Elizabeth Saunders Discusses Donna’s Arc and What Lies Ahead on FROM Season 4

If you aren’t watching FROM on MGM+ by now, you are certainly missing out on one wild ride. With a wave of phenomenal reviews from critics and a large fan base full of support, season 4 has only continued to prove as successful as its prior seasons.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Saunders, who plays the legendary Donna Raines. We discussed what lies ahead for Donna, online fan theories, and more.

After the series’ most recent episode, FROM Season 4 Episode 6, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” things are not boding well for Donna. The fearless leader in charge has experienced the second most serious thing that can happen to one in FROMVille: a heart attack.

Obviously, being trapped outside with the monsters of the night takes the top spot for the most serious situation.

On top of evil creatures that can rip them apart, after FROM Season 4 Episode 5, “What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been,” the townspeople now have to worry about life-size dolls that come to life at night. Not only that, but the monsters are also able to turn the people they kill into doll-like monsters, paired with button eyes.

Thankfully, though, after all of the thrills and horrific experiences she’s been through, Donna pulls through in the end. There’s no doubt that she has a long road of recovery ahead of her. It’ll be interesting to see how her character arc evolves moving forward.

Alongside Boyd, Tabitha, Jade, and select others, Donna is working to uncover the secrets behind the supernatural entities that keep them captive.

However, where she differs is that, as the head of the colony house, she’s also dedicated to maintaining a sense of peace and calm in the community. Without her being there to guide those who look up to her, there’s a chance of things going even more awry.

Saunders says that’s something that Donna is highly aware of. While it won’t happen immediately, we’ll see her back on her feet as soon as possible, helping keep the town afloat.

“I think the main thing is that, despite her being significantly ill, Donna finds a way to keep moving through. She’s pretty resilient and determined to stay involved in what needs doing,” Saunders said.

Four seasons into the series, there are several residents in town who haven’t had their backstories explored in depth. Unfortunately, Donna is one of those characters.

Despite being one of the main characters, there’s still a vast amount of things that we don’t know about her.

Details about her life before she was stuck in the town are scarce. All we really know is that she and her sister got stuck while on a hunting trip, and on the first day, she had to listen as her sister was ripped apart.

However, in her new life of surviving a literal nightmare, Saunders says that analyzing small details, such as what Donna used to do before, hadn’t crossed her mind, but she “would love to have a chance to explore that somehow.”

“You know what, I haven’t talked to them [showrunners] about exploring it on the show. I would love to. Maybe I need to go talk to them,” Saunders laughed.

Fans who are part of the fanbase, aka the #FROMily, are no stranger to sharing their theories online, no matter how insane.

There is a good number of fans who even go as far as to theorize that, because we haven’t been privy to much of Donna’s backstory, she could be working alongside the monsters somehow.

Other theories include Donna potentially being a reincarnation of Eloise, Victor’s dead younger sister, or even a manifestation of the town itself.

Once you start, it’s easy to get sidetracked and find yourself scrolling through different theories for hours. Saunders knows firsthand just how consuming it can be, revealing that she used to read what fans had to say early in the series’ inception.

“I don’t do it as much as I did in season one because of time. So I read a ton in [season] one, but I do continue if they come across my path. Sometimes I’ll go down rabbit holes. If I went [searching] deliberately, I would be on the internet all the time,” Saunders chuckled.

One prominent emotion highlighted throughout the series is nostalgia.

While maintaining a brand-new life and learning to live through the night, the townspeople must also rely on memories of their past lives to keep the energy to keep fighting through a living hell.

Saunders tells me that if she were in the same predicament as Donna and the others, it would be the little things that would keep the fire in her going.

“Number one is my grandson,” Saunders said. “My grandson, my kids, my husband, my friends. Yeah, family and friends. Not on possessions; experiences and people. But I think what’s also really important to me is the future generations now.”

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FROM airs Sundays at 9/8c on MGM+.

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