Hi friends, imagine yourself sitting at home in Hyderabad on a Saturday evening, with a hot plate of biryani in front of you, streaming the new series Before on Apple TV+! Released on October 25, 2024, this 10-episode series stars Billy Crystal (of When Harry Met Sally fame) in the lead role, Judith Light, and Rosie Perez in supporting roles. The trailer gives you goosebumps with its mix of a psychiatrist, a creepy guy, and supernatural horror. But, did this series really touch your heart or bore you? Let me tell you how Telugu fans feel, just like I told you a chat with a friend!
What's the story? A grief drama with a spooky mystery
The story of Before is about a psychiatrist named Eli Adler (Billy Crystal). This uncle is nearing retirement as a child psychiatrist, but his heart is heavy after his wife Lynn (Judith Light) dies of cancer. One night, an 8-year-old boy named Noah (Jacobi Jupe) shows up at Eli's door, scratching his nails until they bleed and not speaking. This reminds me of a spooky kid in our horror movie! With the help of Noah's foster mom Denise (Rosie Perez), Eli starts treating him. But here's the twist—Nova has a secret connection to Eli's life!
Noah's drawings match Lynn's photos, and creepy dreams like screaming in Dutch, tentacles, and visions of water take the story into the horror zone. The bond between Eli and Noah, the suspense behind Lynn's death, and Eli's conflicts with his daughter Barbara (Maria Dizzia) drive the story forward. Each episode is only 25-30 minutes, but if they were gripping for 10 episodes in total... wait a minute, tell me!
Acting: Billy, Jacoby rock
Remember Billy Crystal? The comedy legend voiced by Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc.! Here, he looks full of emotion in a serious role. The pain of his wife's death and the feeling of fighting for Noah are visible in his eyes. In the scenes with Noah, he turns into a grandfather and a doctor—super heartwarming! Jacoby Jupe, this 11-year-old boy, did a neat job as Noah. Without words, showing fear and anger with his eyes seemed sincere. Their chemistry kept the series lively.
Rosie Perez (Denise) is okay as the foster mother, Judith Light (Lynn) is good in the flashbacks, but their characters don't have much scope. Barbara's (Maria Dizzia) daughter role is really boring, I don't understand why this character is there. When I watched the movie with a friend in Vizag, I felt like "Why is this daughter so dramatic?"!
Hits: Start Fire, Visuals Kick
The first two episodes are full of grip! The scene where Eli falls into an empty swimming pool and gets a head crack in his dream, and the visions of Noah's tentacles reminded me of the spooky moments in Aranyakanda. The visuals of the series are dark and moody, and when you watch it on Apple TV+ in 4K, you get the feel of a Hyderabad IMAX screen. The sound design also gives a creepy vibe—the sounds of water, Noah's screams are nerve-wracking.
Eli's grief, the bond sentiment with Noah reminds us of the dramas like Amma in our Telugu movies. Since each episode is 30 minutes long, it's easy to binge on the weekend like our friend gang in Vijayawada. When I watched the first two episodes, I thought, "What's this mystery, this will be a super hit!" But...
What went wrong: Slow pace, ending flop
From the third episode, the story keeps coming back to the same—Eli's dreams, Noah's hallucinations, Lynn's flashbacks. At one point, I felt, "Wow, this is dragging like an Ek Niranjan movie!" Nothing new, like Nova shouting in Dutch, or the sudden twist of Lynn's ex-boyfriend. 10 episodes are too long, it would have been great if it had been a 4-5 episode mini-series.
The ending was a real disappointment! The way the mystery was solved, the supernatural resolution seemed illogical. It has a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it "boring," "a waste of time."
Will it be a hit with Telugu fans?
For Telugu audiences, Before is like a half biryani—the first bite is great, then the taste is flat! Just as we like supernatural horrors like Virupaksha and Mantra, the first two episodes of this series connect the Billy-Jacobi bond. Eli's wife's pain, Nova's trauma reminds us of the sentiments in movies like Mana Amma and Annamayya. Family audiences in Vizag and Vijayawada, college gangs in Hyderabad can enjoy this emotional drama.
But, the slow pace, repetitive scenes, and flop ending will bore the masses. If you compare it to hits like Severance and Ted Lasso on Apple TV+, Before is a bit bland. There are Telugu subtitles, so there is no language problem. If you have an Apple TV+ (₹99/month) subscription, you can give it a try, but don't expect big twists like Stranger Things.
Technical Touch
Created by Sarah Thorpe, this series started like fire with Adam Bernstein's direction. The visuals are dark and creepy, and the sound design makes your heart beat faster with the sounds of water. But, when you see the repetitive dream scenes in the middle episodes, you feel like, “Wow, this is like a rerun show!”
Final Talk: Half-Boiled Thriller
Before started off strong with full of excitement, Billy Crystal, Jacoby Jupe's acting, and spooky vibes. Although Telugu fans liked the sentiment and horror combo, the slow pace and flat ending didn't let the series become a complete hit. Watch two episodes on Apple TV+ this weekend and skip it if you don't feel like it.