Ever since Tillie (Deborah Grover) arrived in the Township in location of From's Town by the Detroit-bound Grand Rapids Runner Bus, Tillie is also one of the Township's older residents. More carefree than other townspeople, Tillie is determined to make the best of a bad situation. However, her insistence on silver linings is part of what makes her so suspicious. Like many of the lone travelers who end up in the Township, Tillie opts to stay at Colony House.

Throughout MGM+'s horrifying From season 3, Tillie has taken on a bigger role. For the most part, she has connected with other Colony House residents, including Elgin (Nathan D. Simmons), a fellow bus enger, and Fatima (Pegah Ghafoori), who's grappling with her seemingly unnatural pregnancy in the third outing. Still, Tillie has cropped up in Town too, making her rounds at Kristi's (Chloe Van Landschoot) Clinic and Boyd's (Harold Perrineau) sheriff's station. Always appearing at just the right time, Tillie definitely has an air of mystery about her that's prompted From viewers to theorize about her true intentions.

Tillie's Backstory Before Arriving In From's Town Explained

Tillie Was Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer Before The Events Of The Show

Before arriving in From's Township, Tillie received a terminal cancer diagnosis. This happened in the wake of her long-time husband's death, which means Tillie has faced a lot of adversity in recent years. According to Tillie, she was on the Grand Rapids Runner Bus because she was taking time to travel across the country and bet on horse races. With little left to lose, Tillie liked her odds. When speaking with Fatima in From season 3, episode 3, Tillie reveals that she has several children. Other than that, Tillie's backstory is pretty vague, which makes her even more mysterious.

When the Grand Rapids Runner Bus stops in Town, Tillie immediately sets herself apart from the other engers when she dances in the rain. The older woman goes on to be eccentric, optimistic, and carefree. For viewers (and From's townspeople), all of those otherwise-benign traits make her suspicious because of the show's unique circumstances. A few episodes before From season 2's ending, Tillie stops by the Clinic to entrust Kristi with a bottle of morphine for safekeeping. The older woman shares that she was given a terminal diagnosis a month earlier, and knows that she'll need the morphine eventually.

Why Tillie Has Been So Suspicious Since Her From Season 2 Introduction

Tillie Has Strange Connections To Fatima & Elgin

While Tillie's behavior is only really weird within the context of the supernatural horror series, it's still been hard to trust her since her introduction in From season 2. This is partly because of the of wrong with Fatima and her baby — she isn't even showing any signs of being pregnant — which makes Tillie's uncanny observation even more suspicious.

The older woman knocks on Fatima's door and explains that she also experienced bizarre pregnancy cravings.

When Elgin hears about Fatima's pregnancy, he suddenly re a crucial part of his prophetic visions. Not only does the ed information help Boyd destroy the music box, and vanquish ghost lady that Elgin keeps seeing appears to him when he's hanging out and crocheting with Tillie. Yet again, Tillie factors into some of the show's most supernatural moments.

In From season 3's third episode, Tillie catches sight of Fatima eating rotten crops from Colony House's compost pile. Although Fatima runs away without explaining herself, Tillie takes a surprisingly empathetic approach. The older woman knocks on Fatima's door and explains that she also experienced bizarre pregnancy cravings. Evidently, Tillie craved eggshells and would dig them out of the garbage when her husband wasn't looking. By the end of the episode, Tillie is someone Fatima can confide in.

Could Tillie Actually Be Connected To From's Supernatural Forces?

Tillie Has Nothing Left To Lose When She Arrives In From's Town

Although anything is possible in the world of From, it seems unlikely that Tillie is actually connected to the Township's supernatural forces. Like Elgin, Randall (A.J. Simmons), and Bakta (Angela Moore), Tillie comes to Town on the bus. While Elgin is plagued by prophetic dreams, Randall sees visions of cicadas. Clearly, strange things can happen to anyone who arrives in Town.

In the third season's third episode, Tillie shares that she has an interest in tarot card readings. While Fatima balks at the idea, Tillie its that the cards did predict her cancer and her arrival in the Township — she just didn't understand the signs. Tillie seems more open to the supernatural, and to finding silver linings, because of her lived experiences. With nothing left to lose, Tillie doesn't care if others find her odd. In that sense, it seems less likely that she's trying to infiltrate the Township and more likely that Tillie is just a kind woman who appears oddly suspicious in From season 3.