Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for From.Oh From, where did you go wrong? The horror series from the Russo Brothers had a lot going for it and initially seemed like it might find a groove. It starred a commanding Harold Perrineau getting a long-overdue leading role on television again since first capturing our attention back in the days of Lost. Like that prior show, which it feels quite tied to, From is built around a mystery where a group of strangers are brought together and remain isolated from the rest of the world without any idea of why. Making matters more complicated here is that the unknown area where they are trapped has monsters which resemble humans that roam the forest and attack at night. Any attempt to leave always ends with them ending up right back where they started. Similarly, over ten episodes, the show itself seemed to be stuck in a narrative loop built around shocks over substance. Despite establishing a whole host of potential paths, it kept bringing us back to a bunch of superficial twists that initially surprise us only to quickly lose their impact.

The final episode similarly threw a whole lot out there. There was a potentially big discovery about a cavernous underground world that may provide some answers as to what this area is. Despite a coming storm, the prolonged attempt by the community to establish radio contact with someone proved successful. However, it was with a creepy voice who seemed to know them and indicated that they are likely being watched. There was also a big bus of some kind that rolled into town, possibly bringing people who are aware of what this place is. All of these elements feel impactful in the moment though become increasingly scattershot when you sit with them for any length of time. It isn’t just that they don’t provide definitive answers, plenty of shows leave you hanging in the hope that you come back for more. It can be done as these successful shows ensure such reveals provide something of substance at the core to reflect on. Think of how the recent finale of the brilliant Severance provided incisive insights about its characters in its first season’s final moments. Not only does From fail to do this, it loses sight of them and their development in favor of throwing in haphazard plot twists.

RELATED: 'From' Trailer Shows Dangers of Taking a Detour in Epix's Sci-Fi Horror Series

from epix
Image via Epix

The most prime example is how Perrineau’s Boyd Stevens continued on his trek through the woods. Hoping to find a means of escape for those trapped in the town, the self-appointed sheriff was driven by some sort of supernatural connection with his departed wife who he was convinced told him to go on this journey. This manifested in one particular scene where Boyd believes he hears her crying out for help. He plows through a mass of spider webs that look like they were taken straight off the shelves of a Spirit Halloween, only to discover she is just a figment of his imagination. This is made clear as he is accompanied by the troubled Sara (Avery Konrad) who herself hears voices but doesn’t see Boyd’s wife. When they get caught up in a storm, she convinces him to get in a tree which ends with him being transported into a chimney of some kind. This is where Boyd ends the season, crying out for help with no response. Even with Perrineau giving the best performance of the show, this final scene just feels forced and hollow. It renders much of his journey as a character, both literal and emotional, meaningless for the sake of catching us off guard with a sudden surprise.

All of this is dropped on us in a way that should have elicited excitement and investment in more to come. Yet it only feels tiresome, making you wonder what the point of Boyd’s entire journey was going to be if it was just undone without a second thought. He was the emotional center of the show and the most well-written character, though this ending for him cheapens it all in favor of hitting us with a final stinger that still falls flat with how empty it is. It is all part of how the show’s characters take a back seat to shallow attempts at twists. Rather than let their development drive the narrative, From has become all about plot revelations that lack a greater sense of emotional investment. This disconnect is not beyond fixing and the hope for a potential second season is still there. However, whatever comes next would need to ensure that the characters who make up the story don’t get lost in the shuffle. The best shows out there are able to strike this balance, getting you invested in the nuances of the people who populate the world it has created. Instead, many of the characters in this show more closely resemble stock caricatures that have been lifted from far better shows.

from epix show
Image via Epix

The only problem is that these better shows actually spent the time to flesh out what makes each individual character tick. If you go back and watch a show like Lost, there is a lot of attention given to building each character. We see their fears, their flaws, and what drives them. It doesn’t just ensure we know them but that we understand how they fit into the conflict of the show. When this is done well, such conflict is given greater stakes when all of the multidimensional characters have to navigate it all in order to survive. With whatever comes next, From would benefit greatly from devoting time to ensuring the various characters are fully developed. This would help get us invested in the story and the show overall, a win-win for ensuring the narrative has the stamina to continue into more seasons. By all means, then it can throw in as many twists and turns as one could possibly imagine. However, as it stands now, the show has a lot of growing to do if it is going to continue onwards with the substance required to build upon the already rickety foundation it has laid out thus far.