Chethma De Mel, Jadetimes Staff
C. J. De Mel is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment News
Crows have played a very important part since episode one of From. When the Matthews family encountered a fallen tree blocking their path, they saw a lot of crows perched on the tree and flying above. The family found this view to be somewhat unsettling, yet they could not tell the real meaning behind it: that they now were trapped in a strange town where every night they would be terrorized by deadly, manipulative creatures.
While the residents fought against monsters and hallucinations that could kill them throughout season 1, the crows faded into the background. Throughout this season-the third one, the crows have again started playing an important role in the storyline and have popped up in some of the most impactful scenes. The crows seem much more central, considering that the town itself started fighting back against its denizens, particularly since Boyd destroyed the music box back in Season 2.
Crows of Doom in Season 3
The reappearance of crows in season 3 seems to be a warning that doomsday is near. It's a build-up from their foreboding presence in season 1; now meanings are clear. A tarot card reading from Tillie for Fatima in episode 3 results in the crow flying into the window of Colony House and, upon shattering the glass, dying just a few moments later. That omen of an event, along with strange behaviors manifested by Fatima, such as eating rotten food and even drinking blood, suggests that something not quite normal is being carried. The death of the crow further diverts Fatima's attention from the tarot card-a sort of signal that even the town is working in an attempt to keep her from learning something terrible.
The crows continued to foreshadow disaster in episode 4 whereby Tabitha, Victor's father Henry, and others find the same fallen tree surrounded by cawing crows. This is the prelude to a series of tragic incidents: the killing of the paramedics, the shooting of a civilian by a police officer, and Tabitha gets stuck in town once again. Even as Tabitha reunites with her family, the presence of the crow seems to hint that further horrors may be in store for Tabitha and Henry.
The Changing Behaviour of the Crows Spells Doom to the Town
In episode 4, Victor says, "The town changing is never a good omen; it is always a sign that a disaster is about to come." The crows no longer gather around the fallen tree but break through windows, meaning something worse than what they have anticipated is going on. Such changes correspond to the increasingly hazardous events in town, where the monsters have become cunning and brutal, as seen in the sadistic killing of Tian-Chen.
On one level of symbolism, the crows represent transformation, which is extended in the scene of tarot card reading when the actions of the crows meet the symbolic nature of the cards. The more erratic the behavior of the crows and the more unprecedented the events-the snow falling for the first time in the town-the more clear it becomes that deep changes are at work. Unfortunately, these changes seem to promise little else than further suffering for the surviving characters.
Through the series From, crows serve to foreshadow dark transformations and escalations of danger, both literally and symbolically. In season 3, their presence is more connected with the fate of the town's trapped residents.
