The From Season 3 premiere has arrived, with Episode 1 going hard on the horror – and once again Jim (Eion Bailey) is making some questionable decisions.
Before we get into it, warning: spoilers ahead!
From Season 3 Episode 1 picks up where the Season 2 finale left off; winter’s approaching, the town’s food supply is dwindling, and Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is, in fact, in the real world.
Jim doesn’t want their kids Julie (Hannah Cheramy) and Ethan (Simon Webster) to be without their mother, and decides the best course of action is to go looking for her in the woods.
But the residents of Fromville know that doing so is a bad idea at best and a death wish at worst. Despite Boyd (Harold Perrineau) strongly recommending not to, Jim is determined, and Kenny (Ricky He) chooses to go with him to make sure he’s safe.
After coming across some log cabins surrounded by a series of creepy, skeleton-like effigies, Jim changes his mind. While staying overnight with a Talisman on the door, he tells Kenny they’ll leave first thing the following morning.
Now, this would all be well and good if it weren’t for the fact that back in Fromville, both Boyd and Kenny’s mother Tian-Chen (Elizabeth Moy) have been kidnapped by the Cowboy Creature and the smiling monsters.
In the final sequence of From Season 3 Episode 1, they torment Boyd by torturing Tian-Chen before his very eyes. While we don’t yet know whether Tian-Chen will be killed, Jim’s decision to venture out into the forest means that Kenny isn’t there for his mom.
If he had been home, he would have likely helped Boyd instead of Tian-Chen having to. And if she dies, it means Kenny won’t be there to say goodbye to her.
It’s yet another moment that has led From fans to share their frustration over Jim, who has a history of making baffling decisions. Following the From Season 3 premiere, one took to Reddit to write, “He’s the most irritating character in this whole show.
“How are you going to go out in the woods and then change your mind in the middle of night? It took him that long to realize?? He’s such a fool and never thinks things through. He drives me absolutely insane.”
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In response, another fan pointed out, “I think they just needed a reason for Kenny to be occupied,” while a third added, “Just an excuse for Kenny not to be there when his mum dies…”
A fourth chimed in, “Omg, I 100000% agree! I was yelling at him the whole time from my couch. He never thinks things through and makes everything worse than it was. I feel so bad for Kenny and wish he had let Jim go into the woods by himself.”
However, a number of fans jumped in to defend Jim in this situation. “So I get feeling like you need to find your SO even at risk to yourself. I’ve been in that situation (albeit not nearly as dangerous),” said one.
“The adrenaline makes you crave action and to be doing something. I also get that once you start doing something and the adrenaline calms down your mind gets clearer and you start questioning your rash decisions.
“I know I’m in the minority here but this was the most human and natural decision process I’ve seen so far in this show. Being in his shoes it’s exactly what happened to me.”
However, they went on to say that “this was most likely a plot point used to get both of them out of the town for the night.
“Without them Kenny loses his mom and Ethan (the real menace in this episode) opens the door and lets Randall have the beginnings of a redemption arc. It’s also used to introduce a new element with the cabins and creepy stick doll things.
“I have a feeling those two are going to be in the woods discovering more s**t for several episodes and this was a convenient way to get them out there.”
From Season 3 Episode 1 is streaming on MGM+ now, while Episode 2 lands on Sunday, September 29. Until then, check out our roundup of From theories and the questions we need Season 3 to answer.