‘From’s season 3 finale delivers what ‘Lost’ never could
From has always excelled at keeping its audience in suspense. With its cryptic town, chilling monsters, and ever-looming questions, it’s no wonder the show gets compared to Lost.
Sharing two executive producers and even the incomparable Harold Perrineau, the parallels are undeniable. But where Lost often left fans frustrated with its lack of answers, From just delivered a season 3 finale that blew the lid off its mysteries, revealing the monsters’ origins and killing at least one major character while keeping fans hooked with its rich storytelling.
Major spoilers ahead for the From season 3 finale.
The monsters’ true origin
For three seasons, the creatures of From have haunted our nightmares with their chilling smiles and horrifying attacks. They seemed otherworldly, an embodiment of pure evil. But in the From season 3 finale, Fatima revealed their shocking origin: the monsters are former townsfolk. These were people who, in an unimaginable act, sacrificed their children for the promise of immortality.
This revelation reframes everything we’ve seen so far. The monsters aren’t just random supernatural entities, they’re truly deplorable human-turned-monstrosities. They are condemned to an eternity of despicable existence because of their moral failings. This makes their torturous actions against current townsfolk even more flooring and unbelievable.
Compare that to Lost. The smoke monster, while iconic, ultimately fell flat in terms of explanation and simply how long it took to get an actual explanation. From not only gives us a concrete answer but ties it into the show’s themes. It’s a payoff that respects the audience’s investment and keeps the terror grounded in the show’s emotional core.
The town’s dark purpose
The season finale also answered another lingering question: why are these people trapped here? We learned the town is less a random trap and more of a cyclical purgatory. Those who return are drawn back because they left something unresolved, whether that’s guilt, trauma, or unfinished emotional business.
It’s not fully clear how this ties to everyone yet. As for Tabitha and Jade, this means they are reincarnated from the previous townsfolk who tried to save the children from being sacrificed. This revelation changes everything. The town isn’t just a random supernatural trap, every small thing has a reason.
The island’s purpose shifted repeatedly in Lost, from scientific anomaly to mystical hub to afterlife limbo. It was much more frustrating. From, on the other hand, delivers a clear, cohesive answer that ties its mythology and character arcs together beautifully.
In Lost, the question of “why these people?” lingered for years, and the answers were always convoluted, tied to Jacob’s arbitrary decisions. By comparison, From makes the mystery personal. It’s not about random selection or cosmic meddling; it’s about the characters’ unresolved struggles. That level of emotional resonance elevates the show and gives viewers a reason to care deeply about the characters’ fates.
Moments that leave a mark
The finale didn’t hold back when it came to emotional stakes. Two major characters had tragic storylines with at least one meeting their end. Both events hit like a gut punch. I’m still absolutely reeling other Elgin’s torture scenes. Is he dead? He should be, right? The torture from Sara and Boyd? My mind is blown.
Jim’s death was just shocking. It came out of nowhere, brutally slapping me with the reminder that From doesn’t play by traditional TV rules. This show isn’t afraid to kill off the main characters. At the start, we followed his family into town; now he’s gone. I’m very intrigued to see how this propels other characters forward in the future. Most importantly, who is the man in yellow?!
Unlike Lost, where deaths sometimes felt like cheap ploys for shock value, From uses its character losses to propel the story forward and add emotional depth. Every death matters, and the season 3 finale proves it.
The future of From and the legacy of Lost
As season 3 wraps up, From feels poised to cement itself as one of the best mystery-box shows of the modern era. It’s not just about the scares or the twists, it’s about the heart and humanity at the center of it all. If Lost taught us how captivating a mystery can be, From is teaching us how satisfying it is to see that mystery solved.
Lost paved the way for shows like From, proving that audiences crave complex, serialized stories with layers of mystery. There’s no denying that Lost is one of the greatest shows of our generation. It’s one of my top 10 shows of all time. But, while Lost stumbled under the weight of its own ambition, From feels like a refinement of the formula.
Season 4 can’t come soon enough, and if this finale is any indication, the best is yet to come.
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