SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for From Season 4, Episode 1.

From returns out of the gate swinging, with Season 4 of the MGM+ horror series picking up exactly where Season 3 left off: the sinister Man in Yellow murdering Jim Matthews in a very bloody scene. Jim’s daughter Julie, in her much shorter-haired wig, comes running forward screaming. And now we finally get to see what happens next.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” the Man in Yellow says. “When did you come from this time? Didn’t anyone tell you? There’s no way to change a story once it’s been told.”

That feels like the central thesis of From as a whole. Season 3 revealed that Tabitha and Jade have been reincarnated countless times and have been coming back to Fromville over and over, trying fruitlessly to save the children. Their souls are stuck in a loop of trying to change a horrifying story that has already been told.

The town itself is trapped in a cycle of violence—it’s a purgatory of monsters that come out at night, and a hell you can never escape from. Once you see the tree and you arrive in the town, your story has already been told. There’s no use in trying to change it.

But with Julie also learning in Season 3 that she can “story walk” by visiting the ruins in the woods, it’s unlikely that she will stop trying to rewrite this nightmare. Not only will that include her father’s murder, but perhaps she could be the key to rewriting the fate of the children, too? After all, it was also revealed last season that “someone told the children a story,” and that story was what gave them hope.

Not if the Man in Yellow has anything to say about it, of course. And speaking of that creepy, awful man… This first episode delivers a literal hell of a twist.

While the town is rocked by the arrival of a pastor and Sophia, his daughter, all is not as it seems. The end of the From Season 4 premiere reveals that Sophia is actually a disguise of the Man in Yellow. Adopting Sophia’s face means no one (especially Victor) would recognize him, but she (he?) is here for her favorite part: when they tear themselves apart. It is a very convenient disguise, too. Who would suspect an innocent young girl, and one who is constantly quoting scripture at that? In that, she both uses religion as a shield and mocks the townspeople to their faces; truly, there is no God here.

As usual, Harold Perrineau is the heart of From, delivering yet another standout performance. He brings a grounded intensity that makes even the most surreal nightmares feel real. He is both the figurehead hero and the Everyman character, through whom viewers can access the more seemingly unbelievable aspects of the show.

And the rest of the town? While they aren’t aware that they have let the most terrifying monster of all into their midst (and no, talismans definitely have no effect on him), there is even more spooky stuff going down. A pot and a book fly off the table at the Matthews’ house on their own. Cabinet doors fly open and slam shut. What fresh poltergeist hell is here now?

The From Season 4 premiere episode is a wild ride from the first minute to the closing credits. From is so back.

From airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on MGM+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of MGM+.

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