Before

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.

"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.

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.

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!

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!