'From' Season 4 Episode 5 Recap & Ending Explained: What Did Jade's Hallucination Reveal?

In episode 4 of From Season 4, Julie and Randall came across the tale of Fred the Storywalker, who apparently used to visit various narratives and bookmark them so he could visit them at a later time. Julie believed that elements of the Township have been leaking into the real world and into the minds of storytellers, which they’ve gone on to present to the world in the form of fictional stories. So, in Julie’s opinion, if she reverse-engineered this “fictional” method of story-walking in real life, she’d be able to pinpoint the place where she’d have to land and interfere with Jim’s life in order to prevent his death. While that sounded sensible in theory, in execution, it completely flopped. Elsewhere, Sophia got into Sara’s head and made her do a really stupid task just to see how far she was willing to go in order to prevent something bad from happening to her fellow residents. Fatima began building a golem in her room because she believed that it’d protect the residents from the wrath of the creatures and the Yellow Suit Man. Victor revealed to Henry that the Yellow Suit Man had eaten Miranda, which caused the old timer to have a meltdown. In addition to all that, Tabitha and Ethan went with Donna, Ellis, Robby, and Patty to the Settlement, because that spot had a lake there. Even though Tabitha wasn’t entirely convinced that Ethan’s claim that the ghost of Jim had told him to find the Lake of Tears was true rather than a figment of Ethan’s imagination, she chose to help him with his self-imposed mission, because she felt that it’d give him some form of closure. And they did discover something in the lake. What was it though? Let’s talk about episode 5 to find out.

Spoiler Alert

Roger Is Killed By The Scarecrow Dolls

From Season 4 episode 5 opens with Donna, Ellis, Patty, and Roger staring at what has surfaced. Patty hopes they aren’t dead bodies. Since inspecting that clump of mass is the only way to figure out what it is, despite Roger’s apprehensions about what new horrors may be inflicted upon them, Donna orders everyone to help her drag that thing to the shore. Roger doesn’t even touch the rope; he just stands there like an idiot while Donna, Patty, and Ellis do all the heavy-lifting. It’s like he’s trying to not get cursed by that thing, which is hilarious because of what happens later on. By the way, where are Ethan and Tabitha while all this is happening? They are near the log cabin, burying that bird which Ethan thought he could fix by sprinkling the water from that lake on it; it didn’t work, which means the lake doesn’t have any special powers (or at least it doesn’t have any healing powers). When the mother and son join the rest of the group, they see that the “bodies” from the lake have been fished out and, well, they aren’t dead bodies, but life-sized dolls. Donna digs into the chest of one of those dolls just to check if there’s anything fishy about it, but she doesn’t find anything; just wool and clothing that has been used for stuffing. Nobody there addresses it but, if you look closely, you can see that the stuffing inside isn’t wet even though the external “skin” is. Even if those dolls were submerged for a few hours before they were discovered, the water must’ve gone inside; the fact that it didn’t is some subtle foreshadowing for what’s gonna happen. Donna says that those dolls look like scarecrows, and she assumes that these scarecrows were in the water to keep something inside the lake. Or, and I don’t know why she doesn’t think of this, these scarecrows’ purpose might be to keep humans from doing some underwater exploration in the lake. Whatever the case may be, they proceed to stuff the dolls with rocks and throw them back into the lake so that they keep serving their purpose and don’t cause any additional headache to them. 

Tabitha starts getting visions of these dolls that she supposedly used to play with, and Donna notices that Tabitha is kinda spacing out. So, she takes her to the side and asks her what’s going on with her. Tabitha says that she’s seeing these fragments of memories which are making her think that she has seen those dolls somewhere before. What does that mean? She doesn’t know. Do her memories show something coming out of the lake? It’s unclear. Hence, they put those visions on the backburner and focus on pushing the scarecrows into the lake for now. While everyone’s preparing for nightfall, Ethan shares a small, sweet exchange with Donna, where he says that he is thankful to Donna, because whenever she’s around, he feels safe. Later, at night, as everyone is getting comfortable enough to go to sleep, they start hearing some kinda siren song coming from outside. That triggers a memory that one of Tabitha’s previous incarnations lived through. She apparently played with normal-sized versions of those dolls that they found. Then a man, most probably her dad, took away those dolls, claiming they gave him nightmares, and then chucked them into the lake. Eventually, the man died, and the dolls came out of the lake in their gigantic form because that’s how they used to look in that man’s nightmares. Tabitha realizes that this is a sign that they need to abandon the log cabin and head back to town. Donna and Ellis remind her that the cabin has talismans all around it, but Tabitha fears that they only work on the creatures, not these scarecrows. As soon as these words escape her mouth, one of the scarecrows breaks through the wall of the cabin and kills Roger (there are 46 residents left now, in case anybody is keeping count). Another scarecrow tries to kill Patty, but Ellis saves her. The third scarecrow goes for Donna, but it’s incapacitated by Tabitha. Tabitha says that she remembers how to hurt these things, and I guess the scarecrow that was gonna kill Patty hears that and retreats. It’s evident that one of Tabitha’s past incarnations has dealt with these creatures, and Tabitha’s run-in with them has opened her third eye, which is gonna help her tackle this new threat which can’t be warded off by talismans. Well, these scarecrows stay inactive during the day. So, and I’m just guessing here, is dismantling them during daytime and burning them gonna do the trick? Maybe. But, yeah, going back to Roger, I think it’s really funny that he kept fretting about those scarecrows, and he thought that not helping the others bring them ashore would keep him safe. And then he ended up being the first one to croak. Why? Possibly because he’s the one who found the rope. By the way, we still have to learn about the purpose of the rope and that siren song.

Sophia Torments Marielle

At the clinic, Kristi and Marielle fix Sophia’s broken wrist. Once Kristi has reset the bone, she asks Marielle to bring the brace. Marielle heads to the ambulance to get it, which is when she briefly crosses paths with Julie and Randall, who are clearly still unhappy about the outcome of their little story-walking adventure. Since getting the brace is the need of the hour, Marielle doesn’t stop them to ask what’s going on and instead boards the ambulance and rummages through its cabinets to get the supportive garment. To Marielle’s shock, 2 chains with cuffs appear out of the cabinets and trap her in the ambulance itself, while the radio plays the sound of somebody screaming at the top of their lungs. Since Marielle is taking too long to come back, Kristi goes to the ambulance herself and finds her cowering near the driving area and sobbing. However, when Kristi asks her what happened, Marielle says it’s nothing and rushes into the clinic. A few moments later, we see that Sophia has gotten her brace and she’s going through the storage unit, looking at all the items of the deceased. That’s when she overhears Julie and Randall having an argument about story-walking, and by the looks of it, Sophia seems to be taking pleasure in how these 2 are coming undone. I don’t know if she sees them as a threat; if she does, she is probably glad that they’re losing faith in themselves, which means that it’s only a matter of time till they give up. By the way, I’m sure you are wondering again why Sophia isn’t going on some wild rampage across town, and is instead watching everything slowly fall apart. There are 2 reasons for that: the writers have to stretch this narrative to 10 episodes, and Sophia’s prolonged approach shows that she enjoys the slow-burn method of inflicting damage on her victims. 

Anyway, Sophia shifts her focus from that fighting couple (Julie and Randall deny it but they are clearly a couple) to the other bickering couple: Kristi and Marielle. Marielle insists that she was just having a mini-meltdown, which is pretty normal for people who live in this nonsensical town. However, Kristi doesn’t buy it, because she thinks Marielle was going through something major. As Marielle is walking away from Kristi, she rams into Sophia, who touches her hand and makes her imagine, yet again, that she has been chained in that dungeon and is experiencing a lot of pain. Kristi is shocked to see her in this state, and as soon as she touches Marielle, the illusion breaks. While Kristi and Marielle try to figure out what just happened, Sophia looks on menacingly. Later on, Sophia serves some kinda beverage to Marielle, and Kristi asks Marielle to open up about what she has been experiencing all day. Marielle starts talking about being trapped in that dungeon and feeling the pain of every person who has died in there. She says that she tries to snap out of it, but it’s borderline impossible to do so. Hence, all she can do is power through it. Sophia says that that means Marielle is a prophet, and she has been chosen by God to feel everyone’s pain. That seems nonsensical to Marielle, and she proceeds to walk out of this conversation. As she’s leaving the room, she makes it clear that she doesn’t think any of this is God’s doing. She believes that it’s the work of some ancient entity that’s feeding off their suffering. She even theorizes that if they die there, they won’t get to leave, because they’ll live on as screaming echoes in another resident’s hauntings. This may sound a bit blasphemous but Sophia isn’t wrong about God being the architect of this town, because when faced with the question “Why does God make us suffer if he’s so powerful?,” most pastors give some wispy explanation that it’s His way of humbling humans or keeping his followers close to him. Whereas the truth of the matter might be that He enjoys watching His followers suffer a little, because it increases their belief in Him. If Sophia/Yellow Suit Man is the architect of this town, are they God? I don’t think so, but I won’t be surprised if From Season 4 or 5 reveals that he, she, or they are God.

Henry Suffers A Meltdown

At Colony House, Fatima is still busy building that golem. Kenny comes into her room to check in on her and apologize for doubting whatever she’s up to, because doubt leads to distrust, and distrust exacerbates the chaotic situation they are already in. With that out of the way, Kenny asks Fatima what she feels whenever she experiences her psychic connection with the Smiley creature. Fatima doesn’t really give a vivid description of this link; she just says that it’s terrifying, and it makes her go to the window to check if he’s standing out there. She knows that that feeling is some kinda foreshadowing for his eventual arrival at her doorstep, but she doesn’t exactly know what to do when that happens. Kenny doesn’t really know how to respond to that; so, he tells her to holler at him if she needs any kind of help, and Fatima assures him that, if the need arises, she definitely will. As Kenny is heading out, he spots Henry getting drunk. Henry asks Kenny to join him. but Kenny passes on that offer. 

A few minutes later, Victor finds Henry in the dining room, drunk out of his mind and obsessing over that drawing that depicts Miranda’s death. Victor tries to take Henry to his room so that he can lie down and relax. However, Henry starts lashing out in the name of “having fun,” because he’s totally distraught after finding out how his wife actually died. A crowd gathers in the living room, and when Victor fails to calm Henry down, Kenny comes to rescue Henry from the hole that he is digging for himself. It’s a pretty sad scene, and with each passing second, it gets sadder. It’s gut-wrenching what Henry and Victor are going through, but what really rips out your heart is Kenny being there at this moment. The guy never got to say goodbye to his mother or his father. So, he probably thinks that anybody who still has at least 1 family member alive is incredibly privileged. However, he isn’t jealous of them; he wants them to cherish that bond and protect it, because you never know when it’s gonna get ripped apart by those monsters outside. Kenny brings Henry to his and Victor’s room and lays him down on the bed; he instantly goes to sleep. Kenny asks Victor for some context regarding Henry’s meltdown, and he tells Kenny about Miranda’s death, and how that knowledge caused Henry to spiral out of control.  

Jade Knows How To Exit The Township

Jade and Boyd are at the post office as they are waiting for the mushrooms that Jade has consumed to kick in. Jade starts seeing spiders (which is a recurring motif, and seemingly represents the architect of the Township or the Yellow Suit Man) and freaks out. Boyd points out that the spiders aren’t real, gets Jade to sit down, and then they start strategizing how they are gonna navigate this drug trip. Jade says that Boyd has to keep telling him what’s real and what’s not; and that their safe word is gonna be “Capricorn.” Jade doesn’t really give any reason why he chooses that word but, from what I could gather, the constellation of Capricornus is sometimes associated with the Greek god Pan, who is synonymous with (amongst many other things) music. Jade plays the violin. So, yeah, that might be 1 of the reasons why he chooses Capricorn as his safe word; or maybe I’m overthinking this and he says it because that’s his zodiac sign. Anyway, going back to the plot, Jade says that it’s pointless to sit in the post office and hope that the clues to his past incarnation’s memories come rushing back to him like a flood. Hence, they head out. Jade takes the “This Way” sign on the motel as an indicator for where they need to go, and Boyd follows Jade without questioning his methods. They make it deep into the woods and Jade starts throwing questions into the void regarding the mystery surrounding his previous incarnations’ memories. After a while, he spots his younger self playing the violin; to be specific, his younger version is playing the same tune he played on the day of his mother’s death. This sight causes Jade to panic, and he tells Boyd to get him out of there. But Young Jade and the ghost of the guy with the nail in his eye corner him. 

The Nail-Eye Guy advises Jade to drink the blood from the skull that he’s holding while Young Jade tells him not to do so, because it’s gonna activate memories that he doesn’t wanna see. Boyd urges him to drink it though, because the “blood isn’t real.” So, Jade gives in and chugs the blood like beer. When he has emptied the skull, he spots spiders in it, which causes him to throw up a little. However, the damage has been done, and Jade starts following Young Jade to Colony House; and Boyd goes after them. After getting there, Young Jade and 4 other ghosts start playing the violin. Jade looks at them for a while, and then figures out that all of them are his past incarnations. Upon closer inspection, he notices that all of them have been murdered by humans, not the creatures. When Jade asks Young Jade who could have killed all of them, Young Jade says “Minnows in a shark’s net.” Jade infers that these guys were butchered by their friends and neighbors. But why? Young Jade says something about the residents killing Jade (every incarnation) after learning the kids were calling out to him. Jade wonders about Tabitha’s fate, and Young Jade says that her future is worse than Jade’s. So, I suppose the message here is that Jade has to answer the call of the children in a discreet fashion; probably even go solo while orchestrating whatever rescue mission needs to be planned to save those children. Because if the word gets out, then he’s gonna face the same fate as his predecessors. Since Jade is high as hell, he doesn’t “get it,” and he keeps yelling at Young Jade and his other incarnations until they disappear into Colony House. As Jade goes in there looking for them, he gets transported to the storage shed (where Boyd asked Acosta to do some digging). Boyd goes after Jade, demanding some answers. Instead of giving Boyd some clarity, Jade asks him to help him dismantle this mountain of luggage, which leads to the discovery of a door. 

When Jade goes through that door, he finds himself in a long passage, where he loses track of Boyd and he spots a spider again. He keeps going until he finds himself in those tunnels, which is where he reunites with Boyd, who tells Jade that they need to get out of these tunnels, because this is where the creatures reside. Instead of heeding Boyd’s advice, Jade goes after Young Jade, and he finds himself in that clearing where the Smiley creature was born. Except now, in that clearing, there’s a grave and 7 rocks placed in a circle around it. Before Jade can make head or tail of this, the creatures surround him, push him into that grave, and cover it with a rock. As Jade loses visibility, he spots one of the Anghkooey children, which causes him to scream at the top of his lungs. 

In episode 5’s ending, Jade snaps back to reality and realizes that he never left the room. He didn’t go to the jungle or meet his past incarnations. He was hallucinating in the post office. However, that doesn’t undermine this rollercoaster ride of a journey that he went on, because the entire point of having those mushrooms was to unlock the memories of his past incarnations. Now, while the whole thing might’ve been vague to us, Jade is confident that he knows how to successfully save the Anghkooey children and get out of this Township. If I have to guess how Jade is gonna pull that off, as mentioned before, the first step will be discretion. The second step probably has something to do with music. And the third step has to involve a trip to the tunnels and finding a grave that has 7 rocks around it? If he messes up any of these steps, he’s gonna join his previous incarnations in the afterlife. Am I warm or cold? Let me know in the comments section below.

...