Although Father Rudra Khatri died in From season 1, the character consistently appears to self-appointed sheriff Boyd Stevens throughout the show’s second and third outings. As the Township’s priest, Khatri was a voice of reason. Alongside Donna, the head of Colony House, Khatri is one of the Township’s few leaders when Boyd and his family arrive in the purgatory-like location of From‘s Town. In life, Khatri acted as crucial counsel for Boyd, especially in the wake of Sara’s violent outburst and death. Unlike Boyd, Khatri was firm in his convictions about The Box.
The Catholic priest oversaw the Town’s rituals, including funerals and the choosing ceremony. Before arriving in the Township, Khatri was a parish priest in the Midwest. Just before From Season 1’s ending, Father Khatri was killed. However, he’s remained in the show as a presence in Boyd’s mind. Here is why From has kept Khatri in Boyd’s story, even two seasons after the character bled out while reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
Boyd Seeing Father Khatri’s Ghost Is Likely Based On His Guilt Over His Death
Khatri Was Killed By One Of From’s Creatures While Helping The People Of Colony House
Boyd spent seasons 2 and 3 of From hallucinating Khatri out of guilt. Throughout From‘s second and third outings, Boyd hallucinates Father Khatri’s ghost whenever the pressure of his position gets to him. Given the nature of the township, Boyd’s meetings with the ghost happen quite frequently. It seems likely that Boyd hallucinates Khatri because he feels guilty about the priest’s sudden death. Father Khatri had come to Boyd to share more information about Sara. Khatri had around to believe that Sara has a deep, spiritual connection to the Township. This prompts Khatri to share his own past with Boyd.
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After sharing the story of the abused boy and the parishioner that he sought revenge on, Father Khatri explains that he wants to help Boyd find a way home and his belief in the town’s mysterious qualities. However, his willingness to help Boyd quickly led to their fateful efforts to help the people of Colony House. While helping folks to safety, Father Khatri’s throat is slit by one of From‘s terrifying monsters. Boyd prays with Khatri as the priest dies, but, clearly, regrets the fact that he could not save someone so committed to helping him and others.
Father Khatri’s Ghost Gives Boyd The Moral Compass & Guidance Lost After His Death
Boyd First Sees Khatri’s Ghost After His Experiences In The Dungeon In From Season 2
In season 2, Boyd’s ordeal in the mysterious dungeon, which is where the music box and From‘s haunting nursery rhyme hail from, prompts him to start seeing things. Although the show initially makes it seem as though the worms in Boyd’s blood are causing his hallucinations, it becomes clear that Boyd’s conversations with Khatri’s ghost serve a deeper purpose. Feeling alone, confused, and helpless, Boyd imagines Khatri because he needs someone to speak with – someone he trusts. After all, although Donna is a great co-leader, Boyd and the head of Colony House don’t usually see eye-to-eye.
In life, Father Khatri helped Boyd work through his thoughts and actions, especially when things got difficult. Khatri understood the pressures of being one of the Township’s self-appointed leaders. Even though Boyd continually calls Father Khatri a “bad priest” it’s clear that the sheriff thinks of his friend as a moral compass. In need of guidance, Boyd imagines speaking with the one person who always helped him resolve his confusion. This trend continues into From season 3, episode 3, “Mouse Trap,” with Boyd using Father Khatri’s ghost as a sounding board for his latest plans.
How Boyd’s Visions Of Father Khatri’s Ghost Are Different From Seeing Abby
Boyd’s Hallucinations Of Abby Are Likely A Trick Caused By The Township
When viewers learn what happened to Boyd’s wife, Abby Stevens, it becomes clear that the sheriff feels guilty about more than one death. Tragically, Boyd had to take Abby’s life in order to save their sonEllis, as well as the Township’s inhabitants. In From season 2’s ending, the Township seemingly conjures Abby’s ghost to stop Boyd from destroying the music box. There’s a clear difference between this sort of operation and the visions Boyd has been seeing of Khatri.
Boyd is subconsciously creating these conversations with Khatri’s ghost himself From seasons 2 and 3
While Abby’s ghostly appearance seems to be a trick created by the supernatural forces at work in the township, Father Khatri’s ghost seems much more benign. Although Boyd’s encounter with the blood worms might have prompted his first Khatri sightings, it seems like the priest appears to Boyd to help him. That is, Boyd is subconsciously creating these conversations with Khatri’s ghost himself in From seasons 2 and 3. Given the visual nature of film and TV, it’s common for characters to imagine conversations with others in order to give viewers a more compelling glimpse into their thoughts, but From makes it especially emotionally potent.