From Season 4 Returns To One Of The Show's Very First Mysteries

Back in From season 1, Victor measured the distance from Colony House to the tree line and reported with concern that the trees were "four inches closer." At the time, that was little more than strange and unsettling, and more pressing matters quickly put it on the back burner. Years later, the phenomenon has finally resurfaced in season 4, episode 4, "Of Myths and Monsters."

In this episode, Victor was once again counting his steps from Colony House to the edge of the forest and back. He begrudgingly allowed the father-son bond-seeking Henry to join him. Victor cryptically explained that he keeps track of this to maintain his understanding of "how fast time is moving." He also pointed out that it had recently been snowing, and now "everything is green."

In returning to the subject in From season 4, Victor's focus on the trees and the irregular changes of seasons all mean a bit more than they did in season 1. Rather than merely being off-putting, they relate to the unique nature of the passage of time in the Township. Given some of the answers offered in recent episodes of From, this passage of time is likely critical to the townspeople's chances of escape.

Tabitha and Jade's revelation with the "anghkooey" children revealed that their souls have been returning to the Township over and over again in (failed) attempts to save the children sacrificed by the monsters. More elements of the Township's repetitive nature surfaced in "Of Myths and Monsters" when Victor revealed that, years ago, the Man in Yellow "came in a car just like the rest of us."

The Man in Yellow's arrival as Sophia mimicked this, indicating that it wasn't an impromptu decision on his part, but rather a pattern. The Man in Yellow has also reiterated multiple times that what's coming is his "favorite part," suggesting that he's seen it before.

Before the arrival of the Matthews family, the Township had been existing in something of a status quo, a long stretch of uneventful time when there was comparatively little danger and equally little progress. Now, change is afoot. The townspeople are learning more about the forces at play, and those forces are responding.

The action is accelerating this cycle's journey towards its inevitable conclusion, and this is reflected in the Township's passage of time. For months, the weather stayed the same, and the trees didn't move. Now, it's all happening at once, and, as Victor observed, "everything is just moving too fast."

Victor Knows When This Cycle Will End

Victor not only observes and documents these changes, but also seems to know what this data means. In "Of Myths and Monsters," Victor was alarmed at the distance of the trees, insisting that he "used to measure all the time" and berating himself because he "should have been paying attention."

As the only person who has witnessed a previous cycle, Victor has crucial knowledge that no one else in the Township has. He has seen how it ends, and clearly been observant of even the most minute details that accompanied that evolution. He knows that measuring the trees is the Township's version of telling time, and he is essentially distressed by what time it is.

This means he must know what there is to be afraid of and when it happens. Victor has repressed many of his more horrific memories, like those of the Man in Yellow, to survive his solitary and traumatic childhood. Yet, with gentle urging, he has also been able to unearth some of those memories.

In returning to the ominously moving trees, a mystery that could have easily been forgotten, "Of Myths and Monsters" cemented the Township's greatest strength may be Victor's hard-earned knowledge, including the memories that even he isn't conscious of until an external force brings them to the surface.

The world of From has become something of an abstract ticking clock, one that perhaps only Victor can read.