Before Season 1 Episode 1 and Episode 2 Review: The Imposter and The Scientist

AppleTV+’s latest series, Before, leaves quite an impression in its opening episodes, “The Imposter” and “The Scientist,” with a final scene that will stick with you into the next episode.

Billy Crystal is Eli, a child psychologist who has been taking some time off since the death of his wife, Lynn. But when he happens upon a young boy who is nonverbal, strange things keep occurring, and the pair develop an eerie, inexplicable bond.

From the jump-scare-inducing opening scene, you can’t help but be pulled into the story as we follow Crystal’s Eli as he wonders about his empty home, only accompanied by an adorable pug named Larry.

It’s clear that something is haunting him, but you can’t quite pinpoint what it exactly is. Aside from his late wife, Lynn, of course. Lynn, played by Judith Light, appears as an ominous presence who doesn’t entirely give away the ghost precisely but seems to be pushing Eli towards something.

Noah and Eli’s initial meeting during Before Season 1 Episode 1, “The Imposter,” is odd, to say the least. Noah scratches Eli’s door, and what he sees does not make much sense. This encounter, paired with the scare-inducing second meeting between the pair, does a fairly good job of showing the audience that these two have a connection. But that connection puzzles all involved, including the colleagues Eli seeks out for help and Noah’s foster mom, Denise.

Billy Crystal plays Eli with the same amount of snark and wit that we’ve all come to expect from any character he inhabits. However, he adds a measure of earnestness to the character that feels like not an exaggerated character of someone. Instead, he is a natural person working through the loss of someone they absolutely love—while being haunted by his wife’s presence, a solitary cabin, and a child who’s inexplicably tied to him somehow.

Denise, played by Rosie Perez, is an interesting character, but I’m unsure what to make of her. Though she’s seemingly a very caring foster mom to Noah, who genuinely cares about his well-being, we are still two episodes in, and it feels like we’re not getting the whole picture regarding Denise.

“The Imposter” lays some potentially exciting foundation for the story, as Noah’s nonverbal fugue-like state during his first session with Eli leads to the viewer’s discovery of an odd water-based monster only Noah can see and what turns out to be 17^th-century Dutch.

The reveal that he can speak English and has no memory of the event brings up even more questions that are ripe to be answered during the remainder of the series.

Before Season 1 Episode 2, “The Scientist,” has Eli trying to uncover the answers to his growing list of questions, voiced by Lynn’s ghostly appearances throughout the episode.

Even in his attempt to get context to Noah’s issues at his foster home, Eli is only further confronted with more questions and a strengthening connection to that isolated cabin in the photo.

The final reveal of “The Scientist” stands out as Eli encourages Noah to play a game he’s played with prior clients. With the “mad game” explained, the pair begin adding a new block to the growing tower, leading to an illuminating moment that yields many new questions about Eli’s life before the opening scene.

            Eli: Now say it, the thing that makes you most mad at all.  – It’s okay. You can say it.

            Noah: You know. – You know what you did.

The final line delivery is chilling and can’t help but make you clamor for more.

Overall, Before’s two-episode premiere shows a promising trajectory with an impressive cast.

Let’s hope the single-episode weekly drop from here on out for the next eight episodes continues that trend.

Random Thoughts

So, what did Eli do?

Is it exactly what we think it is?

What connection do you think Eli and Noah will be?

What did you think of this episode of Before? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Before streams on Fridays on AppleTV+.

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