We’re nearly at the end of FROM Season 3, and when we sat down to interview Elizabeth Saunders about Donna’s storyline so far, Tillie’s death and what consequences Fatima might face for it were both fresh on our mind. But, before discussing that specific plot point, we wanted Saunders’ take on where her character fit in what appears to be the broader theme this season — breaking people. From the actress’ point of view, Donna’s “specific breaking point” came in the season premiere with the rotten food. While “not…a moment,” she told us, “I think carrying that whole [idea of], you need food to survive, and we’ve lost it” weighs heavily on her. But that’s not all. “Seeing her friend, Boyd, not thinking so straight — in her mind” also causes some problems for Donna.
Speaking of Boyd not thinking clearly…that brings us back to Fatima. FROM Season 3 Episode 7 saw him getting very upset when Donna rationally pointed out that Fatima might pose a threat to the people, and Episode 8 sees the two friends arguing over how to deal with her, well, actually showing she’s a threat. “In terms of my feelings about how Boyd and I clash and how — I think — how human beings work, is…the pressure just keeps building and building…[until] the pressures become so tight that, even if things are minor disagreements, they’ll seem like major disagreements.”
But in FROM Season 3 Episode 8, the argument over whether or not to tell everyone what Fatima did is, obviously, a major one. Boyd doesn’t want to tell everyone, but Donna realizes they have to. And, Saunders told us, telling Boyd what she’ll do if he doesn’t speak up is “very difficult [for Donna] because it’s Fatima. It wouldn’t be just so difficult for other people — if it was other people.” That’s because Fatima is “the closest thing to a daughter for her.” But “ethically, for Donna, everyone’s equal. No one’s getting special treatment. No one in that house is going to get away with having their actions hidden if it’s detrimental to the rest of the house.” Also, “the fact that she knows that Boyd cares about Fatima, too. They’re not just talking about anybody,” makes the situation even more difficult.
Watch our full interview with Elizabeth Saunders here.
Oh. And if you’re looking forward to the rest of FROM Season 3, you’re not going to find any spoilers here. “There’s nothing I want to tease except the things that I know are worth teasing. And I’m not going to do it,” Saunders told us. And really, that works for us.
Update (11/17): Now that FROM Season 3 Episode 9 is out there in the universe, we can add this little outtake. When we told Saunders we thought her decisions in Episode 9 were very interesting, in the context of what she says here, she told us:
“…that’s what’s been so special about — I mean, the writing is special every season — but about this season, I think the writing has really captured…how inconsistent human beings are, but also how inconsistent everything in our environment is. Including the monsters, including the town, including everything…nothing’s consistent. And I — I love how they’ve caught that this season.”
Don’t miss Elizabeth Saunders in FROM Season 3. New episodes stream weekly on MGM+.
