Billy Crystal continues to defy age, delivering outstanding performances at 76. His versatile career has seamlessly transitioned to television, with his most recent role being Eli, a child psychologist, in Apple TV+‘s psychological drama Before. Created and written by Sarah Thorp, the series’ first two episodes are now available on the streaming platform.
Crystal shines in the two-episode premiere of Before, alongside a talented ensemble cast, including Jacobi Jupe, Maria Dizzia, Ava Lalezarzadeh, Rosie Perez, and Judith Light. In this article, we share our review of the series and discuss whether it deserves a spot on your must-watch list!
Billy Crystal and Jacobi Jupe Deliver Exceptional Performances
The opening scene of Before was more than enough to give us nightmares, and along with that, it is already intriguing to see Billy Crystal take on a role that leans into the character of a grieving widower as opposed to his role as Harry Burns in the 1989 classic When Harry Met Sally.
While Crystal’s comedy is top-notch and loved by all, buckle in, because you’re in for a new experience in this Apple TV+ series.
Eli, played by Crystal, is still his seeing dead wife around the house, talking to him, but he is also quick to snap out of the illusion when he realizes it isn’t real. Eli has a dog, Eli has nightmares, Eli goes to therapy and doesn’t talk about his dead wife, and of course, Eli continues seeing his dead wife in his nightmares. Right off the bat, there’s nothing too unique about Before, until a little kid shows up at the protagonist’s doorstep.
Noah, the kid, is the other of Before and eventually leads Eli to his own home late at night. Noah is clearly disturbed, and after streaming the pilot episode of the series, we must warn you that while Before is a psychological drama, enough jump scares are lingering around to make this a horror, or an almost horror.
It will be interesting to see if this theme continues till the end of the series.
Noah is a foster kid, and although Eli is currently taking time off work, he decides to take on Noah’s case. Now whether it’s the goodness of his heart or the belief that this kid might somehow be connected to his wife’s death…that’s for the audience to hypothesize. Noah keeps seeing things while speaking in 17th-century Dutch, asking to be “saved.” There’s horror indeed.
Before sticks to 30-minute episodes, and frankly, this works in favor of the series because while there’s some immaculate suspense in the narrative, it isn’t nearly enough to sustain hour-long episodes.
There are moments in the two-episode premiere that kept us on the edge of our seats, but frankly, Before appears to be a compilation of several horror movies and psychological thrillers we’ve seen over the decades!
Conclusion
Two episodes aren’t nearly enough for us to make a judgment, but so far, Before has us intrigued, and we’re curious to see where this series goes, considering the different genres and themes it appears to have explored so far.