumder) calls him out on this, and we get a peek into Boyd’s past, but not much. Something drives and haunts this man, but the details are not yet clear.
A big part of “A Rock and a Farway” centers on Victor (Scott McCord), whose odd behavior is fleshed out with some character history. It seems he’s been here the longest, having witnessed things as a child no child should ever see, and now is drawn to Matthews’ young son Ethan (Simon Webster) for a few reasons. Victor shows Ethan some of the forest’s mysteries, and while it creates more questions, there are now more hints of what the bigger picture may be. Victor may not be the most stable or reliable source of information at this point, but he has information that more people need to hear about.
Jade (David Alpay) continues to be a nice diversion here, a character thrust into this unbelievable situation. At first, he thought it was all a big joke and had not let the reality of his predicament slow him down. He might go mad or get himself killed, but the character is a gateway to clues for the viewers as he questions everything in his search for answers. While the town and its people are stressed, depressed, and fearful, and rightly so, Jade offers us something different right now, even though I think he’s doomed to an ugly fate.
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The wild card here is still Sara (Avery Konrad). After this episode, it’s evident that her violent behavior is something more than her simply going insane or mad. How she ties into it all, the creatures in the forest and this town is still unclear, but again, this week, we brushed just enough dust off certain characters to add some much-needed new intrigue to the overall scope of the show.
One weakness of the show is its focus on the new parents in town, Jim (Eion Bailey) and Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) Matthews. Eion Bailey and Catalina Sandino Moreno are solid in their roles, but the storyline around their struggling marriage can be very awkward and out of place. Sometimes, the scenes feel too long and take us out of the moment.
However, “A Rock and a Farway” is a solid episode, giving the viewer more insight into some characters and some background into them personally and the town. The story continues to push the narrative that what happens in the town is more frightening than the creatures in the forest, which may be true. The tension continues to build, and with the season half over, it will be interesting to see how the showrunners execute the back end as they wrap this story up.
