From - How the Series Connects to Lost and Twin Peaks

Published by Reblogs - Credits in Posts, September 8th, 2023

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From: How the Series Connects to Lost and Twin Peaks

By Zak Standridge

Published 6 days ago

What makes From unique, and how the visions and story ideas bisect with other mysterious series such as Lost and Twin Peaks.

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Ethereal. Supernatural. Inexplicable. The series From has delighted and tormented long-time aficionados with titillating hints of the origin of the stranded, haunted town. But does From have more in common with fan-loved and fan-hated paranormal and esoteric fare like Twin Peaks and Lost?

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We'll examine what makes From so unique and how the concepts and plot ideas intersect with those of Lost and Twin Peaks, two similar series that weren't so forthcoming with answers to the horrific images presented. Do the concepts of From bisect with Lost and Twin Peaks directly or indirectly? After the stunning season two finale of From, many wonder if a supernatural explanation is the only one available.

Intersections With Lost

Disney–ABC Domestic Television

Aside from Harold Perrineau, who plays Sheriff Boyd in From, there are a multitude of other concepts contained within Lost (2004-2009) that could give clues to upcoming answers in From. Harold Perrineau was featured in the doomed series Lost and, along with his son Walt, eventually was able to escape the island.

Although many were disappointed with the open-ended finale of Lost, which offered very few concrete explanations to the questions raised, it was the feeling and spirit of Lost that informed From. Many of the same creators and writers migrated over to From from Lost – although it took a few decades – and they've learned their lesson. Hopefully.

The concept of stranded civilians is taken from Lost, as is the trope of mysterious monsters that have no clear origin or weakness. Lost had its fog monster, From has its 50s Americana citizens. Another idea borrowed from Lost is that none of the defacto prisoners in From can understand how they arrived nor how they could escape.

Another intriguing idea within both From and Lost is the mounting paranoia – are there citizens within the town of From connected somehow to the strange events? In Lost, the abnormal events on the island were directly related and the direct result of a rogue scientific group – The Dharma Initiative. Similarly, in From, we have the character of Seamus Patterson, Brick, who questions everyone, everything, and every situation in From, accusing virtually every citizen of being somehow involved. The great thing about From is that it forces viewers to ask the question – is he wrong?

Intersections With Twin Peaks

CBS Television Distribution
Showtime Networks (2017)

As fanatics await the surprises in store for season 3, many turn to other, ethereal, and avante-garde styles of filmmaking for clues to From's future. One easy contemporary comparison would be David Lynch's sometimes indecipherable twenty-five-year epic Twin Peaks.

On the surface, there would appear to be little in common between From and Twin Peaks, but as David Lynch is fond of demonstrating through his stories – the surface is not what's important. One must look closer.

As revealed by season 3, episode 8 of Twin Peaks, within the world of television and film, the atomic detonation of New Mexico had a profound impact that was felt in Hollywood for decades, from the cancer-related death of John Wayne (who was bathed in irradiation while on-set for several Westerns) to the long-term impact on the industry itself – such as the box-office blockbuster Oppenheimer demonstrated – Atomic testing and the nuclear fallout affected the entertainment industry in ways that those in charge at the time could have never predicted.

Similarly, the stranded, nameless town of From contains not just remnants from this period – such as the dowdy schoolteacher, the long-forgotten 'milkman,' the bunny-skirted teenyboppers, and the greasers, but also advertisements, vehicles, billboards, and other consumer product-related commercials suffering from entropy and fading, peeling, worn out.

The concept of Twin Peaks was a radioactive, atomic vortex created back in the 1947 testing at Trinity, and this blasted open a permanent pathway to the supernatural, superhuman realms called the 'Lodges.' The black lodge, the red lodge, the white lodge; these were the unknown realms of the spirits and demons.

So, as stated before – many wondered if a supernatural explanation was the only available. No. It would appear a combination of science (atomic testing and radiation) as well as human hubris ripped open a doorway to the lodges, just as similar nuclear activity likely created the difficult-to-access universe of From.

Enthusiasts see this similar concept taken to execution in From as Sheriff Boyd stumbles upon a cobblestone cave prison that seems to exist in two different physical states – one in the future or one in the past. Perhaps like Twin Peaks lodges, From's tree portals and the cobblestone jail cell are real physical places only accessible through ethereal or supernatural means. It's likely that the answers are coming, but don't be greedy, and make sure to tune into From on MGM+ to catch up on the first two seasons!