FROM Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Pas de Deux
Well, FROM Season 2 Episode 6 was certainly a game-changer.
FROM Season 2 has been a rather slow affair, the whole season thus far covering about two days or so, but they've crammed an awful lot into that time frame, and as we head toward the end, it feels like we're on the cusp of something.
But what that something is, I do not know.
Ever since his foray into the woods, Boyd has been struggling big time, both mentally and physically. The creepy crawlers won't let up, and he's slowly losing his grip on reality.
As the de facto leader for so long, Boyd has had to tamper down his wants and his feelings for the town's good. He's had to be strong. He's had to have the answers.
When the plane is shaking and turbulence out of control, he's had to be the reassuring flight attendant with a bright smile still doing their job to calm down any passenger who may begin to worry.
But the town isn't just a little off-kilter. The turbulence isn't going to subside when they reach a better cruising altitude.
The town is changing rapidly, whether or not anyone wants to admit it.
Boyd knows it, and he's doing his best while also dealing with the reality of his deteriorating health.
Martin didn't speak much about what he was going through, except that he welcomed death as an alternative to the chained-up, debilitating existence he'd be experiencing for too long.
Boyd only had the worms for a few days, and he was fainting and hallucinating a homicidal ballerina.
When Boyd first saw the ballerina, he let his guard down, engaging in her dance and giving himself over. But with each encounter, he grew increasingly weary, and she grew scarier.
One thing about Boyd, he doesn't willingly ask for help.
As the guy who's supposed to have the answers, it's hard to admit when you don't. Asking for help can feel like a failure.
But with each passing minute, Boyd began to understand that not only would he not be able to hide any longer, he couldn't deal with what was happening to him alone.
Can you blame Kristi and Kenny for being skeptical of what Boyd told them? Of course not.
Everyone there has seen what the town can do to people, and with his illness, they were thinking of the realities of the situation.
And to be fair, what was happening to Boyd was an incredibly fantastical tale. But you're living in a town you can't escape, where a rock with a symbol on it keeps you safe from murderous people who only surface when the sun goes down.
Was Boyd's story really that hard to believe?
I know how this looks. I do. But something happened to me out there. I came back with something inside my body. I don't understand how it's possible. All I know is that it's real. And I'm fucking terrified.
Boyd [to Kenny]
Tensions were running high at that clinic before all hell broke loose, but this was another hour where they brought in Khatri again to help Boyd work through some of his complicated feelings, which worked really well.
Khatri served to basically dump a cold bucket of water over Boyd's head and be the part of his brain he doesn't usually allow himself to access. But it's the very real part that acknowledges that no matter how hard he tries, things may go horribly wrong, and there's not much he can do about it.
But as we know from watching many others during FROM Season 2, that doesn't mean he should stop trying.
While things at the clinic were tense as hell, Colony House was under Ellis and Fatima's control for the evening, and with food running low, Dale decided he should be the one to enforce some kind of rule that almost got someone killed.
Doesn't it seem like Ellis is constantly being injured?
That stab wound was nasty, and I'm not going to lie; I was seriously concerned we would lose Ellis, which would have been devastating, especially to go out by Dale's hand and end up bleeding out over some damn celery.
Getting to the clinic was Ellis's only hope, and I would have been curious to see what would have happened if Donna had been there.
I don't think she would have willingly just left Ellis there to die, but everything was moving so quickly, and the consequences of going outside at night can just be so catastrophic that I think there would have at least been a conversation.
Listen, I've seen the rumors, and I know people are suspicious of Elgin, but I can't relate. He seems like a nice guy, and yes, he may be a little bit shady, but who isn't, okay?
Few people spend time outside after dark and live to tell the tale, but Elgin has done it twice now.
When he found Boyd, Victor, and Tabitha during FROM Season 2 Episode 2, he was running through the woods with the monsters hot on his trail, and here he was able to get to the van and help get Ellis inside with nary a monster really bothering him and no protection.
It's definitely something to consider when thinking about Elgin. But thus far, he's been helpful, so I will only be led astray from thinking he's an angel once there's solid proof he can't be trusted!
The way they chose to shoot the ride to the clinic was fantastic. They framed it in a way where you just knew something terrible would happen, and because of that, you had to hold your breath -- knowing that any misstep out there was surely a death sentence for Ellis, at least.
Getting them to the clinic without any hiccups was a welcome surprise.
There was so much talk about blood during this hour that you just knew it would come down to Boyd having to give Ellis his blood, especially after he lost all that blood to relieve the pressure on his chest.
Talk about a quandary.
Your son is dying right in front of your eyes, but you can feel the infestation of your body and the way it's breaking down every second. Do you let your son die? Or do you infect him with the very thing that is slowly killing you?
The whole scene at the clinic debating the transfusion was just a masterclass in acting, with so many different emotions packed into this large room. There were so many emotions that it made the room feel so much smaller than it was.
Everyone was looking at Boyd like he was insane, but he was living this nightmare, and in the few seconds he had to decide, he wasn't ready to inflict that kind of pain onto the person he loved the most.
He saw Martin wish for death. And he wasn't prepared to save Ellis, only to them have him put through the kind of terror he was experiencing.
You've got to love Kenny stepping up to take the burden away from Boyd, but Boyd was never going to do that. He'd die before he allowed anyone in that room to go through what he was going through.
Once a leader, always a leader, and Boyd has been leading since well before FROM Season 1.
Everyone was testing their luck and unproven theories during this hour, but Boyd's journey outside led to a pivotal moment for this series. To this point, we haven't seen them have any kind of fundamental working knowledge about the monsters.
Can they be defeated? What are their weaknesses outside of the talisman?
Kenny: Has it moved?
Boyd: Nope.
Kenny: Is it dead?
Boyd: We'll find out soon enough.
- Permalink: Boyd: We'll find out soon enough.
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The tainted blood, at the very least, incapacitated one to the point where he appeared dead, and the other monsters were just as confused as the humans.
Is that why Martin was locked up? Because his blood was the monster's kryptonite?
If that monster is still there come morning, they'd be well served to study it. What's the worst thing that could happen?
Amongst all the clinic craziness, a few things came to the surface, including Fatima's potential pregnancy, which would be a huge deal. There have been children in the town, but full-on babies? That would be something else entirely.
Fatima spent much of the hour upset with Ellis, but we can surmise that a lot of that anger was probably just misplaced anxiety about the fact that she could be pregnant and what that would mean.
Who knows if she and Ellis have ever talked in-depth about that? Sure, they're engaged, but they also don't have a quote-unquote normal relationship.
Krista and Marielle's relationship is just getting started again, and there's obviously a lot of backstory about Marielle's past addiction that we're just not privy to yet.
For as much as they love one another still, you can tell there is a lot left unspoken between the pair as they try to navigate their love and the complexities of their current situation. They're terrified about so many different things and trying to lean on the one thing that doesn't scare them as much; their love.
If Kristi was headed to treatment, she may withdraw soon, which will be another test for the couple on top of everything else.
It's been a battle this season for everyone, and that is poised to continue as we barrel toward the end of this stellar season.
Loose Ends
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FROM is committed to giving us at least one scene an episode this season that breaks your heart on multiple levels. This week's scene goes to Ethan and Donna and their heartwarming chat about fear.
Ethan has put on such a brave face for his family, and I loved this moment where he was just a frightened kid looking up to someone older for support.
- Jim keeps talking about the town like it's a thing and not a place, but when will he start doing more than talk?
- The whole lack of food thing is worrisome, and Jim is right about the fact that it will just increase the stress. They already live in a pressure cooker, but a pressure cooker without food? Good luck.
- Boyd and Kenny note that the leaves are changing for the first time. It's like the matrix is glitching in there because an awful lot of firsts are happening simultaneously.
This hour has the potential to change everything.
Jump into the comment section and let me know your thoughts about the installment and where we may see things go next! Only four more episodes to go, FROM fanatics!
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