From, the TV series: the main theories explained

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When you start seeing the Epix/MGM+ TV series From on HBO, you may find quite early a parallel with another mythical series of modern times: Lost, the TV show aired from 2004 to 2010. It comes as no surprise that the two series have two executive producers in common, Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner. And like it happened for Lost, spectators have developed many theories, attempting to have the events explained. We already discussed here what the monsters may be: in this article, we will go over the main theories about the plot, the place where people are stuck, and how things will evolve.

You can watch the official trailer for From Season 2 here on Youtube.

From, the TV series: the main theories explained

In From, we follow the lives of many people who inexplicably arrive in this unknown town in the woods. They all come from different places in the United States, they were all headed in different destinations, but at some point, they cross a fallen tree in the woods and they reach this anonymous town. There is no way to escape this place: all roads seem to run in circle. And when darkness comes, there are monsters coming out of the woods, ready to kill everyone.

For the whole plot of From, people try to understand where they are, how this place works, and how to escape. They also tried many things to get in contact with the outer world: building the radio was one of the ways those people wanted to catch the attention of their loved ones; the days Boyd spent in the woods with Sara were also aimed at discovering something more, and getting to the lighthouse triggered more doubts. But still, the series From gave no clear answers that explained what was happening, and that’s why people needed theories.

There is a theory that got really popular on Reddit. It’s summarized here, mainly explained by the user OXSIM over the years, and it’s developed pretty well, with many elements which matched the plot of the series. According to this theory, From is set in the Fairyland, a magical place from Scottish and Norse mythologies. It’s a parallel world, another dimension different than Earth, populated by the Fae, creatures that may be malevolent (they would match From‘s monsters).

On Reddit, you can find many explanations that put everything we see in the TV series From into this perspective. For example, in Celtic folklore, we can find the concept of the Faerie Tree, a tree that acts as a portal between the two worlds. This would match what we see in the series when people enter the Faraway tree. The author of this theory went as far as explaining the exact matches between many key characters of the series and what happened in Norse mythology during Ragnarok, showing a connection with the Norse gods HeimdallTyr, and Loki. You can find the characters match in this Reddit post.

So far, this is the most complete theory around the TV series From, primarily because many things that keep happening in the plot can still be explained from this perspective. It’s not the only theory that can have everything explained, of course. Some of the series’ characters have already presented other possibilities: in Episode 4 of Season 2, Jim Matthews exposes his idea to his wife: what if this is all an experiment, carefully designed like a rollercoaster to bring people’s experiences to their extremes? If that’s true, everything those people live has been conceived to test them, and someone is watching their reactions while they discover things that cannot be explained (like the wires that bring electricity although they aren’t connected to anything).

It’s still a valid theory. As valid is the question Jim’s wife, Tabitha, keeps asking: what if they are all dead, they didn’t survive the car accident, and they are all in a Dantesque limbo? This would give meaning to everything with no rational explanation in the series, as none of that is real life. It’s not exactly like they are dreaming; more about experiencing a state of life that doesn’t respect the laws of reality we used to know, where everybody is called to play their part, eventually accomplishing their missions like a quest.

Recently, another user on Reddit introduced a brand-new theory involving a game of Tarot and the Beothuk myths: you can discover it here.

Another interesting possibility came up after seeing Boyd facing a monster in Season 2 Episode 6, feeling better after the contact with him. We introduced it here: what if Boyd is a person with dementia, and those were the symptoms of the disease’s development? According to this theory, the whole series could be the collective vision of people living in a medical facility. As often happens in those structures, patients need to stay in their rooms at night, and a sort of curfew is activated. The altered visions of From‘s characters could represent the distorted reality perceived by people affected by dementia. And from this point of view, the monsters could be the facility’s nurses.

There are many possibilities, and they are all totally possible. If things go as they went for Lost, we will still have many seasons and episodes discussing what theories fit best than others in the plot of the TV series From. And now that Season 2 has come to its ending, more questions have arisen, and a whole new set of theories has been formulated. You can find a dedicated article below.

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