***The following is review/breakdown followed by a detailed recap of episode 308 of FROM, “Thresholds,” and it contains spoilers for the episode.***

Episode 3.08, “Thresholds,” is in my opinion, one of the best of the season so far, on par with the premiere episode. We get major developments heading into the last two episodes of season three.

The main thread of the story is what Ellis and Boyd should do with Fatima. Boyd wants to cover it up, which I think is a mistake. I appreciate that Boyd wants to protect his family, but he’s not thinking about the safety of the town, which includes his son, nor the ramifications of what could happen. Donna is 100% right. It’s one thing to live in the town and hide from the creatures, but people won’t be okay with an unknown murderer among them. It would ultimately be a witch hunt for Sara, who in this case is innocent. However, even if somehow he could convince the people that Sara is innocent, which isn’t likely, people would be scared because they wouldn't know who to trust. It would breed fear, and people would start defending themselves and eventually going on the offense, feeling threatened. They could end up hurting or killing each other, because they can't trust each other. I think the best way forward would have either been to find a way to convince people it was an accident, or perhaps make it look like Tilly tried to leave at night, and they would assume she was killed. The other solution, which no one wants to see, would be to make it look like the creatures killed her, but I would worry they might retaliate. In the end, some version of the truth was probably, in my opinion, the best option. I also do not believe that Acosta will just let it go, unless they somehow brought her in on what was going on. Regardless, I do think Boyd should have listened more to what Donna said. Boyd is becoming less of a good leader, whereas Donna would make a better one, because she thinks of the town first.

Intermingled with this is Elgin’s story and the Polaroid camera. I have believed from the beginning that the woman in the kimono was not to be trusted. She’s leading Elgin down a dark path, potentially to end up like Sara. Elgin is smart, but he’s also kind, and I think he was just led astray. I do really believe he thinks he’s helping. It’s clear in my opinion that Fatima, or whatever is inside her, needs blood as sustenance like she got from Nicky, and Elgin will provide that. I do appreciate that the writers didn’t have her taking Tilly’s blood. Because Elgin does seem to want to help, I thought at the beginning that maybe he was going to provide the room for Fatima to have a place to hide, and if she was pregnant, wait it out. However, clearly something bad happens in the room since there was a body, which tells the audience that regardless of Elgin’s intentions, it’s likely going to turn sinister, and by the end of the episode, the room definitely seems like it will be used as a prison to hold Fatima. Elgin is at the point of no return, and I don’t know if he can come back from here.

Another integral part of the story in this episode is with Julie, and this is really my favorite part of the episode, because it reveals so much. First, it’s very interesting to me that getting to the ruins makes the screaming in her head actually stop, but like Randall said, nothing in the town is trying to help them, so I question it may be simply to lure her into the ruins. I’m not sure that it was the smartest idea to bring her little brother along, but I understand why she did. Randall, who is the one person who seemed to understand, refused to go. I would have liked to have seen her try Marielle, as the Cicada 3 have that connection, but she’s never been close with her. At any rate, things happening do seem sometimes like they could be coming from a book, because they are often outrageous, and her brother is smart, so I get why she was asking him questions that could potentially lead her in the right direction, though I at first worried for the safety of Ethan.

It’s interesting that Julie’s trip underground seems to be in her mind, as she’s having a seizure while she’s still with Ethan during her journey. It’s almost like dream walking or perhaps astral projection. This is in opposition to Boyd’s journey there, as he seems to have physically traveled to the place and had to use the torch to get there. However, this theory breaks down in a way when Julie throws Boyd the rope. I do love that they finally answered the question of where it came from. I always thought it was a mistake or something viewers were supposed to overlook, but clearly it was planned. However, if it is only in Julie’s mind, how did she actually do it? I do wish she had kept asking who was down the well or paid more attention though, because I worry that Boyd will never find out since the people of the town don’t talk enough to each other.

It seems to be confirmed during all this that there is some form of time travel on the series, whether she’s physically in the place or not, since these events already happened, and there was already a possibility that Boyd was in a different time in the past with Martin. Also, who is Martin? He knew Julie by name, which seems really important. Perhaps she will later travel to an earlier point in time to meet him, or it could be simply that whatever is going on, the town does know things, just like as how the town somehow knows about Thomas to use him against them.

Beyond that, how does it relate to where the Cicada 3 were during their comas? Was it the same sort of thing, that their minds traveled to this dungeon? It’s interesting to note that Julie seems to almost have made that part of her vision go away by telling it to stop.

It’s clear that there are multiple timelines that seem to be crossing, since Julie also hears her mother and Victor in the cave. It also seems like she hears the Ankhooey from the children, which is new, although it’s hard to tell for certain if it was just the audience hearing it. If she did though, does that mean that somehow when Tabitha sees the children they are actually coming from a different time perhaps?

The other big question that arises from this and the idea of time travel, is can Julie actually change anything? She does throw the rope, so you would think at first glance the answer to that is yes, but there's always the idea that she threw it, because she was always fated to throw it rather than she went back and made the choice.

The next big thing is with Victor, and his story is full of revelations as well. Even with the development of the mystery in these scenes, we got great character development. I loved Tabitha’s interactions with Victor and how she is able to talk to him and calm him down. Both of the performers really shine in the scene.

As for the mystery, we got more movement. They were more so confirmations of what people have theorized than outright new answers we didn’t know we needed, but massive answers none the less. We now know that the children were sacrificed by those they loved, probably meaning by their families, though we don’t know why. The Boy in White says that the answers to the end are at the beginning, which could mean a couple things. It could mean the answers to the show are literally at the beginning of the series, or perhaps it means that everything that happened in the town all started with the sacrifices. He also says that they were born in the dark and murdered in the dark. That could possibly mean they were born in the dark metaphorically, that they didn't understand what was happening. Perhaps they were created with the intention of sacrificing them for something. It’s also unclear whether the fact that someone told them a story is meant to be taken completely literally, but someone tried to help them, maybe to keep them calm, and it gave them hope. It was that hope, that innocence maybe, that created the symbol and eventually the tree. I take it to mean that they were providing a way out of the town, a way out of the dark past to correct what has been done to them. Maybe whoever went through the tree was meant to tell the world what really happened to the children. Christopher says that everything there lies, and he didn’t believe it. Maybe he just didn’t want to believe what had happened, because it was so awful. Regardless, it’s heartbreaking when Victor realizes that it was because of him that his mother left them, and it ultimately lead to her and likely Eloise’s deaths.

There were a few other smaller character development plots that stood out in the story, but I think the most important ones were between Jim and Jade and between Jim and Henry. Jim has constantly been blaming Jade for his wife's actions, and it finally came to a head. As much as Jade has not always been the nicest person, he’s put up with a lot of crap from Jim, and it was nice to see him tell him off. Jade is only trying to help, and he’s right, in the end, nothing should matter if it helps them get home. Henry really hit the nail on the head though, that Jim needs to shut up and listen to Tabitha and that he may be scared, but he's really doing what he's doing for himself - for his own selfishness and probably also anger at the fact that his wife is going to Jade for help rather than asking him, and that makes him lash out.

Overall, it was a really good episode with great character moments but even better movement on the mystery front. The episode is called “Thresholds,” and besides it referencing Julie entering the ruins, I think it might also be in reference to the mystery in general. This episode, in my opinion, offers a big shift in the sense that it feels like it’s moving towards big revelations, but maybe it’s only the beginning.

RECAP

Boyd takes Fatima to a shack. He sits her down and tells her to tell him what happened. She says that she was in the greenhouse and didn’t want to eat the rotting food anymore. Tilly came in and was trying to help her, and she felt a wave of anger come over her, this rage, like this thing was inside her; it was like she was there but wasn’t. She felt herself reach for the shears and couldn’t stop. She says she didn’t want to do it, but there was nothing she could do. Boyd tells her that she will stay the night in the shack. He hangs the talisman on the door and says that he and Ellis will figure out how they move forward. Fatima tells him that there is no way forward. Boyd tells her that she is his family, and they are going to find a way to deal with what happened. He takes a container from a knapsack and tells her that if she needs to eat, she needs to eat. Whatever is happening to her, he doesn’t want it to get worse. She asks about Tilly, upset that she left her body there. He tells her that they are going to have to let someone find her. Boyd tells her that he and Ellis need her to be strong. He tells her to keep the door closed no matter what and that they will be okay.

Jim, Tabitha, and Ethan head to their house. Jade tells them he will catch up with them later. Ethan runs up the stairs and Tabitha walks away from her husband.

Jade walks into the bar. He hears something and grabs a bottle for defense, and a drunk Henry walks out. Jade asks him who he is. He says he’s Henry Cavannaugh and that Jade probably knows his son, Victor. They trade pleasantries. He asks Jade if he’s making any progress. He says he’s not. Henry gets more to drink and sits down. Jade looks at the pieces of paper with the numbers on them.

A man comes out of the greenhouse yelling they need help, it’s Tilly, and to get Donna. Marielle goes over to help, as Elgin watches from the porch of Colony House. The Polaroid goes off on its own.

Julie, at the clinic, comes into Randall’s room asking if he’s seen Kristi or Marielle, and he says he hasn’t. She asks him to thank them for letting her stay the night. She tells him that they should go back to the ruins and check it out. He says that typically when a place makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up, it means to stay away. Julie tells him that they both felt it and suggests it could help with whatever is happening to them. He asks what if it makes it worse. Randall tells her that there is nothing there that wants to help them and to stay away from that place. She leaves.

Boyd tells Ellis that if anyone asks, he was with him. Ellis questions why they can’t tell people the truth, that it wasn’t Fatima's fault. Boyd says that some people would understand, but there is no version of them explaining it away. Ellis is worried they will put Fatima in the box, but Boyd tells him he won’t let that happen. Boyd tells him to go to his room and pack just enough for a couple of days in the shack to buy them some time.

Kenny finds Boyd and brings him to Tilly's body. Acosta is already there examining her. Boyd asks if anyone saw anything, but they haven’t heard anything and aren’t sure exactly when it happened. Acosta says that she guesses the creatures that come out at night don’t use gardening shears. She wants to talk to everyone in Colony House. Boyd agrees and says that he’ll take Ellis out to walk the road. It could have been done by people they know or people they don’t. They need to rule out the possibility of new arrivals. Boyd says he knows Kenny isn’t his deputy anymore, but Kenny tells Boyd he will get the interviews started. Acosta asks Boyd if they are good, calling him Sheriff. He tells her they need to find out who did it.

Donna comes in and sees Tilly. Donna tells him that they are going to have to have to talk to Sara. Boyd tells her it wasn’t Sara, but she says that he doesn’t know that and that she is not the only person who is going to be asking about her. She says that if he doesn’t think Sara did it, that’s fine, but they are going to have to talk to her to make sure. Donna says that hiding every night from the creatures is one thing, but this is something that people are going to have to blame someone for, and if they they don’t figure out who did it, they will blame Sara, whether she did it or not. Boyd tells her to get things straightened out there and then to meet him at the station, and they will talk to her together.

Sara is making Jasper talk with her voice. Victor yells at her, upset. He tells her that Jasper doesn’t sound like that, but she says she’s doing the best that she can. She doesn’t know what he wants. He starts hitting things and yelling at her that she’s not good enough. She tries to calm him when he starts hitting himself.

Jim comes into the kitchen and tells Tabitha that he knows she wants everything to mean something and that the place has convinced her that she needs to save these children. He asks if she knows why the phone is off the wall and tells her about the voice pretending to be Thomas. Jim says that something there knows things about them and which buttons to push. Suddenly there’s a knock; Sara is at the door. She tells them that she knows she shouldn’t be there, but Victor is in bad shape and only wants to talk to Tabitha.

Elgin comes into the clinic and starts looking for something. Randall tells him that if he’s looking for drugs, he’s in the wrong spot. Elgin denies it, saying he needs a bandaid, because he cut his foot. Randall tells him that he better not let Kristi and Marielle find him going through their stuff. Randall then asks if he heard about Tilly. He says he has. Randall tells him that he’s sorry he was hard on him on the bus that day. He was right; they should have turned around. Elgin quips that he’s sorry he threw up on his shirt. Randall leaves and Elgin finds what he’s looking for: what he needs to draw blood.

Sara and Tabitha come down to her basement to see Victor. He gives Jasper to Tabitha as Sara watches. He says that Tabitha was there when he remembered Eloise, so she is the one who can made him talk. She’s confused. Victor tells her that she needs to make Jasper tell him the secrets that he told Christopher, because he can help them. She says he’s just a doll, and Victor starts yelling and hitting things again. Tabitha tries to calm him down, asking if he wants to draw a picture, but he tells her that it doesn’t work like that. The pictures always remembered so he didn’t have to, but he never drew what happened, so now it’s gone, and he can’t remember. She tells him that nothing is gone and gets him to start talking about Jasper. Victor explains that he heard him telling Christopher things they need to know, but he doesn’t remember. She tells him they will remember together like last time.

Julie comes into the house. She asks her father how things are at settlement. He says they aren’t great, and asks if she minds hanging out with Ethan who’s upstairs, because he has something he has to take care of. Julie goes upstairs and tells her brother, who is upset, that she thought he might want to go see something cool.

Henry and Jade are still at the bar. Henry tells Jade that his wife had visions of this place, and he thought she was crazy, but he should have listened to her. He asks Jade what makes him think he will be the one to figure everything out. He guesses smart people have tried, but Jade says that he is smarter.

Jim comes in and starts yelling at Jade, pissed he dragged Tabitha and Ethan into the woods. He says that Tabitha is not in a good place right now and doesn’t need him filling her head with ideas that somehow she’s this chosen savior responsible for getting everyone out. He put his hands on Jade’s shoulders as he says this. Jade yells back to get his hands off of him. Jade explains that she came there and saw his drawings and recognized them. He stops and tells Jim that he doesn’t need to explain it to him. Jim says that Jade is a lonely selfish narcissistic asshole who doesn’t give a shit about anything but himself and his ego. If Jade wants to kill himself trying to figure it out, fine, but he has to look out for his family. Jim says that he has people who mean more to him than Jade will ever understand. Jade says that he’s getting tired of the sanctimonious blue collar bullshit. Jade says that out of the two of them that he is the only one doing something to help them get home. Jade says that what he is doing helps people, but Jim says that he’s really just showing off that he’s the smartest. Jade asks what it matters if it helps them get home. He says he won’t waste anymore of his time on Jim. If Jim wants to keep his kids under lock and key that's fine, but Tabitha is a grownup. If he has a problem with what she is doing, he should talk to her. He leaves, slamming the door on Jim.

Ellis comes to see Fatima in the shack. He tells her they will get through this. Fatima tells him that she needs him and Boyd to stop saying that; she killed someone. Ellis say that whatever happened, it’s the two of them in it together, even if they need to take the talisman and live in the woods. She tells him that whatever is inside of her that made her kill Tilly is still there. She is worried she might do something again, but he just tells her she won’t, because she is stronger than this; they are stronger. He gives her a backpack with clothes and things as well as his lucky handkerchief. They say they love each other, and then he tells her he will be back soon. He leaves, and she suddenly sees the woman in the kimono for a moment, but then she vanishes.

Elgin sets down a photograph of a blood bag on an IV. He ties off his arm and uses the needle to start drawing his blood through the tube and into a jar. The camera takes another photo.

Henry asks Jim if he minds if he gives him some unsolicited advice. Henry says that maybe sometimes when he’s with his wife he should shut up and listen. He says that he looks at Jim and sees himself forty years ago. He was so sure he could fix Miranda; it never occurred to him that she wasn’t broken. He says that Jade was right about one thing: what he’s doing, how tight he’s holding onto everything, he might say he’s doing it for his family, but he’s doing it because he’s scared, and he’s doing it for himself. Henry says that he’s the only one who can tell him that and that it’s true. Jim sits down and Henry offers him a drink. Jim refuses, saying his dad was a drunk. Henry says his was too. Jim says that the night Julie was born, after Tabitha fell asleep, he went to the bar across from the hospital and got a glass of whiskey and stared at it, promising he’d be a better father to his kids, a better husband. Henry pours him a glass and says he’s giving him a chance to renew his vows and that he could use the company.

Julie brings Ethan to the ruins. She makes him promise that he wont tell their parents what she’s about to tell him. She says that ever since she woke up, something has been happening to her. She hears things in her head, people screaming, and it won’t stop, but yesterday, when she was there with Randall, everything went quiet for the first time since she woke up. He guesses that is good, but she says she doesn’t know. She feels like something wants her to go in there, and she doesn’t know what to do. She admits she is scared. She asks him what to do. She keeps thinking that it sounds like the stories he always tells them. He tells her she’s at a threshold. It’s scary, but the hero has to be brave. He says that they can go in together if she wants. They hold hands and walk in, and suddenly she’s down below in the dungeons where Boyd was when he saw Martin. She sees her and Randall and Marielle chained up, screaming. She starts yelling, covering her ears. Meanwhile, she is having a seizure on the outsize. Ethan screams for help.

Back in Sara’s basement, Tabitha continues asking Victor questions to help him remember where he was when he heard Jasper talk. Sara comes in and helps. He talks about playing hide and seek with Eloise. She had never hid in the church before, because it always scared her, but he had looked everywhere else. He realizes he saw Jasper talking to Christopher in the church.

Kenny and Acosta are interviewing people. The man who found Tilly asks why they aren’t talking to the one person in the town who murdered someone. Kenny says they will talk to Sara after. The man asks why he is defending her when she killed his father.

Boyd yells at Ellis that he said no. Ellis say that maybe if he explained to everyone what happened and gave it some time, they can meanwhile live in a tent with a talisman. Boyd thinks Ellis isn’t safe with Fatima, but he tells his father that she wouldn’t hurt him. Donna comes in. Boyd finally admits that it wasn’t Sara, but rather Fatima who killed Tilly.

Acosta asks Kenny if what the guy said about Sara and his dad was true, but he just says that it’s not that simple. She’s angry he didn’t mention it. Kenny says that Sara is different now, and Boyd trusts her. Acosta obviously does not care what Boyd thinks. Suddenly Ethan runs up to them screaming. They go with him to the ruins.

Meanwhile Julie is trying to make the screaming go away and yells for it to stop. It does; when she looks again, they have disappeared. Then, she sees Martin telling someone, who the audience knows is Boyd in the well, that he will have to climb. Martin says her name, and she asks how he knows it. He just says that “he” needs the rope. She asks who and throws it down the well. Then we see it from Boyd’s perspective as Martin tells him to hurry. Martin thanks Julie and tells her to leave; it’s not safe. When she turns back again, Martin is gone. She goes through a door and is in the cave. She uses a lighter to see. She can hear her mother and Victor from when they were in the caves before. She calls out to her mother, but she doesn’t hear her. The kids yell “Ankhooey.” Julie cries and yells. Kenny and Acosta get to her and wake her up. Julie grabs and hugs Ethan.

Boyd tells Donna that he took Fatima out of town before everyone woke up. She tells him that he has to bring her back. He says he can’t. She tells him that she loves Fatima as though she was her own, but they have a town to worry about, and if he tries to hide it and people find out – he cuts her off saying that they will understand, just like they did with Sara. She tells him that they didn’t understand that; they accepted it. They let it go, because he told them they had to. She tells him that it won’t work this time, because they don’t believe in him anymore, not like they did. Ellis says to say he did killed Tilly, but Donna says that it’s not enough; it doesn’t change that something made it happen in the first place. She says that there is either something horrible growing in Fatima or the place has finally broken her mind, but either way, it’s only a matter of time before it happens again. Boyd says that she can stay with him so she’s not a threat to anyone else. They can watch her. Donna says that they may both want it to be okay, and she does too, but if they aren’t going to tell everyone than she is and not to make her do it. Boyd tells Ellis after she leaves that he’s going to need supplies.

Victor, Tabitha, and Sara go into the basement of the church. He tells them that it happened in the basement. He opened the door, and he heard voices. He was quiet, because he wanted to get closer. He tells them that Jasper was telling secrets, and Christopher got angry. During this, Victor remembers in flashback Jasper talking to Christopher and him yelling at Jasper, but it’s muffled. Suddenly the scene changes as he remembers that he was wrong: it wasn’t Jasper, but the Boy in White telling secrets to Christopher. The Boy in White told him that the answers to the end are at the beginning and that it started with the children, what the others did to them, the people that they loved and trusted. Victor says that the Boy in White said that the children were born in the dark, and then they were murdered in the dark, but someone who loved them told them a story. The story gave them hope, and when the children laid on the stones, they poured their hope into the roots that made the symbol, and those roots became the tree. Sara realizes he means the faraway tree. Victor says that the Boy in White was trying to tell Christopher that to save the children he would have to go through the tree, but he wouldn’t listen and got angry. He tells the Boy in White that everything there lies and that he his a liar. Christopher wouldn’t listen or go to the tree, so he told his mother what the Boy in White said. Victor realizes that that was why his mother left them.

Elgin approaches the shack, having followed a Polaroid. He calls to Fatima and opens the door.

Boyd tells Ellis to stay close but not too close, about four or five hours out, and stay off the path of the settlement. He doesn’t want anyone finding their tent accidentally. Boyd tells him that he will leave supplies for them twice a week, and if he needs anything to leave a note. He tells him to promise him that if things get worse – Ellis interrupts him and says that he knows his father doesn’t want him to do it, but asks him if he had had a chance to run with his wife, even after she did what she did, what he would have done?

They get to the shack, but the door is open, and Fatima is gone. Ellis starts yelling for her.

Meanwhile, Elgin is leading Fatima to the root cellar, telling her that Ellis is waiting for her. He tells her that there is a room down there that no one knows about. He gets her to follow him down into the cellar. She is hesitant but keeps going. Elgin tells her to go into the room. She calls to Ellis but doesn’t see him. She says she’ll wait at the shack, but Elgin stops her. He tells her that she has to be there; it’s the only place that the baby will be safe. She tells him that there is no baby; she’s not pregnant. He tells her there is; it’s just not hers. Fatima tries to get out, but he blocks her path. She is in pain and drops. He tells her that the baby knows she has to stay. Fatima tells him to get out of her way and pushes him, but she falls. She tries to make it up the steps, but Elgin drags her back. He tells her that it’s for the best. She screams for help as he drags her into the room.