FROM Episode 3: Choosing Day

Tabitha is haunted by nightmares about the creatures, while Jim tries to steady her as the family begins the day in shock after the previous night’s events. Jade wakes up chained to a bed, furious and confused, and refuses to believe Donna and the others when they explain that he is trapped in a strange town with no easy escape; he keeps insisting he is part of some kind of prank or game.

Boyd deals with the consequences of a death in town and prepares for the day’s harshest decision: Frank, whose negligence led to the deaths of his wife and daughter, is to be punished by being locked in the box overnight outside the safety of the talismans. Boyd does not want to carry out the punishment, but Father Khatri insists that the town needs to see consequences if its rules are broken. Boyd offers Frank a talisman and suggests he try to survive in the woods, but Frank believes he deserves the punishment and accepts the box.

Father Khatri then leads Jim and Tabitha on a tour of the town so they can choose where they will live, either in town or at Colony House. He explains how the talismans work and shows them the box, describing it as the town’s form of punishment. During the tour, the Matthews family learns about the “Choosing Day” ceremony, in which newcomers must decide between the two places to live.

Jade wanders the town still convinced that everything around him is staged, and he continues trying to make sense of what is happening by talking to the residents. Kenny tries to explain the situation to him, but Jade remains skeptical and keeps acting like he is trapped in some elaborate game. Meanwhile, Ethan speaks with Victor about the mysterious boy in white, and Victor responds in his usual strange way, counting steps as part of his effort to see whether the trees have moved.

At the choosing ceremony, the Matthews family makes its decision: Jim, Tabitha, and Ethan choose to live in town, while Julie chooses Colony House. After the ceremony, Kenny shows Jade Toby’s body, forcing him to confront a horrifying reality he has been refusing to accept. The episode ends with Frank going into the box and the creatures attacking him outside overnight.