FROM Review: Lost in Nova Scotia

What evil lurks in the heart of a mysterious forest?

From
Season 2 debuts Sunday, April 23, on MGM+. I've seen the first five episodes.

It's easy to describe From, created by John Griffin, as Lost in Nova Scotia, where the series is filmed, especially since lead actor Harold Perrineau and director Jack Bender are Lost veterans.

The show, set in an anonymous small town in Middle America, has a similar, mysterious premise that is halfway between science fiction and the supernatural, with a healthy dose of Twilight Zone tossed into the mix. The hapless residents have settled into the nightmarish reality that they are trapped within unseen boundaries -- cue comparisons to Stephen King's Under the Dome, on which Bender directed nine episodes of the television adaptation -- with no hope of escape, and where monstrous creatures come out at night, ready to tear the unwary apart, leaving large bloody cavities where internal organs formerly nestled.

I sampled the first episode of Season 1, which I missed entirely when it premiered on the Epix network last year, but the first episode of Season 2 recaps the first season and then introduces a busload of new, additional, (somewhat) expendable bodies to increase the anguish and anxiety, as well as expand the multi-character narrative. (Season 2 debuts
on the same service, now rebranded as MGM Plus in the U.S. It's known as MGM Plus International in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, per Variety.

Harold Perrineau's character, Boyd, serves as the town's sheriff. As the second season begins, he's trapped at the bottom of a hole, where he was pushed by Sara (Avery Konrad), who suffers from hallucinations that compel her to kill people.

Catalina Sandino Moreno, the other most familiar face in the large cast, plays Tabitha, who arrived in town with her husband Jim (Eion Bailey) and their two children at the beginning of the series. She begins Season 2 underground in a cave beneath the town, accompanied by Victor (Scott McCord).

The sole qualified medic, Kristi (Chloe Van Landschoot), had drawn close to deputy sheriff Kenny (Ricky He), but when he made an advance, she told him that she was engaged. We meet her intended in the first episode, which gives another spin to her character and the town's dynamics.

At some point, I'll need to go back and watch all of Season 1 to get a better handle on the characters and their histories, but it was easy enough to binge the first five episodes, which gave me a better sense of the show, overall. Like Mrs. Davis, From suffers from 'potty mouth disease,' where all the characters constantly spout profane obscenities; the issue with that here is the characters frequently scream, shout, and yell in order to communicate that THEY ARE REALLY FREAKIN' ANGRY!!! OR FRUSTRATED!!! OR SOMETHING!!!

Frankly, it tires me out, especially the screaming and shouting for emphasis. Beyond that, however, is a good mystery-horror show -- the night creatures and the violent deaths are a constant threat -- that merits a look-see. It reminds me of past network television shows, especially Lost, of course, which is inevitable.

Even so, From is a showcase for the wilderness beauty and remote terror that can be found in Nova Scotia, standing in for Middle America, where the greatest horror comes from its residents.

Now Streaming covers international and indie genre films and TV shows that are available on legal streaming services.