From’s unsettling ambiguity, eerie setting, and unsolvable mysteries have made the show one of the most impressive entries in the horror genre. The show’s greatest strength is its ability to keep viewers hooked and have them expect the unexpected.
Unfortunately, I think that has also become its most glaring weakness. Every season, From introduces pivotal characters who are seemingly critical to the plot, only to have them sidelined for no reason.
From Elgin to Randall, most of these high-potential characters have been pushed into the background after being offered central roles in subplots. However, fans would agree that the most overlooked character this season is none other than Julie Matthews. After witnessing her father’s death at the hands of the Man in Yellow, it felt obvious Julie would play a major role in advancing the plot. Unfortunately, after her unsuccessful attempts at storywalking, she has been completely sidelined, not even appearing in recent episodes, which I think is a huge mistake on the show’s part.
Julie’s storywalking was set to be the highlight of season 4
Julie first learned about her storywalking powers when she walked into the ruins, causing her to have a seizure. During that time, she traveled to random points in the past, like the time when Boyd was stuck in the well or when Jim was stuck in the RV. She gained the ability after she was attacked by the Music Box Monster, with Ethan helping Julie name her unexplainable abilities as storywalking. According to Ethan, a storywalker can walk into any chapter of the story, but they can't change the story once it's written.
After Jim’s shocking death at the end of season 3 and Julie’s first-ever appearance as a storywalker, fans were convinced that she’d play a pivotal role in taking back some sort of control from the town. Season 4 followed the subplot to some extent, dedicating one or two earlier episodes to her storywalking adventures, but then they suddenly stopped. She failed to go back to the point where Jim was murdered twice, and that led Julie and Randall to a disagreement. However, the show never circles back to it, especially now that the residents are planning a retaliation of sorts.
What’s more baffling is the fact that Julie saw the MIY when she storywalked to the past but never cared to mention it to anyone, especially Tabitha. She hasn’t even told anyone about her abilities except for Randall, who is convinced that using them would be equivalent to a suicide mission. To the show's credit, From has excelled at maintaining its sense of mystery. However, it has struggled to weave its growing cast of characters into a cohesive narrative.
For instance, From hasn’t explained why Elgin saw the Kimono Lady, why Sophia chose to target Sarah specifically, or why the monsters let Randall live. It seems that every season, there’s someone special who develops a connection to the town, gaining obscure abilities, but those abilities are never used beyond that particular subplot. Now, in season 4, it’s Fatima, whereas it should have been Julie. She can time-travel, yet she has no stake in the current predicament whatsoever.
Julie’s screen time has been nonexistent in season 4
Apart from the first few episodes, Julie has almost nonexistent screen time in season 4. She has been led to believe that her powers are a ruse, while in fact they worked perfectly, just not the way she wanted. She went to the past twice and to critical moments in time, and I, for one, think that the overarching plot can do more with her involved. If not for the chapter she wishes, she can at least randomly walk into any moment and extract key details from that time.
More frustrating, however, is the fact that when Julie encounters the Man in Yellow in the Season 3 finale, he tells her they've "been through this countless times." That line implies Julie should have made some meaningful progress by now or, at the very least, found a way to revisit Jim's death. However, with only two episodes left in the season, it seems increasingly unlikely that the series will give this storyline the attention it deserves.
If she were part of the plan to extract the bones, she would have been actively participating in it by now. Even though the chances seem slim, there’s still a possibility that she can come into play before the finale. Now that Tabitha came face-to-face with the MIY at the end of episode 8, ‘Heavy Is the Head,’ it’s possible she’ll share the experience with Julie, and in return, she could confide in her mother. What do you think about the show’s current approach to Julie’s character?
Catch up on all eight episodes of From season 4 currently airing on MGM+ and Prime Video.
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