Jim Has Become the Worst Character in ‘From’ Season 3

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for From Season 3.Jim Matthews (Eion Bailey) had his issues and problems during Season 2 of From. Unfortunately, it appears they are growing worse in the show’s current season. The patriarch of the Matthews family has gradually become the worst, most frustrating character among the survivors of the Town. Earlier, Randall Kirkland (A.J. Simmons) held the crown, but more recently, Randall is undergoing a redemptive arc in Season 3. Meanwhile, Jim has generally showcased mainly negative qualities for almost the entirety of the third season. Jim’s presence merely serves as a constant detractor from everyone else, and he fails to support and help his own family. It’s time to discuss how Jim Matthews is reaching a tipping point in From Season 3.

Jim Constantly Undercuts Tabitha and Jade in Their Efforts

During Season 3, after Jim’s wife Tabitha Matthews (Catalina Sandino) returns to the Town, she and Jade Herrera (David Alpay) increase their efforts to figure out the mystery behind the Town, the meaning of their visions and hallucinations, and the strange Faraway Trees. At the start of Season 3, Tabitha somehow manages to return to the outer world, meeting the father of Henry Kavanaugh (Robert Joy), the father of Victor (Scott McCord). She learns from Henry that his wife and Victor’s mother, Miranda, had visions of the Town years before she and Victor were stranded there. In Season 3, Episode 6, “Scar Tissue,” after learning about the new settlement in the forest that was discovered outside the Town, Tabitha reveals that as a child, she had dreams about the settlement’s mysterious talismans and rocks years before she arrived there. When Tabitha and Jade start investigating the strange objects, Jim constantly objects to Tabitha’s feelings with skepticism and doubt.

Everyone in the Town is stuck in a terrifying situation. The malevolent entities in control of the Town appear to feed off the survivors’ fear and despair. Then, at night, deadly creatures roam around the town and try to kill and eat everyone, but at least Tabitha and Jade are attempting to figure out what’s happening. Jim’s actions in Season 2, nearly getting Donna Raines (Elizabeth Saunders) and Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau) killed, made Jim even more warped and paranoid. Arguably, Jim does want to protect his family, but he attempts this by constantly turning inward and ignoring much of what’s taking place in the Town. Not to mention, he’s outright ignoring Tabitha’s predicament, constantly shutting down her attempts to better understand her strange dreams.

In Season 3, Episode 8, “Thresholds,” a jealous Jim confronts Jade, believing that Jade and Tabitha’s investigation of the mystery of the town is too dangerous and will get everyone killed. Jim foolishly tells Jade, “This shows people how you are the smartest prick in the room!” Jade rightfully pushes back and yells at Jim, “So what?! If it gets us home, who gives a shit?” It’s nice to see Jade stand up for himself for once, especially when Jim is acting like an utter jerk. And Jade is right, Jim’s “sanctimonious, blue-collar” attitude is not helping anyone right now, and Jim routinely acts like a drag on the survivors and his family. In the same episode, it was also encouraging to see Henry, who oversaw the fight between Jim and Jade, explain how Jim’s fear is making him overprotective and failing to recognize Tabitha’s turmoil. Having multiple characters finally shine a light on Jim’s problems in Season 3 was the most triumphant aspect of “Thresholds.”

Jim Is Constantly Losing Track of His Kids

Jim is so shaken by what’s going on in the Town that he’s desperately trying to cling to his family to protect them. However, while he goes to the bar to yell at Jade, his kids Julie (Hannah Cheramy) and Ethan (Simon Webster) explore the mysterious ruins outside the town. Jim makes a poor decision to leave his kids unsupervised so he can take out his anger on Jade. Jim relies far too much on Julie to be Ethan’s caretaker, and the Matthews kids are constantly venturing off and exploring the town on their own. In other words, Jim’s parenting skills leave a lot to be desired.

Julie’s exploration of the ruins causes her to travel through time, venturing back to early in Season 2, when Boyd was stuck in the well, revealing her to have been the one who threw Boyd the rope! The event causes Julie to undergo a seizure, from which she appears to have recovered. In Season 3, Episode 9, Jim begins acting much calmer and less obnoxious than he had in previous episodes, and it appears he finally takes steps to focus on parenting his kids. Perhaps Jade and Henry’s words finally got through to Jim, and his character is on the road to recovery.

Jim’s Character Might Be On the Path of Redemption

In the latest episode of From, “Revelations, Chapter One,” Jim appears to undergo a breakthrough and acts contrite when talking to Tabitha. Now, Jim appears to be willing to help Tabitha understand her strange visions and dreams. Later, the Matthews family goes to the diner to have what Julie sarcastically describes as a “perfect family breakfast.” One problem here is that Jim mistakenly continues his attempts to maintain a veil of normalcy in the Town, which is a highly abnormal and dangerous place. As Julie points out, “It’s not making anything better. It’s just making everything worse.” Julie rightfully calls out Jim’s habit of ignoring the surrounding problems rather than trying to address them doesn’t improve the situation.

One positive step Jim made in the episode to address this when talking to Randall, who was with Julie when they first explored the ruins in Season 3, Episode 7, “These Fragile Lives.” Rather than getting angry and shouting as he has in the past, Jim speaks to Randall with composure and makes a strong attempt at trying to understand the process that led to Julie’s recent seizure (and possible jump through time). Jim takes another positive step while searching the Town with Ethan for the missing Fatima (Pegah Ghafoori), sharing a heartfelt conversation with his young son.

What Is the Endgame for Jim in ‘From’?

The one character in desperate need of a redemptive arc in From is Jim Matthews. If Randall could undergo a process to make his character more likable in Season 3, the same thing could happen to Jim. Jim simply needs a breakthrough storyline where he can become a more beneficial character to the survival group, much like Tabitha, Jade, Victor, and others. The latest episode potentially starts Jim on that path. Hopefully, Jim undergoes that journey at some point, but for now, Jim exists as one of the biggest detriments to the survivors of the Town.

From Season 3 is streaming now on MGM+ in the U.S. The season 3 finale debuts on Sunday, November 24.

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