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S1E4 — "A Rock and a Farway"

Air date: February 27, 2022 · Writer: Javier Grillo-Marxuach · Director: Jack Bender

Synopsis

In flashback, a young Victor Kavanaugh wanders alone through the aftermath of a mass killing and witnesses the corpses of many town residents; afterwards, the Boy in White appears and invites him to play. In the present, Ethan Matthews recognizes the same boy from one of Victor's drawings. Kenny Liu shows Jade Herrera evidence that the town has no fixed physical location — the geography does not line up with the outside world — and during their conversation a radio emits static on its own, prompting Jade to take it.

At Colony House, Julie Matthews becomes uneasy upon learning that everything is shared and life is communal. She confronts Tabitha Matthews about her and Jim Matthews's impending divorce, which was caused by the death of their infant son Thomas. Tabitha returns home and argues with Jim about the fracture in their family.

Victor takes Ethan into the woods to look for the Boy in White and shows him a hollow tree that teleports objects to another location — a faraway tree. When Jim and Tabitha search for Ethan, they are surrounded by wild dogs, but Victor scares them away with a gun. At the diner, Sara Myers experiences a seizure after a vision urges her to kill Ethan. Victor later digs several graves near Colony House, preparing for deaths he seems to expect.

Key Events

  • Flashback: young Victor witnesses the corpses of many residents; the Boy in White invites him to play.
  • Ethan recognizes the Boy in White from one of Victor's drawings.
  • Kenny demonstrates to Jade that the town has no fixed location; a radio emits static and Jade takes it.
  • Julie, unsettled by communal life, confronts Tabitha about the divorce stemming from Thomas's death.
  • Victor leads Ethan into the woods and shows him a hollow tree that teleports objects.
  • Wild dogs surround Jim and Tabitha during the search; Victor scares them off with a gun.
  • Sara has a seizure at the diner after a vision urging her to kill Ethan.
  • Victor digs several graves near Colony House.

Characters

New Information / Reveals

  • The Boy in White appeared to Victor in childhood, in the aftermath of a mass death event.
  • The town's location is not fixed; radios behave abnormally here.
  • Thomas, the Matthews' infant son, died before the trip; his death drives the divorce.
  • Faraway trees — hollow trees that teleport objects — exist in the woods.
  • Sara's voices demand Ethan's death; she suffers seizures tied to them.

Locations

  • The woods.
  • The faraway (hollow) tree.
  • Colony House.
  • The Matthews' house.
  • The diner.
  • The graves Victor digs near Colony House.

Deaths

  • None on-screen. The flashback shows the aftermath of an earlier mass killing of townspeople.

Lore & Mysteries