The From season 3 finale reveals the big reason why people are stuck in the town

Three seasons of mysteries and a litany of unanswered questions culminated in perhaps the most revealing episode of From yet. Spoilers ahead if you haven't watched the From season 3 finale yet.

In the tenth episode, the second chapter of a two-part saga started with the season's penultimate episode, we learn the real reason why people are drawn to this town and inevitably become stuck, seemingly forever. Since the start, we've been wondering not only how people end up here but why? This episode tells us that and reveals why these specific people are in town, or at least drops some major hints.

Many years before the start of the show, the first group of townspeople did something horrific. They sacrificed seven children in exchange for immortality, basically making a fabled deal with the devil. Ever since then, the town has been stuck in a cycle.

Someone was supposed to save the children so that the immortality ritual could not be completed, but they keep failing and often dying, so they're later reincarnated and given the task of trying again. Fatima rebirths Smiley, the one monster that the town's residents managed to kill. His return further cements the truth that these monsters cannot actually die, or at least will always be revived somehow if they are.

Past lives

In a past life, Tabitha was Victor's mother, Miranda. And she also confirms that Jade is the latest version of Christopher. They had a child together, though the child's identity remains unknown. Miranda and Christopher were also versions of people who preceded them, though it's unclear who the "originals" were. The finale also doesn't tell us whether or not anyone else in town is reincarnated, but now that we know it's possible, it seems likely that everyone there is involved in some way.

Additionally, now we know why the Boy in White is unable to provide straight answers. It's why he expresses his frustration to Victor in the finale. He tried to tell Christopher in the past, and all it did was accelerate Miranda's death. Likely, the Boy in White discovered that it's better when the townsfolk learn the truth themselves, as it makes them more likely to believe it and understand the gravity of the situation. Maybe now they can do something different, perhaps even break the cycle.

The ending suggests that things really are changing in a major way

At the very end of the finale, a mysterious and sinister man wearing a yellow jacket shows up out of nowhere and murders Jim, specifically telling him that he should have stopped his wife from making her revelations. The scene indicates that Tabitha remembering her life as Miranda wasn't supposed to happen and maybe has never happened before. Perhaps this is the first time that one of these "cycles" has been interrupted by someone regaining their memory. Jim is punished for it, likely because he helped Jade crack the bottle code (it was a song this whole time).

Another twist shows a Julie from the future appear, having time traveled to the moment before Jim's death to try and save him. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. Earlier in the episode, the present!Julie and Ethan discuss the possibility of time travel. Ethan dubs her a "story walker" but says she will be unable to change things, only observe them. It seems like that might be true.

Now is the time to rewatch From because dozens of clues and hints have been leading toward these big reveals since the first season. Now we know why a monster once asked Julie if he "recognized her," and we've seen the man in yellow depicted in some of Miranda's old paintings. The clues are everywhere, and it'll be exciting to go back and watch the show with a fresh perspective ahead of the fourth season.