User reviews

There's a good story here, with compelling characters, story arcs, and themes. The supernatural elements were done fantastically, as is the tragic elements of the series. But the slow burning story and ending deserved a tighter edit, that, honestly needed no more than three to four episodes. Is it good? Yes! But it would have been much better as a three or four night event mini series. Some stories only need just a few episodes, and this is one of them. Still, if you like mysterious supernatural films or shows, you will enjoy this one. One more thing, the mystery behind his wife's death was played out way too long. Not going to spoil it, but once you find out what happened, you are like, "why'd this take so long to get to?" Also, the terrible character of Crystal's self absorbed and angry character's daughter was written annoyingly bad. She was written in a way solely to move the story forward, instead of being an organic and believable character that you can identify with or be empathetic toward.

The first episode had my hopes but now after watching episodes 2 and 3 I have to give up. There is so much repetition of the same few things it gets boring really quickly. It's like watching one episode over and over again.

The main lead guy seems to have been written like the most stereotypical emotionally stunted psychiatrist who prioritises patients over his own family. We've seen this too many times already. He wallows around passively and I felt worried for his patients as he is not really that smart or empathetic.

The boy actor does a really good job as psychologically tormented kid, it's just a shame this series is not up to his bar.

The series begins with a slow pace, but it gradually gains momentum after a few episodes. It prompts you to reflect on mental health, only to evolve into something far more intricate. The incorporation of paranormal elements adds an intriguing layer that exceeds initial expectations. However, I found the repetitive focus on the child's physical symptoms somewhat excessive, leading to wasted screen time. That said, as the season progresses, the paranormal plotlines begin to coalesce, enhancing the overall narrative. I'm currently on episode 7, and I can confidently say that I would not have continued watching if it hadn't introduced more unique elements beyond just mental health.

I have to agree with a lot of the negative comments as well as some positives. Primarily Billy Chrystal has the chops to pull this non-comedic character off which was refreshing to see in episodes 1&2. As far as story line and repetition, that's where you start scratching your head with episode 3 and presumably 4 as character development continues and plot is laid out.

A renowned psychiatrist later in life (Eli's character is ridiculously Ok boomer) is dealing with the death of his wife who apparently died by suicide in the hallway bathtub while fighting cancer. Eli's world is bleak and out of nowhere a kid shows up clearly in distress but nobody knows why other than it's very creepy. Lo & behold Eli is a child psychiatrist and is asked to take his case. I didn't have a problem with this, it was interesting enough to get my attention. By episode 3 that setup & interest has been squandered on super cliche tropes & highly repetitive suspense and supernatural clues. As someone mentioned Eli is kind of bad at his job and doesn't seem to care much about anyone's feelings but his own which ties into the way his boomer character is written along with the women & the corny black best friend character that's shown smoking a joint in his fancy university office. Really? Black friend who listens to jazz and is into drugs who solely exists as the confessional for the main character who shows zero emotional intelligence towards literally everyone he encounters except the court case worker with whom he appears perfectly normal for the sake of convincing her has to continue treating the kid. As someone who has worked in the mental health field and with psychiatrists I can attest to the fact that most psych MDs are painfully self righteous but wow you don't immediately call the cops on a kid when you have a vast professional network at your disposal. Clues about how Noah is connected to wife's suicide are so trite & repetitive to the point where you stop caring if she killed herself if Eli had anything to do with it or why. I will keep watching when I need downtime and don't wanna think but a wasted opportunity for Chrystal's acting chops and natural command of the small screen with a meh script that frankly had the writers getting lazy early on.

Many have already said it, but I have to say it, too. This is a tendancy in series on streaming services, most likely due to financial reasons like needing to pay top talent a certain amount, so produce too many episodes.

Billy Crystal is absolutely excellent in the series and all the actors are good. So is the story while the curiosity lasts. But eventually, you're like "ok, we get it!" and want to see the end. Probably after episode 2. I will not put in spoilers, as I see no point in describing the action. There's too little to describe. The whole thing begins repeating after episode two and we long for the end, put us out of our misery!

"Before" started with an intriguing premise and solid performances, especially from Billy Crystal, but by Episode 3, the pacing falters. The episode feels bogged down by an overuse of nightmare sequences-almost every other scene-making the narrative feel repetitive and slow. While the dream-like visuals are striking, they fail to move the story forward or add meaningful depth to the characters. The series leans heavily on familiar psychological thriller tropes, which undermines its potential to feel fresh or innovative. Despite occasional moments of tension, the plot struggles to build momentum, leaving viewers more confused than compelled. "Before" seems to prioritize atmosphere over substance, which ultimately detracts from its intriguing core mystery. While the performances remain strong, particularly from Crystal, the repetitive structure and lack of narrative drive may leave viewers disengaged. By Episode 3, the show's promise begins to feel like a missed opportunity.

I don't want to give anything away here but Holy Guacamole I have never seen Billy Crystal in anything like this and he really belongs here! He is giving me the innocent victim slash something very dark and disturbed going on here vibes.

In fact I am really happy with all of the cast here, what a great line up! Happy to see Judith Light again and Rosie always impresses but that little boy - fantastic!

SO This is a thriller, but it ain't no ordinary thriller, this has a bit of everything going on and it's scary! Like cinematic experience in this will give you some chills especially those darn close ups because it's coupled with some good old fashioned haunting creepy music - even at times nothing much is happening it will make you feel like your losing your mind cause you're scared lol There are parts in this that scared the bejesus out of me and I was like "'who came up with this" and Billy Crystal in a thriller ? What now? But he is good. He is so so so very good!!

Oh there is a storyline here , don't worry about that and you're going to be intrigued by it but get ready for the jumps , cause 2 episodes in and all I can say is you best go lock the doors and now go check them again hahaha I loved it!

Ten episodes of utter nonsense. Repetition. Nothing makes sense. Somebody come and get Billy because he looks lost. I'm unsure how this show even emerged from the development phase. About 60% of the dialogue involves various characters saying "Noah" repeatedly. Noah? Noah? Noah, where are you? Talk to me, Noah. Noah. Noah. Noah. And then they try to wrap up this steaming bag of garbage in the last episodes. It is laughable. Silly. I only watched until the end of the series because my wife insisted we finish it. And I love my wife. I really, really, really love my wife. I'd look elsewhere for entertainment if I were you.

Didj't know what to expect from this going in, but the first two episodes make you wonder did Eli's wife die of suicide or did Eli have something to do with it and got away with it until now.

The kids is amazing and how his reactions are a mystery to everyone. But Eli is beginning to understand hijm a little and wants to help.

But the last scene of episode 2 to me, said a lot. With his wife figure behind him, the kid basically is saying he knows what Eli did and "you know what you did!" Billy Crystal is very good and the script, although only two episodes old, is promising. Obviously, will make for a lot of guessing as to what the kid means, but there is a reason he went to Eli to begin with.

Before starring Billy Crystal is a disappointment, failing to deliver on its potential despite its talented lead. The film tries to blend heartfelt drama with humor, but its execution feels flat and predictable. Crystal, usually a magnetic presence, feels miscast here, struggling to inject life into a character that never quite resonates. The plot, centered around love, regret, and second chances, comes off as clichéd, relying on tired tropes rather than exploring new emotional territory. The pacing is sluggish, dragging through scenes that lack both depth and genuine feeling. Even the dialogue, which should be the show's strong suit, often falls into awkward or forced moments, undermining any sincerity. Ultimately, Before feels like a missed opportunity-a film with potential that never quite realizes it.

This started with such promise but just faded away Into repetitive hyperbole. It made no sense to release it weekly, I actually think it might have been higher scored as a binge release. The characters are good enough and Crystal is really good, however to repeat the same story arc without getting any further has been a frustrating 10 weeks. The young boy Jacobi Jupe does well and will deservedly do even better off the back of it. To be honest I'm still not totally sure what the ending was I think I'd kind of lost interest by then. Review is 63 characters short so I have cats named alf, sue and Bella. All the best.

There's no doubt in my mind that this show plays better in a binge than it did slogging it through ten weeks, a half-hour at a time. As others have noted, there's a really compelling two-hour movie here that they've padded out to five hours. A lot of stuff feels redundant and pointless, but the cast is great, and there's a creepy horror vibe going on. Billy Crystal and Judith Light aren't performers I'd have ever associated with the genre!

The main reason that I felt compelled to leave a review is to say that it ultimately ends in a satisfying way. It's way too drawn out and a few questions are left unanswered, but it's wrapped up pretty neatly, and left a little open-ended for another season (too often these days, we conclude with a cliffhanger that's never resolved!). I'd be game for another season -- but oh my god, writers, only if you actually have enough story for a season!

I don't know where to start with this car crash of a show. The first episode was pretty good but after a few more episodes you start to feel duped because they don't take you anywhere. The overuse of dream sequences, ghosts or imagination sequences (you tell me - I suspect we'll never know) is laughable and predictable. Every episode takes you nowhere except to disappointment. I sense this could have been a three part series as opposed to ten episodes!!. I will watch Before to the end only because I'm curious to see how stupid Billy Crystal and Apple thinks their audience is to take in all this rubbish!

Apple tv's "Before" has absolutely did a great start in its first 2 episodes. First of all, great performances by Billy crystal and the young kid, Jacobi jupe, Noah's character is extremely creepy, i mean, i had goosebumps!!!. Also, i can't wait to learn more for this character, what connection he has with Eli, and of course, what happened with Lynn. I think that this show is gonna be very, very interesting and will deliver us another great thriller series, and of course another reason to give your money to Apple TV+. So, i give this show an 8 out of 10, because i had a long time to feel so shocked by this kind of series, i hope you support my opinion.

The series starts out fine, but as it (slowly) moves along, it starts to unravel.

If it hadn't been padded with so much gibberish, it might have made a decent film. However, the plot gets muddled with nonsensical developments, and pointless tangents.

It wants to be weird, and intentionally unclear. Yes, it's one of THOSE streaming series.

I am a binger, for sure, but this one required a LOT of effort.

This might have been a 70s style, off-kilter psychological drama in the right hands.

The production value and performances are fine.

I definitely would not recommend this. However, if you are a "I-like-shows-that-ultimately-make-no-sense-because-it-makes-me-feel-intelligent" viewer, then...

Ugh... after the very first scene, I said to myself.. "This is gonna be a tough watch." Not because it was interesting or enthralling, but because it was all form, no function. Wanna-be artsy, not story.

The first 10 minutes of the first episode is basically the same as the rest of the entire first two episodes. Random dream sequences mixed with nonsensical character motivations in pseudo real life.

The leaps viewers are expected to take in this seem, well... kind of too much, if not ridiculous. There's ZERO apparent basis for the story. Random kid shows up, the reasoning behind Crystal's character (Eli) being so apparently attached to this child initially are completely missing. It does make slightly more sense later in episode one.. but it still seems WAY over-the-top, in terms of motivation.

Just based on the first 2 scenes the child is in... NORMAL people would have completely different reactions to the child, and his actions, than Eli has. The "story" is just written terribly.

To be frank, it felt like someone watched The Ring, The Excorcist, and The Babadook... and tried to write something to meld them together - but did a pretty poor job. The dream sequences are the "horror" aspects in this, not real life.

I'm no linguist... I don't speak any languages other than English, but even I could tell the language was Germanic.. but a language professor couldn't???

It's a big mystery.. but there's NO HOOK. There's no invitation for a viewer to understand the mystery and want to see it solved. And no character development to get a viewer actually care about these characters. It's just a collection of wanna-be thriller/horror scenes strung together with, what appears to be, the thinnest of plot lines. It's a per-scene series, not a story. That is, it's made so they could shoot certain scenes.. not to tell a story viewers can be engaged by.

I love Crystal, dramatic or comedic... But Light and Perez.. well.... not really selling points.

Overall after 2 episodes.. it IS absolutely a "tough watch". Not sure I'll bother with any more.

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I tried episode 3. And.... I'm done. The writing is truly atrocious. Some of the worst storytelling I can recall.

I don't get the negative reviews for this series-I think people just haven't given it the attention it deserves. This is totally original; it's not what it seems and definitely not predictable like some might think. There's going to be an unexpected twist that no one will see coming. The suspense is incredible, and the production is top-notch. I love that it centers on veteran actors; it's high time that people in their 70s who are still strong, vibrant, and active got the spotlight. The performances are phenomenal. Every episode has me coming up with new theories about what's happening, only to realize I was completely off.

Plus, it's been so much fun discussing this show with friends who are watching, too. We're all excited for the next episode! My only complaint is that we haven't seen enough of Judith Light, who's the reason I'm watching the series. But I hope she'll have more scenes coming up, because the little we've seen of her so far has been fantastic. She's a legend, and I know she'll surprise us as the story unfolds.

I'd definitely recommend giving this series a chance and not getting swayed by the impatient reviews out there. I fully recommend it to everyone-it's my favorite show of 2024.

This series were good. It should be marked as mysterious. Interesting plot, lovely characters, well played. It was really mysterious and unexplainable. Good for fantasy and mystery fanatics, there were also some spooky stuff going on, a lot of unexplainable things but it was good. Interesting to watch from the very beginning to the end. Not sure are they going to make a second season or why it us marked as unfinished? But it was really enjoyable and mysterious, sometimes dramatic... Ugh, why can't I leave shorter reviews, I have nothing else to say without spoilers, and I don't like spoiling... It was good.

The first two episodes of Apple TV's "Before" left much to be desired. Unfortunately, they felt like a repetitive cycle of familiar plot points, offering little in the way of engaging storytelling.

The characters are notably flat, lacking depth and individuality, which makes it difficult for viewers to connect with them. To top it off, the performances, particularly that of the child actor attempting to portray a menacing presence, came off as unconvincing and detracted from the overall experience.

In a landscape filled with compelling narratives and rich character development, "Before" stands out for its mediocrity, leaving audiences yearning for something more substantial. Overall, these episodes are a disappointing start to what could have been an intriguing series.

This has got to be the most stretched and elongated TV show ever. Every episode is basically the same with no plot or character development whatsoever. The protagonist behaves erratically in every situation and would already have been locked away in an asylum after the first episodes. Watching this nonsense is sleep inducing. The story wouldn't even have been suited for a feature film let alone 10 episodes. Boring dream sequences, annoying kid actor and bland performances contribute to the general unpleasantness of this show. I will watch the final episode nonetheless because I am curious if the ending is as dumb as it seems up until now. Worst Thriller series of 2024.

I don't get the negative reviews. The only disappointment is the episodes are too quick. Billy Crystal is really great in this instead of his usual comedy roles. The show is really weird and confusing. I'm not sure still what's going on but the acting is great. The little boy Noah is really good as well.. i'm looking forward to seeing what's gonna happen. Not sure about the Rosie Perez acting, but the others make up for it.. some of the episodes are a little redundant, but it's still keeping my attention and I look forward to each episode. Give it a try and ignore the negative reviews.. I'm not sure if there will be another season but I'm just finishing episode 8 I'm looking forward to episode nine.