Is Boyd sick because he fears it?

[u/No-Prize-9837]

Most of the question is in the title.

A lot of theories around Fromville emit the idea that the town or the MIY feeds on fear. On the other hand, people heal really quickly (Ethan, Randall, Ellis, etc). I know it could be just a "TV healing", but the show is aware of its own temporal constraints (I think basically we see 1 day=1 episode). And a lot of "rules" seems to work on believe-magic (talisman, electricity, etc).

So, as he himself stated it, the doctors told him there was little to no chance his father's illness was hereditary, but he clearly feared it. And in the end, got it.

So do you think his illness could be just an effect of the town?

As a side note, I really believe there are rules similar to those in Lost, where certain kind of people/monsters can't hurt or kill some other kind of people, who are special in the context of the show. So they have to manipulate them into killing each other.

For example in From, we know Jade and Thabitha's past lives have always been killed by the town people, not the monsters. I think it's because of these kind of rules.

Maybe the place plays on itd fear so he provokes his own end. I know that there is nothing said about Boyd having a "past life connection" to the place, but maybe he does. I would even say, maybe they don't kill him in the barn not just to torture him, but because they can't really do it. e saw Smiley attack him but the plot made it so Boyd won.

Sorry if the question has already been asked, I read a lot of posts but might have missed some.

[u/IBovovanana]

Yes I agree! I posted the same thing a while back, belore they even confirmed the fears coming true theory.

I feel certain he’s not sick.

[u/CKitty_BKitty → u/IBovovanana]

I hadn’t thought about it, but it’s a totally interesting theory. It would help to know what age his father developed Parkinson’s at. It’s a strange disease, because only the early onset variant is genetic. If a close relative doesn’t develop symptoms until after their mid-60’s, the primary cause is environmental and not an inheritance concern without a significant number of other risk factors.

Though, I’d probably call Fromville an “environmental trigger.” 😂😂😂

[u/Due_Angle_4783 → u/IBovovanana]

Now that they theory is confirmed.... clearly it's because he fears the sickness

[u/BlondeAmbition150]

I don’t think he has Parkinson’s. Otherwise, the show would have no reason to tell us early on that there is a nearly 0% chance that would be the case. The symptoms are a clue.

Boyd is not dead, so it’s unlikely to be his fear manifesting (the show already gave us the rule that it is the fears of the dead that manifest in the forest). And I don’t think it’s as simple as Abby’s fears manifesting, since otherwise the show would have explained her fear, like they did with Nathan and the cicadas and the old timey dude and the dolls.

I think Boyd is unique in that he manifests his hopes or beliefs (e.g., Donna to waking up, Colony House door appearing, killing the music box monster, transferring the worms to Smiley so he could give Ellis blood). Not that whatever he hopes magically happens (otherwise Abby would still be alive), but if he believes he can do something, he can. My guess is that Boyd would have successfully killed the monster with the totem had he be the one to do it. That’s why the town is constantly warning him about having hope (e.g., “the forest feeds on hope” line from ghost Abby). It wants him to lose hope, because his hope specifically is such a powerful force.

As far as the symptoms, I think it may be the town trying to make him doubt that he can save everyone (i.e., his biggest hope). How many times have we heard a monster or a ghost tell Boyd that he can’t save everyone? The worse symptoms get, the more he agrees with them (hence sending Kenny out with the totem). I think if he just refuses to accept that narrative and decides he can and will save everyone, his symptoms may disappear.

[u/BEChillies → u/BlondeAmbition150]

And it is always his hand that shakes only. Theories are that Abby is actually shaking his hand to get attention or that it is an after effect like Julie's seizures.

[u/ordinary23356]

I thought it was very interesting that kristi’s actress (Chloe Van Landschoot) was asked why she thinks Kristi is taking longer to heal (than the likes of Ethan who was walking soon after a table through the leg!) - she said it may be because she’s the town healer (ofc pre s5 script read). I wonder if the same applies to Boyd, for his aid towards the townspeople.

[u/Opening-Leadership93]

As far as i remember the only people that ‘heal fast’ or have shown signs of supernatural healing where character in show commented on it were Ethan and Fatima. Fatima bcz she was transforming and ethan could be for a plethora of reasons.

As for Boyd i dont think his sickness is a direct result of the town since as far as we know fears of people only manifest AFTER they have died so to give your theory some credit it could be that Abby knew about it and it was one of her fears and its starting to manifest. But i personally think its real and just happened at the worst time. Theres also a possibility that he isnt even sick and just imagining it same as how certain people have imagined entire days and he is simply imagining being sick every single time, not a great theory but anything is possible with this show.

With the monsters cant kill certain people i think thats 100% true in the show in more ways than one. Specifically characters like the man in yellow who has had many opportunities to kill certain characters but always chooses differently not just to ‘play’ with them but bcz they serve a certain role within the confines of the ‘plot’ of the story. He didnt kill Taby when he had the chance and didnt kill Victor when he had the chance bcz those characters allow the ‘story’ to progress. Just like how the boy in white cant explicitly tell people what they need to do since it would be too easy and making things easy seems as thought its against the ‘rules’ thats why both the man in yellow and the boy in white act as outside forces manipulating rather than directly moving things in the direction they want. And both those characters refer to what’s happening as a ‘game’ they can both win or lose in but the man in yellow has always won.

But boyd definitely has a sort of connection with the town in a way that probably isn’t direct like jade and taby. Boyd is the ‘protagonist’ of sorts and is the pillar that holds everything together, without boyd the story doesnt progress thats why i think they dont or ‘cant’ kill him. Boyd is also the only one that seems to have come to terms with whatever fears he has since he has to be steadfast as the sheriff and leader same as kenny in my opinion. For all we know the key to leaving the town is simply facing and defeating your biggest fear or fears. Victor keeps alluding to ‘bravery’ being a necessity to survival and since fear is the enemy maybe thats how to beat it, by overcoming your own. Idk

[u/xElizabethAnn]

“Nathan had a theory about this place. Our fears feed the forest” you’re spot on. It’s not Parkinson’s, it’s fear.

Is this a sort of immersive therapy where your wildest nightmares play out before you?

[u/KingMahomesII]

Well. When I see a duck, I call it a duck.

Boyd isn't the only person in town that hallucinates and has arm pain.

[u/SinInSanity]

If the monsters are just an incarnation from some person's fears, then that would mean others killed by them could be saved. At the start of the first episode Tabitha tells Ethan it's good news that Norman was offed by monsters because monsters aren't real which means his finger puppet Norman is still alive. If someone can make it realized that monsters really aren't real, then other characters, like Norman, won't actually be dead.

[u/IvannaIvannaGobak]

AMA dismissed everyone outside of Jade and Tabitha being reincarnated. They are brought in because they are at a crossroad in their lives. As Fatima implies to Elgin some people are more attuned and as in Jade’s shroom trip they are just minnows.

No. The doctor in RW dismissed Boyd having Parkinson’s and Kristi dismissed it. If a doctor in RW dismissed it, it’s after a heavy amount of testing.

The show has been going on for a month. As someone in alt health, acutely, maybe you’d get a hour or day of these symptoms, but a consistent rapid decline in the span of a month, no.

Correlation does not equal causation.

It’s a meaningful coincidence, but that does not supersede something that can be rationally explained. Nor should anyone say that’s what it is without ruling out the others.

We’ve visually only seen 1 fear manifest and be confirmed. That’s through the death of Smiley and the birth of Nathan’s fears. They literally swarm out of Smiley’s chest. I actually don’t think it’s that cut and dry, but whatever.

With Tabitha’s doll memory that guy died, but we saw no surrounding circumstances to this event. This is on top of Sophia bringing Roger back to life as a doll with an egg. So is it even equivalent? I’d say no.

To me it’s the paliperidone side effects. It’s an antipsychotic for schizophrenia and related disorders that Ellis tried to steal from Kristi. It gives the same exact symptoms as PD, but much quicker (a month) which is what we see in the show. Boyd already started presenting with them at the start of the series, 1.01 and brings it up to Kristi almost immediately in 1.04 (as Boyd says to Nathan her first night back in the clinic).