Some new characters are arriving in town for From’s fourth season, and with the release of a new trailer, fans are speculating that one new addition may serve as a replacement for one of the show’s dearly departed denizens. From is an exceptional Canadian horror-mystery series from the creators of Lost, which centers on a disparate group of people trapped in a mysterious, nameless town in the middle of nowhere. No one knows how they got to the town, and there doesn’t seem to be any way of escaping.
To make things worse, the town becomes overrun by humanoid, hyper-violent spirits with creepy, permanent smiles when the sun goes down, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to stop them. The survivors build a small community as they try to escape, and the show’s mysteries have deepened and unraveled over the course of three seasons. The newly-released trailer for Season 4, set to debut on MGM+ on April 19, hints at several new characters who have found their way into the mysterious, nameless town. One briefly-seen character is wearing a clerical robe, which has led some fans to speculate that the overdue replacement for a fan-favorite character might finally be rolling into town.
From Lost a Key Spiritual Figure in Season 1
Father Rudra Khatri, played by Shaun Majumder, was the town’s religious advisor all the way back in From Season 1. He served as the spiritual and emotional anchor and was especially important to Sheriff Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), helping him stay centered and calm enough to lead.
Father Khatri was primed to be a major character with an important role to play in the show’s underlying mystery, and his kind, level-headed approach to problem-solving made him an early fan favorite. Which made it all the more shocking when he was killed in Season 1, Episode 7, trying to protect the refugees inside Colony House.
Father Khatri was one of the first major deaths on the show, and his brutal demise had a ripple effect on the town’s residents and on the series itself. The town lost its moral compass, while the series established that no one was safe. But even though Khatri died early in the series, it’s clear that the character still has an important role to play.
In fact, Majumder has continued to reprise his role intermittently, appearing as a hallucination, or perhaps an omen, which indicates that even dead, Khatri may still be crucial to the larger story. With a new priest character appearing prominently in the new Season 4 teaser trailer, we may finally be getting a resolution to the Khatri storyline.
From Asks Big Questions About Religion and Spirituality
Two men find a creepy stick doll in the woods in From Season 3Image via MGM+
From is a show that has always wrestled with issues of faith, and the death of Father Khatri led to a crisis of the soul for many characters. Boyd has struggled with this most vividly. The deeply empathetic and compassionate Boyd adopted the leadership role reluctantly, and as the show’s horrors have mounted and more and more death surrounds him, his mental and physical health have become an increasing concern.
It’s clear from the latest trailer that Boyd is starting to lose hope. “We’re losing,” Perinneau says in the new teaser. “There is no way to fight back against those things. Everything we’ve done, every sacrifice we’ve made… none of us are going anywhere.”
Much like Lost, the show’s bizarre events unfold in a way that is terrifying yet feels orchestrated, controlled, and intentional. This has led many fans to speculate that there must be a religious or philosophical force guiding the events, or at least some omnipotent puppet master pulling the strings.
Whether it’s adhering to a Judeo-Christian dichotomy of good vs. evil or adopting the rites and philosophies of ancient religions and folklore, spirituality has been used as a framework for fans to interpret and solve the show’s many tantalizing mysteries. Losing the show’s spiritual guide so early in the run led some to believe that the series was taking a traditional religious explanation off the table, but the questions have still remained.
Reintroducing a man of the cloth to the small band of survivors is an interesting new development. While very little can be deduced from the character’s brief appearance in the 2-minute Season 4 trailer, it does reaffirm that questions of faith, fate, and spirituality will be at the forefront this season. The trailer flashes several religious images (a crucifix, a churchyard), and adding a new spiritual anchor to the mix shows that the series isn’t done exploring issues of the soul.
So far, there’s no way to know if this new priest character will be a Khatri-like voice of reason or will be just one more complication for the wearying town to endure, but one thing is for sure: it’s helping raise anticipation for the next chapter in a series that hasn’t set a false foot yet.
Release Date
February 20, 2022
Network
Epix, MGM+
Directors
Jack Bender, Brad Turner, Alexandra La Roche, Bruce McDonald, Jeff Renfroe
Harold Perrineau
Boyd Stevens
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Tabitha Matthews