[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]
With this week’s episode we’re just past the halfway point in Season 2 of From, and let me tell you, it’s a wild ride from here on out. On the heels of the trauma and heartbreak surfaced by Sara’s return and Victor’s memories, and the newly revealed intel on Tilly and Marielle, things get a little more frenetic.
For starters, Boyd’s long-overdue conversation with Tian-Chen takes a turn when that ballerina in the box that’s been plaguing him is made corporeal. Up at Colony House, Donna’s trying to keep the impending food shortage on the DL, but the residents aren’t as unaware as she thinks, and Ellis and Fatima bear the brunt of their ire.
When an emergency situation presents itself after dark, it’s all hands on deck to get the wounded down the hill and to Kristi, and then the most likely scenario to do the most good means making somewhat of a deal with the devil. Surprisingly, it’s Kenny who throws the most swagger at demanding that happen, no matter the consequences, until Boyd has an ingenious idea.
Over at Tian-Chen’s, she’s hosting an impromptu canning party with Donna and the Matthews to shore up food and buy everyone some time before the new crops come in. The bonus is we’re treated to a Donna and Ethan heart-to-heart chat (again, this show delivers with the lovely, unlikely pairings).
Kristi is at the heart of much of the action of the episode, carefully balancing literal life and death while the truth of what’s been going on with Marielle is revealed. This week, I caught up with Chloe Van Landschoot, who brings her own real-life experience as a nurse and frontline worker during the pandemic to playing the town doctor.
Van Landschoot agrees that Season 2 is a bit of a runaway train for Kristi so far. “[There’s been] a lot of internal insanity, and external. It’s all happening for her. I knew that they were gonna have Marielle come back, they did tell me that before we started shooting,” she recalls.
“I thought I was going to have some sort of say in who they picked and I thought, ‘I hope they do a chemistry read.’ They didn’t, but it’s fine. Kaelen [Ohm] is wonderful and super present and super dedicated, so that’s no problem there. But it was definitely nerve wracking, not knowing until like a week and a half before we were shooting who they were going to pick as my fiance. I just feel like there was so much to talk about.”
“But also it’s also kind of interesting when you don’t have all of that time because neither do these characters. We get the episodes a couple weeks before we start shooting, so you don’t have a lot of time to ruminate too much, which I like because I like just working off an instinct versus if I sit with it for too long.”
The confluence of personal and professional turmoils. and gaining Marielle and losing Kenny reveals more of Kristi’s identity as the season goes along. “I think we really get to see a lot of Kristi’s humanity this season in a way that we didn’t in season one. We saw this calm, cool, controlled doctor who cares a lot about her duty in town and has a heavy sense of responsibility and that’s what propels her day to day,” Van Landschoot explains.
“And she’s put a lot of her own feelings away because she has to in order to do her job. I think if she started to let Marielle in in season one, she wouldn’t be able to do her job. She’d be too overwhelmed. So in season two, having her face to face just brings up everything for her. Now Kristi is internally battling with all of these feelings that want to come to the surface while she has so much to do in that town medically.”
“We kind of see that push and pull with her all season long between her heart and her duty and her responsibility and her guilt and wanting to have all the answers, but fundamentally just having no idea about a lot of things a lot of the time, especially when it comes to relationships. So we get to see her try to navigate her kind of immature emotional processing.”
The facade of keeping it all together starts to crack a bit, too, and with the next batch of episodes, we watch Kristi put through some pretty extreme tests. “It’s one thing after the other. And I think that’s the theme for Kristi. Things are kind of constantly coming to the surface, since the beginning of the season. And then [as the season progresses], we see a bit of a release … of that frustration and anger and guilt and everything,” she shares.
“I work as a nurse in real life, too. So a lot of those choices and actions are reflective of going from one thing to the next, of having to turn on and turn off and then come home to a partner who doesn’t know what to do with you, and collapsing into them once in a while.”
“It’s all kind of reflective of my own experiences and that’s what’s required of the job. But eventually, it is too much. You burn out, you collapse, you are no longer able to function. And I feel like if there’s a season three, that’s what we’re gonna start to see with Kristi. Because you can only do so much before you realize, ‘I’m done. I need therapy.'”
Van Landschoot has shared some of her personal experiences and perspectives with series creator John Griffin to help inform Kristi’s character. “John’s amazing. He’s so open and receptive to anything that we bring up for him. We’ve had a few conversations about the demeanor of a healthcare worker and the focus that’s required,” she explains.
“And that in order to focus like that, you have to put a lot of yourself away. But what are the consequences when you put so much of yourself away for your job? What happens then? And what we’ve been exploring with Kristi in season two is, ‘Who is she? Who are you?'”
“I remember being so burnt out, peak pandemic nursing, that I had no sense of identity anymore. I had left, I had evaporated. So, it took time for me to figure out who I was again. And I think that’s what Kristi’s figuring out, too.”
“The arrival of Marielle is forcing her to look at that, but also at the same time there’s been no time for her to sit in that way [and process]. So it’s interesting and I got to bring a lot of who I was and my own instincts and reactions to things into Kristi as well, but she’s also taking on a life of her own, which is exciting.”
“That’s the cool thing about playing a character for a couple years. I’ve never done that before. They have your heartbeat. They have your lungs, but they start to have their own soul. They start to make their own decisions. And trying to keep it as authentic as possible, but ultimately they turn into somebody else who stems from you.”
One particularly revealing scene for Van Landschoot about who her character is came in the second episode this season. “The storeroom scene with Marielle, where she’s really, really angry at Kristi and Kristi’s just kind of frozen, not saying much, letting Marielle have the floor. I really learned about how Kristi processes emotion when it’s getting fired at her,” she says.
“And she’s a total freezer. She freezes. Her problem response is to freeze. She’s not a fight, she’s not a flight, she’s not running away, she’s frozen. I thought that was really interesting, and then I watched some of season one again and started to see that this is a thing she does.”
“And I thought, ‘Is that also me?’ I always think it’s interesting when you watch something back and you learn something about your own humanity, too, which is really cool. That wasn’t a conscious choice. It just evolved out of the scene in the moment, but it’s part of Kristi coming to life.”
Another vision Van Landschoot brought to life is the short film, Tidal, which has been working its way around the world on the festival circuit and is now streaming on Reel Women’s Network. “Tidal was my art baby [born] of my own grief, insanity, trauma, joy, burnout of nursing,” she explains. “It externalizes the internal life of a nurse using movement and dance as she tries to find her way home, obviously inspired by my experiences working on the front lines and in Canada.”
New episodes of From start streaming at 3:01 am ET Sundays on MGM+ online and via the app and on Prime Video, where you can watch the first five episodes this season so far. New episodes air linearly on MGM+ Sundays at 9 pm/8c. All ten episodes of Season 1 are streaming online on MGM+ for free here.
In Canada, you can stream Season 1 and the latest episodes on Paramount+ via Prime Video subscription channels. If you missed any of our conversations for Season 1 and my new chats for Season 2, they’re all here. Here’s a sneak peek of “Pas De Deux.”
Resources are running low, stress is running high. Don't miss a new episode of #FROM this Sunday, only on @MGMPlus. pic.twitter.com/ijx0T3Oqd0
— FROM on MGM+ (@FROMonMGM) May 26, 2023
Photos and video courtesy of Metro-Goldwun-Mayer.
Heather M
Related posts
Classics
George R. Olson, Tim Rozon, and Sarah Levy Talk the SurrealEstate S2 Finale
[Spoilers for the SurrealEstate Season 2 finale.] How’s everyone doing after the finale? As we close out the second season of SurrealEstate, some of our merry band of misfits are scattering to the winds–Zooey to law school, Phil to the Vatican, and Augie back to his think tank with Rochelle,…
Previewing SurrealEstate Season 2 Finale + Revisiting the Season with George R. Olson
[Warning; General spoilers ahead.] Strap in, SurrealEstate fam, because we’ve arrived at the Season 2 finale, and it’s a doozy. As we saw in the closing moments of last week’s episode, Susan is back. But because we have one more episode left, it’s not as simple as all that, as…
Tyler Hynes Talks Through His Eight-Film Hallmark Holiday Library
Things you realize when you have to re-record your shows on a new DVR – just how many Hallmark movies your people have done. Fan favorite – and one of ours – Tyler Hynes has done eight Christmas movies for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries since 2018. Alongside…
Spencer Creaghan Talks About Creating SurrealEstate’s Signature Sound
SurrealEstate is winding down its second season, with two episodes left, and just as in Season 1, Spencer Creaghan’s music continues to be a character unto itself. And every week, he shares tidbits with the fans via his s social media channels, something he started to help give them an…
Andrew Walker Talks Christmas Island and the Magical Hallmark Community
[Warning: Spoilers for Christmas Island.] Now that the Screen Actors Guild strike has been resolved, we’re able to resume regularly scheduled programming and interview our favorites and yours. Up first, earlier today, I spoke with Andrew Walker about Christmas Island, which premiered last weekend and encores tonight and through the…
George Olson and Danishka Esterhazy Talk SurrealEstate “I Put a Spell on You”
[Warning: Spoilers for the episode.] Tonight’s fun new SurrealEstate found Luke caught up in an especially bewitching woman, Kay, played by Tara Yelland, Susan trapped in her house, and Zooey learning the ropes. In the next part of my conversation with showrunner George R. Olson and producing director Danishka Esterhazy,…
Danishka Esterhazy Talks SurrealEstate: “The Butler Didn’t”
[Warning: General spoilers for the episode]. Tonight’s new SurrealEstate, “The Butler Didn’t,” follows the team as they investigate the years-earlier mysterious death of a woman whose ghost now reenacts her hanging by dropping over the banister from the second floor to terrify anyone on the landing or at the bottom…
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk the From Season 2 finale
[Warning: Spoilers for the season finale.] How’s everyone doing after that finale? While we wait and wonder and hope for a third season announcement, soon, here’s what Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders had to say about their parts of the finale, and where they hope they get to go next….
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk From Season 2 + A Season Finale Preview
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] It all comes down this, #FROMily. As Sunday’s episode wraps up Season 2, we begin with the aftermath of the terrifying onset of seemingly simultaneous attacks on Julie, Marielle, and Randall, which accelerate the “We gotta get out of this place” of it all. Sara comes…
Alison Sweeney Talks About What’s Next for Hannah and Mike After Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
[Warning: Spoilers for Carrot Cake Murder.] Everybody OK after that Hannah Swensen Mystery twist? Thankfully, our favorite crime-solving couple is still on speaking term, even if they’re on a break (hopefully not that kind of break). Most importantly, we already know this isn’t the last film in the series. No…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…