From the music box to “anghkooey,” here are 10 burning questions that From Season 3 needs to answer.
It’s a great time to be a fan of things that go bump in the night. As well as a horde of horror movies set to terrify us in 2024, TV has got plenty of scares in store, too, especially with From Season 3 on the way. Talismans at the ready!
Obviously, the biggest question we have is why these people were sent to Fromville. But given that Season 2 left us with more questions than answers, and there are hopes for the TV show to continue past Season 3, we might be waiting a little longer to find out exactly what sinister forces are at play.
Until then, here are 10 questions we need From Season 3 to answer (or at least shed some light on), as well as some theories thrown in for good measure. Warning: Spoilers for From Season 2 ahead!
Is Tabitha in the real world?
At the end of the From Season 2 finale, Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is pushed from the lighthouse by the Boy in White, who tells her, “It’s the only way.” Cryptic, as always. When she wakes up, she’s been mysteriously transported to a hospital bed with staff around her — in other words, it looks like she’s in the real world.
Since the finale finishes there, we didn’t get to find out if Tabitha really has escaped Fromville, if she’s dreaming, or if she’s in another alternate reality.
Chances are it’s the former, in which case she’d have her work cut out for her in From Season 3. Trying to find a way to save her family and the rest of the town (without being sectioned) will be no mean feat.
What’s the deal with the music box?
A mystery that arose in Season 2 was the cursed music box, and though Season 3 might not reveal the origin of the monster behind it (which could easily be the entity responsible for this whole mess), there are high hopes that it will shed more light on this musical menace.
Boyd (Harold Perrineau) started having visions of the beastly box after finding Martin (Robert Verlaque), who was clearly having a rough day, chained up in the dungeon. The fact that Martin managed to throw Boyd a rope is pretty incredible given his precarious situation — and things only got weirder from here.
When that tune started to play, Martin warned Boyd to get out of there, promising bad things would happen when the music stops — think musical chairs but with more existential dread. Boyd refused to listen and tried to unchain him. And how did Martin thank him? By infecting him with his worm-infested blood.
As well as poor Boyd, other characters, including Kenny (Ricky He) and Elgin (Nathan D. Simmons), started to see the box and the phantom ballerina in their nightmares before these horrifying events unfolded, which spilled over into real life.
The following morning, Kenny answered the phone to an anonymous caller, who said, “They touch, they break, they steal. No one here is free. Here they come, they come for three unless you stop the melody.”
The rhyme seems to be an eerie prophecy in Season 2, as Julie (Hannah Cheramy), Randall (A.J. Simmons), and Marielle (Kaelen Ohm) are attacked by cicadas (more on this next) and sent into a coma. Boyd finds their souls trapped in the dungeon, realizing the only way to save them is by destroying the music box.
But nothing in Fromville is ever simple. Before Boyd takes a strike, a vision of Abby (Lisa Ryder) arrives to warn him that destroying the box would only cause more suffering down the line. He does it nonetheless, and all three come out of their trance. Simple… for now.
However, the questions remain: where did the music box come from? Who is controlling it, and what are their motives? What does that rhyme have to do with it? And was Abby right, or was that simply the monster trying to deter Boyd?
What’s the deal with the cicadas?
They might be creepy as all hell, but the smiling monsters who stalk Fromville at night are the least of the residents’ problems in Season 2: it’s cicadas. These evil insects start stalking the From characters inside and outside of their nightmares.
This led to a theory put forward by Sara (Avery Konrad), who wonders whether the fears of those who die come back to haunt the living residents. The reason being that her brother Nathan was terrified of cicadas before she (accidentally) killed him.
While this is a plausible theory, some fans have other ideas. “What if the worms inside Boyd were actually cicada nymphs, and they became fully grown ones after they got inside the smiley monster?” questioned one on Reddit.
Another suggested, “I think they ‘activated’ because all three tower prisoners died (Martin was the last one). So they became activated to go hunt and find the three replacements. ‘They come for 3’.”
One even questioned whether the townspeople are simply part of an experiment by humans-observing aliens and that the cicadas are an element of a “human-made test using 5th-dimensional technology… this whole thing is a giant escape room.” Or, you never know, they could be pulling a Lost on us; they’re all stuck in purgatory (although hopefully not).
Is the ventriloquist dummy tied to Victor?
There are various threads that may (I hope) come together in From Season 3, which include: residents’ visions of the Slappy-like ventriloquist dummy; Victor’s dark past; the late Christopher; and that damn symbol.
In the second chapter, Victor (Scott McCord) reveals to Jade (David Alpay) — who has become obsessed with a symbol he and numerous others have seen — that when he was a child, there was once a man in Fromville named Christopher who was well-liked. But like Jade, he started seeing visions of the symbol and became equally obsessed, so much so that it changed him.
One night, Victor’s mom told him to hide in a place that Christopher didn’t know about. In the morning, everyone was dead except for Victor.
“But what’s this all got to do with a ventriloquist dummy?” I hear you say. Well, if the fear manifestation theory is to be believed, it could be that Victor — like most breathing human beings — is scared of ventriloquist dummies. This would explain why he’s so frightened when he and Tabitha come across the doll in the caves.
Backing this idea, one Redditor wrote, “There was a particular moment with the ventriloquist dummy where I noticed how much it looked like the creatures, especially Smiley. And in one scene Victor was clearly terrified by the doll.
“My theory is that when Victor was a child, he was scared of the dummy and his fear created the creatures, just like the other instances of fears becoming real in the town.”
Adding to this, it could be that the dummy used to be owned by Christopher, which would explain why Victor is so afraid of it.
“Victor described Christopher as a funny man, and ventriloquist dolls are usually used in a comedy routine,” said another.
“Victor was disturbed by the doll, which would make sense because Christopher probably did something to cause a massacre. Plus, Jade hallucinated the doll, and there is some weird connection between him and Christopher.”
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What is the fate of Fatima’s baby?
Fatima (Pegah Ghafoori) was told she could never have children, which is why she and everyone else was so shocked to discover she was pregnant. But this isn’t the happiest news given their current situation, with Ellis (Corteon Moore) expressing understandable concerns that the baby will be born with fangs akin to the smiling monsters.
From Season 3 will likely delve into the fate of the child, which could be a) the baby belongs to Fatima and Ellis, b) it’s a monster child, or c) it’s born human, only to become a beastly baby down the line. There’s also a fourth option: Elgin is actually Fatima and Ellis’s son, and the town they’re stuck in is some sort of time-jumping portal.
This would explain the bottle tree (don’t worry, we’ll get to it) containing random years, the civil war soldier who nearly took Jade out, and those funny faraway trees. It would also explain why Elgin had visions of Fromville before he’d even arrived.
As one Redditor theorized, “I guess Elgin may be Fatima’s son; those weird trees take you anywhere. Maybe they also take you to any other time. So Fatima gives birth, and to save the child, she puts him inside one of those trees, and the baby is sent to the past, outside that world… and because of this, he knows something.”
Or, you know, Fatima’s baby could just be a rare miracle, as Donna suggested. But this is From we’re talking about, and there’s no doubt Season 3 will be filled with just as many sinister twists and turns for the From cast.
What’s the deal with the bottle tree?
While we’re on the topic, From Season 3 needs to give us more clarification on the bottle tree. It first showed up in Season 1 when Boyd took Sara to venture into the forest for answers, which didn’t go too well (Boyd ended up trapped in a well, as you do). And yet, there are still no clear answers as to what it means.
In Season 2, the bottle tree rears its mysterious head again when Victor helps Tabitha get to the lighthouse. He explains that it’s a special faraway tree in that it only takes people to the lighthouse rather than random places (or, perhaps, times).
It could be that the bottles contain dates or locations of places people wanted to be transported to. They write them down and hang them on the tree before jumping in, allowing them to travel through time, place, or even dimensions.
Elaborating on this theory, one fan said, “I believe that the bottle tree acts as a form of control over the faraway trees to go back in time to a specific year.
“Boyd took down a bottle that had the year 1864 inside, and after he goes through a tree, he’s in a building that seemed to have taken more than a hundred years to become the ruins [where] we see Boyd after being teleported out.”
Who was the man on the radio?
This is another mystery from Season 1 that still hasn’t been answered. When Jim (Eion Bailey) had the whole town roping in to try and make contact via a makeshift radio system, he thought they finally got through to the outside world, only to discover all he’d done was piss off whatever it is that’s keeping them trapped.
A man’s voice was heard on the other end, warning Jim that his “wife shouldn’t be digging that hole.” And he didn’t mean metaphorically — Tabitha really was digging beneath their home, hoping to find answers.
But just as it seemed like she and Jim were getting somewhere in their separate plans, a storm engulfed the town, and their house collapsed. Talk about a bad day at the office. A lot has happened since then, but we still don’t know who (or what) was communicating with Jim that day.
Did the monsters used to be humans?
As said, the smiling monsters who stalked Fromville at night have taken a bit of a backseat in Season 2, probably catching up on their scary sleep. Still, judging by the From Season 3 trailer, it looks like we might finally get to find out if they used to be humans.
It certainly seems likely, given they all appear to be from the same era. When Boyd managed to kill one of them with his worm-infested blood, they brought the body indoors, and Kristi (Chloe Van Landschoot) got to work dissecting it. Inside, they found shriveled-up versions of the human organs. Don’t make the same mistake I did and watch this episode while eating lunch.
In the Season 3 teaser, a number of the smiling monsters can be seen kidnapping Boyd and tying him up, with Cowboy Creature saying, “You said this place couldn’t break you. That’s what you said.” This is a reference to the Season 2 finale, in which Boyd screamed, “You don’t break me,” into the forest after smashing the music box.
We’ve never seen the smiling monsters interacting with residents before (except when they rip them to shreds), but Season 3 looks set to change this as Boyd is taken captive, hopefully paving the way for us to learn more about where they came from.
Who is the Boy in White?
Though he’s appeared in Seasons 1 and 2, we’re still yet to know who — or what — The Boy in White is. He seems to be a ghostly figure or a vision; one who helps those who can see him (think Casper but more realistic). Perhaps he is the guardian of the ghost children seen by Tabitha in the second chapter, or From Season 3 could find him helping new residents.
Now, there’s always the chance that he’s secretly sinister, which would explain why he abandoned child Victor, having befriended him after the massacre. It would also explain why he pushed Tabitha from the lighthouse — maybe he feared she was getting too close to the truth.
It’s about as obvious as “anghkooey” at this stage, speaking of which…
What the hell does “anghkooey” mean?
If From Season 3 doesn’t reveal why the ghost children were saying “anghkooey,” or even just what it means, I’ll be as sad as Victor when the peaches supply is low. Frustratingly, there doesn’t appear to be a solid real-life translation for the word, so right now, only the creators know its meaning.
That said, there are some theories floating around, one of which suggests it could be related to Ankou, a Celtic legend often referred to as the personification of death who is responsible for bringing people’s spirits to hell. Usually, he’s depicted as a tall, skeletal figure, sometimes with a wide-brimmed hat and scythe — in other words, not someone you’d want to meet down a dark alley, but definitely apt for the themes in From.
Others have suggested the kids are saying, “Aunt Julie,” only their tongues have been cut off, so they can’t pronounce it. While the latter part of this theory makes sense, what’s poor Julie got to do with all this, and since when did she become an aunt?
Whatever the case, the word seems to be connected to the symbol. When Jade went into the caves searching for answers, he had visions of the ghost children as they chanted “anghkooey.” When he looked up, the roots above him formed the symbol, only for the visions to suddenly stop.
What’s more, Victor recalled that on the night of the massacre, his mom said she had to “save the children,” perhaps referring to the “anghkooey” kids. And let’s not forget that the children helped guide Tabitha to the lighthouse, once again repeating that word.
All of these threads will be connected in one way or another, and no doubt, From Season 3 will answer a few of these burning questions. But, judging by the ride so far, we can also expect even more mysteries to arise in the upcoming chapter. It’s all part of the fun, eh?
From Season 3 is set to arrive in fall 2024. Until then, check out how to watch all episodes of From so far. You can also find all of the new TV shows heading to streaming this month, the best binge-worthy series to watch right now, and our roundup of the best shows of 2024 so far.
