Into The Woods

Into the Woods

## Episode guide

**"Into The Woods"** is the ninth episode of the first season of From and the ninth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

*Boyd and Sara journey deeper into the forest than Boyd has ever gone, encountering new and terrifying mysteries. Jim’s confidence in the radio tower begins to wane. An unexpected tragedy causes Donna to unravel. Kenny and Kristi share a moment.*

## Plot

As Boyd and Sara continue their trek through the woods, Sara asks him how he knows where to go, and he admits that he is simply following his best guess. They arrive at the Talisman Cave, and Boyd explains to Sara that it is where he found the Talismans. Boyd decides to set up camp for the night, but Sara points out that it isn’t dark yet. Boyd explains that the cave is the farthest he has ever gone into the forest, and does not want to go into uncharted territory with two hours before dark. Sara asks for the cuffs to be removed, saying she has to go to the bathroom, but Boyd refuses, and says that is why he cuffed her hands in the front.

In the Diner, Kenny explains to his mother how they are dividing work on the radio tower. Tian-Chen asks if Jade has found Victor, and Kenny answers no, adding that if Jade mentions the symbol one more time, he believes Jim might kill him. Tian-Chen expresses happiness that Jade is finally working, and says that she does not like him because he is selfish and lazy. Kenny quips that that is what Tian-Chen says about her favorite people, making her smile. Tian-Chen tells her son to go ring the bell and be a good sheriff. As Kenny exits the Diner, Kristi arrives and returns his book, saying that she finished chapter 6. The two talk about the book, and Kenny asks if she thinks it will have a happy ending. Kristi does not know, but looks forward to finding out.

As the sun sets, many Colony House residents head to the Sheriff’s Office, where they are temporarily staying. As Donna welcomes them in, she notices Eric looks glum, and tells him to get good sleep. Dale complains about living in a jail cell, and Donna reminds him that it is temporary. Dale expresses pessimism about the chances of the radio tower working, and Donna tells him to cut it out because the other people need something to feel good about. Dale declares himself happy to play make-believe and enters. Before Donna shuts the door, she draws a 1 on the NIGHTS WITHOUT INCIDENT sign.

In the Matthews’ house, Tabitha continues digging in the basement, and Jim calls her up for dinner. As she climbs the stairs, she has a vision that cuts between walking through the main street of town and ascending the stairs of a tower. She hears what sounds like a ship’s horn. As she continues climbing the tower, she finds several objects on the ground, including Ethan’s toys, and shouts that she told him to pick them up, seemingly not noticing that anything is amiss. She picks them up, but knocks over a glass bottle, which rolls down the stairs, and asks someone to pick it up. Tabitha then hears the sound of a phone ringing and a baby crying, and tells Jim to get the kids because something is wrong. As she grows more nervous, she notices the wall above her is inscribed with various years. She then looks up, she notices Jim dangling from the ceiling, and suddenly his mouth opens as if to scream but the sound of a car horn emits, flashing her back to the RV crash, and Tabitha wakes up in her bed.

At the Sheriff’s Office, a scream wakes up Donna, who comes rushing to the scene and finds that Eric had killed himself during the night. One of the Colony House people tearfully says that he had been saying he was fine and making jokes about the radio tower.

At Colony House, Jim leads the work on building the Radio Tower. Kenny informs him that Jade is working on the power source. Jim says that they need more building material, and Kenny promises to have people scavenge some wood from the Barn. When Donna arrives, they ask her how she is doing, and she hoarsely answers that she has had a rough morning. Kenny asks her if Eric is with her, because he needs him for a supply run. Donna answers that Eric isn’t coming, and walks inside. Ellis finds Fatima sitting on a couch inside. The two talk about Eric, and Ellis says would not have predicted it. Fatima says that the idea that the radio tower might work is more frightening than the idea it won’t. Ellis asks her to elaborate, and she asks how they return to normal life after everything they have seen and done. She further says that they aren’t the same people anymore, and can never truly come home. Ellis recalls that when his father returned from Afghanistan, he said that coming from home from war is like traveling from another planet, and you can’t tell if everything is different than you left it or if you are the one that has changed. Fatima asks what it will be like for them in the normal world, because they’ve only known each other in the Town. Fatima leaves before Ellis can answer.

Boyd and Sara continue their journey, with Boyd marking trees so they can find their way back. Sara asks Boyd how he knows the forest won’t be like the Fallen Tree Road, and just loop back to Town. Boyd admits that he has no idea, but they will find out. Boyd asks Sara asks about the voices that told her to kill all those people so they could get home, and asks if she thinks they were lying. Sara says she doesn’t want to talk about it, making Boyd angry, and he says if they’re second-guessing each other, it seems fair to ask what they told her  that convinced her to try and kill Ethan. Sara answers that they told her that two cars were coming and if she did not follow their orders before trailing off. Boyd, now furious, shouts at her to answer the question and Sara shouts back that they told her Nathan and everyone else would die. Sara tearfully asks him why he didn’t put her in the Box, and Boyd says he doesn’t know before releasing her from the handcuffs. Boyd says he has seen the Town make good people do bad things, and they continue on their way.

In Town, Tabitha and her children sort through Victor’s drawings. Tabitha does not understand them, and Julie says that Ethan thinks it’s a puzzle. Ethan corrects her and says that they’re a story, and they can figure out what to do next once they understand the story. After finding a drawing of massacred townspeople, Tabitha says they should stop. Ethan says they have to figure out the story and keep looking. Julie asks her mother if she thinks the radio tower will work, and Tabitha answers that they have to wait and see. Ethan then asks where they think a drawing of a mauled torso goes, prompting Tabitha to say they should stop. Tabitha offers to play a different game with Ethan, where they talk about what they look forward to when they get home. Tabitha says that when she gets home, she is going to order everything on the menu from Giovelli’s. Julie says that she will call her friends. Ethan says he wants to be happy the way they are in Town, because they never play games at the table at home.

In Colony House, Jim and Jade try to figure out how to power the radio. The problem is that there is no way to charge the batteries without quickly draining other resources. Jade asks Jim if anyone has seen Victor, causing him to roll his eyes. Jade tells him to just open the book and look at the symbol. Jim scolds Jade for focusing on this instead of the radio and tells him to do what he wants while he figures out how to power the radio. Jade tells him that he isn’t going to figure this out, and Jim retorts that maybe Jade isn’t as smart as he thinks. Upstairs, Kenny finds Donna and asks if she is ok. Donna deflects and asks why he isn’t working on the radio tower. Kenny tries to comfort her but Donna rebuffs him. Kenny then mentions that he is going to get some wood from the Barn to build the radio tower. This prompts Donna to fly into a rage and she takes an axe to the floorboards. Kenny and Jim tell her to stop, and Kenny says they need Colony House standing. Donna replies that they don’t need it anymore because the radio tower will get them home, adding that is no longer a home but a tomb. Donna then storms out onto the porch and tries to regain her composure.

Boyd and Sara progress deeper into the forest. Sara remarks that it was nice that Ellis saw them off before they left. Sara begins to talk about Abby, but Boyd refuses. Sara continues to say that Boyd reminds her of Nathan because he always puts others needs before his own. Sara adds that she does not think he would like what they are doing because if they tried to leave or pushed too hard, then something would push back. They then hear clinking, and follow the noise to the Bottle Tree. Sara is surprised to see it, remembering that Boyd said that no one had made it out that far into the forest. As Boyd tries to knock a bottle down so he can see what’s inside, Sara becomes pained and begins screaming before beginning to seize as Boyd helplessly tries to tend to her.

At the Bar, Tom asks a drinking Donna how progress on the radio tower is going. Tom remarks that this is the first time Donna has set foot in the Bar, and Donna tells him that it’s because he is bad at distilling, but she needs to be alone. Kenny then arrives, and asks Tom to leave them alone. After he leaves, Kenny tries to comfort Donna over Eric’s death, but Donna reveals that that is not the reason she is upset, and asks Kenny to leave, wryly telling him to go back to work on the tower. Kenny asks if she believes that it won’t work and she in turn asks him if he believes that it will. Kenny says he thinks it might and is therefore worth trying. Donna then asks him what happens when they fail, and Kenny answers that they will try again. Donna tells him that won’t work, because he is getting peoples’ hopes up, and when it gets taken away they will give up. Kenny scoffs at Donna but she tells him that he doesn’t understand what it used to be like because he wasn’t there. Donna tells him that she is grieving the loss of what they almost made the Town, that they almost made it work, and that they are so busy trying to get out that they cannot see what it the Town will become when they fail. Kenny asks her if they are just supposed to simply stay in Town where the Creatures come out and hunt them every night. Donna says she knows the people in Town look down on Colony House as just a giant party, but Donna explains that it was more than that. It was special by virtue of all the different people living together and despite the fear and the monsters, there was joy in the house. Kenny apologizes, and Donna promises to pull herself together for the next day, but warns him that they have to be prepared for the fallout if the radio tower does not work. Before she leaves, she tells him that if it does work, she thinks he will find that there is more he misses than he thinks.

In Colony House, Ellis finds a frustrated Jim trying to figure out how to power the radio tower. Ellis informs him that they have enough wire for the cord now, but he asks if they are making enough progress. Jim says that they have setbacks, but they will figure it out.

Kenny walks through Town ringing the warning bell to get everyone inside. As he finishes, he finds a despondent Kristi sitting on the stoop of the Sheriff’s Office. She explains that Eric was her friend. He had celiac disease, so he was a frequent visitor at the Clinic. Kristi fondly remembers how she always told him to stop eating bread, but Eric would make jokes, and how he made her adjustment to the Town easier when she first arrived. Kristi makes Kenny promise that if the radio tower does not work and he falls apart, he will go to her and let her help. Kenny promises her and hugs her, telling her it will be okay.

In the Lius’ house, Jade complains about having to try and figure out the power source and the pressure that is on him. Tian-Chen loses patience and scolds him for complaining so often. Tian-Chen asks if he needs electricity, and directs his attention to the lights. Jade says the problem is they can’t plug anything in, but realizes that they can still harness electricity through the lights.

Jim returns home, and Julie asks him how progress on the tower is going. He says well, and she responds that he is a bad liar, but believes that it will work. Jim asks her why she is so optimistic, and she answers that it was something Ethan said about how they were supposed to come here. She explains how at home they had stopped talking, but they are really together again, which further reminds her of what Fatima told her on her first night: if you climb up high enough, even a nightmare can look like a dream.” Julie then invites him to help dig in the basement, and he follows her down, not noticing that their lights are starting to flicker.

In the Forest, Boyd has set up camp for the night, hanging a Talisman in their tent. Sara wakes up, gasping for breath. She asks where they are, and Boyd assures her that they are safe. Boyd reveals that he was able to knock one of the bottles down, and the piece of paper simply said “1864.” Sara says they should go back, explaining that the voice she heard this time was a woman, who said that she was wrong, that there are worse things out there than the Creatures, and kept repeating “tell Mr. Fish and Loaves that I was wrong.” This frightens Boyd, and the two are further disturbed by rustling noises outside their tent. The tent then begins violently shaking.

In the Matthews’ basement, the family continues to dig deeper, while Ethan repeats his belief that they are on a quest. They stop when Tabitha says she thinks they hit the bottom.

Back in the Forest, the tent continues shaking, but eventually stops. Boyd searches for the Talisman in a panic and rehangs it. Sara says they should not have come here. Boyd tells her they are ok, but she says she does not believe they are. They then hear a loud horn, and flashes of light begin illuminating the outside of the tent.

## Trivia

* The episode shares its title with the 1987 musical by Stephen Sondheim, which combines the plots of a number of Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

* Tabitha’s vision includes the sound of a baby crying and a phone ringing, both things that prominently featured in her explanation of how Thomas died in the previous episode.
	+ The years listed on the wall in the tower include 1506, 1609, 1672, 1723(?), 1752, 1864, 1888, 1931, 1978.

## Cast

* Boyd Stevens - Harold Perrineau
* Tabitha Matthews - Catalina Sandino Moreno
* Jim Matthews - Eion Bailey
* Jade Herrera - David Alpay
* Donna Raines - Elizabeth Saunders
* Victor - Scott McCord (credit only)
* Kenny Liu - Ricky He
* Kristi Miller - Chloe Van Landschoot
* Fatima Hassan - Pegah Ghafoori
* Ellis Stevens - Corteon Moore
* Julie Matthews - Hannah Cheramy
* Ethan Matthews - Simon Webster
* Sara Myers - Avery Konrad
* Tian-Chen Liu - Elizabeth Moy
* Eric - Sam Vigneault
* Dale - Cliff Saunders
* Woman - Stephanie Clervi
* Tom - Reid Price

## Credits

* Photos created by Epix/MGM+ and gathered by TV Fanatic