Prime Video's From turned its greatest advantage into the biggest drawback - the central mystery of the town 

Prime Video's From is a hidden gem in the sci-fi thriller genre, and first-time viewers will likely take some time to wrap their heads around this underrated John Griffin show. The story is about a mysterious town whose presence cannot be mapped in the real world and it likely not exist in reality.

But the biggest twist in the plot is that people passing by a particular highway (as seen in the very first episode of From Season 1) stumble upon an uprooted tree blocking their way. This becomes the start of all the problems, and as the commuters turn around to find another route, they land in the aforementioned enigmatic town. Once anyone enters the place, there is no coming back, as the road leading out brings travelers back to the same point again.

It then becomes a matter of time for the passersby to realize that there is no escape from this eerie place that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The town in From is also haunted by strange zombie-like creatures that hunt the inhabitants as soon as night falls. However, the central mystery of the show (the existence of this mind-bending place and its strange, scary elements) has eventually led to several plot inconsistencies and loopholes .

How From turned its most promising mystery into a rather frustrating element of the plot

The plot of From unravels focusing on a family of four: a woman named Tabitha Matthews (portrayed by Catalina Sandino Moreno), her husband Jim Matthews (played by Eion Bailey), and their two children, Julie and Ethan. Viewers received the greatest shock in Season 1 when Tabitha and her family accidentally come across the tree on the road, which then leads them to the mysterious town.

What initially appeared to be a holiday plan for them quickly turns into a never-ending nightmarish ordeal. Jim struggles to find a way out of the town and talks to the peculiar inhabitants, who firmly believe there is no escape and that they must accept their fate.

The self-appointed town sheriff, Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), along with other kind-hearted residents, helps Jim and his family slowly process the information. They also assist the family in finding a safe place to stay and teach them about the deadly creatures that emerge at night.

As the story progresses, the townspeople find ways to survive the deadly environment. Some escape, while others die at the hands of the zombie-like monsters; and the town eventually continues to trap more travelers.

However, viewers who make it to Season 3 may feel that the central mystery of the town becomes the biggest drawback. The first major loophole appears when Tabitha makes her first connection with the real world after a long time, following her return with the paramedics in Season 3, Episode 3.

Before dropping a major hint about the town's existence, the plot adds another layer of confusion for the audience. It deviates from the central theme and abruptly introduces elements like reincarnation (Jade and Tabitha, who are actually Christopher and Miranda) and time travel. Science fiction elements arrive quite late in From, with the first two seasons mostly focusing on the inhabitants’ struggle to survive, find food, and secure safe shelter.

The major flaw in the story is that the moment viewers expect protagonists like Jade or Tabitha to untangle the town’s mystery, another question arises. Major revelations, such as the story of Victor, the mysterious man who has been in the town since childhood and witnessed hundreds of tragic deaths, come later than expected.

It also becomes clear that the monsters haunting the town are immortal and have a strange connection to the Children in White (and the odd phrase "Anghkooey"). Moreover, as the townspeople get closer to reaching the outside world, Season 3 abruptly ends on a heartbreaking note with Jim being killed by The Man in the Yellow Suit, introducing a new central theme.

With no resolution of the pivotal mystery of the town, From delivers a disappointing conclusion, leaving viewers with more questions than answers. With a frustrating cycle of new revelations and plot additions, the show deviates from the main questions: What is the town? Where did it come from? Is it an alternate universe whose wormhole is the tree that passersby stumble upon in the middle of the highway?

If that is the case, how does it explain the deadly creatures, the Children in White, and the story of Miranda and Christopher? None of these plot loopholes associated with the central mystery are addressed by the end of Season 3. It leaves fans hoping that the next chapter of the Prime Video show offers creative closure.

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