From Season 4: Episode 5: When dolls attack (recap and review)

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This article contains major spoilers for the latest episode of From.

The last two episodes of From raised more questions instead of providing answers. The season's fifth episode, "What a Long Strange Trip It's Been," finally offered some revelations and monster action, in the form of large and terrifying killer dolls. Additionally, the Man in Yellow (Douglas E. Hughes) is increasingly making clear that he plans to tear the town apart.

Let's unpack the latest episode, including the important revelations that Jade (David Alpay) discovers while on shrooms.

From unleashes a gnarly new monster

This may not surprise From fans, because it was teased in previous trailers, but there was nothing good to be found at the Lake of Tears. Early in the episode, Donna (Elizabeth Saunders) has the brilliant idea to pull ashore what they saw surface in the Lake of Tears at the end of the last episode. Well, it turns out creepy dolls/scarecrows resided in the lake. Donna and the others then fill them with rocks and send them back into the lake, incase, like scarecrows, they were meant to protect the town from something much worse.

Immediately, Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) has an uneasy feeling that she's seen those dolls/scarecrows before, and it turns out that she had, in a past life. This revelation causes her to eventually warn Donna to leave the dolls/scarecrows alone and that they need to head back to the Colony House.

This results in some pretty fantastic monster attacks, when those dolls/scarecrows resurface from the lake at night and even rip off a jaw of one of the townspeople. However, Tabitha also remembers how to kill them and does indeed defeat one of them. This could potentially give the townspeople a weapon to use against the monsters, though it's unclear if she can harm only the dolls/scarecrows or all of the monsters, but still, it's a bit of hope when the town has already suffered some heavy losses.

Jade trips on shrooms and finds some answers

One of the episode's standouts is Alpay's performance when Jade trips on shrooms. It's really funny, especially some of his interactions with Boyd (Harold Perrineau). Yet, Jade also makes some discoveries and unlocks what he couldn't remember. More specifically, he's assisted by a younger version of himself, who leads him deeper into tunnels under the Colony House.

Through this weird and strange journey, Jade realizes that he's died in the town over and over again. He's been reincarnated several times, through various historical periods, and each time, he was murdered by the townspeople. Most likely, this is part of the Man in Yellow's plan. He's already hinted that much in previous episodes. Additionally, Jade learns where the children were sacrificed, and maybe, just maybe, he can save them this time and find a way out of the time loop. We'll see.

Henry reacts to the truth and grieves his wife, while the town catches on to the Man in Yellow

In one of the most emotional scenes so far this season, Henry (Robert Joy) turns to booze and reacts to the horrible news that his wife was devoured by the Man in Yellow. Victor (Scott McCord) has never seen his dad this emotional yet, and it makes for some touching moments between the characters.

It's also becoming increasingly clear that the town is going to find out about the Man in Yellow, especially since Henry tells his son Victor to show everyone the picture he drew as a kid of the Man in Yellow eating his mom. Victor eventually shows the image to Kenny (Ricky He). Additionally, Mari (Kaelen Ohm) has horrible visions in which she's chained to a wall in hell again and hears the voices of everyone who has died in town. There's even one point where the Man in Yellow, in his Sophia (Julia Doyle) form, looks at Mari and causes her to . relive the nightmare. It's very possible Mari will realize that Sophia is evil.

Final verdict

Overall, From's latest episode is one of the season's best so far. It introduces a frightening new monster in the form of the dolls/scarecrows. The series finally provides some answers about Jade's past lives and a potential way to break the cycle. Additionally, the Man in Yellow's evil and power continues to grow, as shown by what he does to poor Mari. Joy, Ohm, and Alpay, especially, all give strong performances that elevate the episode.

"What a Long Strange Trip It's Been" also offered some hope that maybe the townspeople can defeat at least some of the monsters, thanks to Tabitha's recovered memories from a past life and the fact she uses a weapon against one of the dolls/scarecrows that does kill it. Meanwhile, if Fatima's (Pegah Ghafoori) plan to make a golem actually works, then the townspeople could soon have a champion in their corner. Overall, this was one of the season's best episodes so far.

All episodes of From are currently streaming on MGM+.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV-amY8PMu0