Before Episode 3 Recap

Episode 3 of Before on Apple TV+ delves deeper into Noah and Eli's relationship, exposing a number of intriguing aspects that advance the plot. A semi-retired child psychologist named Eli reluctantly takes on a troubled young boy named Noah as a client in the psychological thriller Before, which airs on Apple TV+ once a week. Prior social workers and psychologists believed him to be violent, stubborn, and unreformable. Noah is able to open up because Eli takes the time to watch and comprehend the little boy in a manner that few people do.

There are many thrilling aspects to the thriller, even if Before delivered Billy Crystal his lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating in more than ten years. The mystery remains captivating despite the slow-burning pace of the plot. The performers' outstanding performances make it simple to empathize with Before's major characters. Additionally, each episode presents fresh revelations that build upon one another to paint a more complete picture of Noah and Eli's history and relationship.

When Noah recalls his oldest memory, he almost drowns.

Noah has terrible images of water steadily approaching him and leaking down the walls in Before episodes 1 and 2. This experience is further upon in the third episode. Eli urges Noah to recall his oldest memory, and instead of seeing dark water, he begins to experience visions of frozen water. It begins on the window and spreads to the ceiling, freezing the water glass in the process. The ice isn't frozen firm; it's cracking. Noah's breath is evident as his lips grow blue. He keeps seeing the frozen water in his dreams, so it's not a one-time event.

Nurses discover Noah with water in his lungs, on the verge of drowning, in a terrifying scene where Before blurs the boundaries between the real and the supernatural. The tiny glass that froze earlier in the episode was the only water there. Sadly, they put Noah under suicide watch because they don't think anything paranormal is happening and assume he's attempting suicide. This never occurs onscreen in Before, giving the impression that something else has occurred. Future episodes will have to explain how water entered Noah's lungs and what truly transpired while the nurse was away.

Eli and Noah Start Having Transference and Countertransference Experiences

The child psychologist begins to see that Noah is exhibiting transference, a psychological phenomenon in which a client transfers their sentiments about a person in their life onto their mental health provider, following the episode in which Noah tells Eli, "You know what you did." The young child transfers his resentment toward the therapist by holding Eli responsible for the negative events of the past. That's how it appears, at least, if everything that's happening is psychological and not supernatural. But it's also possible that he's experiencing something paranormal that Eli isn't yet conscious of.

The projection isn't biased, though. Eli begins to experience countertransference, which is when a mental health professional empathizes with a client and their circumstances. Because of the death of his wife, Eli and Noah have a deeper bond. Therapy can make use of transference and countertransference. Referring a client to a new mental health professional is the ethical course of action when transference and countertransference become so severe that they hinder the client's progress in therapy, even though it is not the initial step. Eli disregards his ethical obligation in this case, even though his own therapist has pointed this out.

Eli has dinner at Barbara and Sophie's house.

Eli keeps his word and visits Barbara's house for supper in episode 2 of Before on Apple TV+. In the first place, the scene is really ordinary. But he quickly starts avoiding talking about his late wife, Lynn. Barbara mentions that the realtor contacted her to sell his and Lynn's house, but despite his prior remarks over the subject, he doesn't appear receptive to the idea. Before episode 3's whole family contact demonstrates how dysfunctional the family has become since the horrific event.

The supper with Eli, Barbara, and Sophie advances the plot for Eli and Noah while also strengthening the family dynamic. Eli brought Noah's client file, which had all of his notes and sketches, when he arrived. Sophie notices the gloomy drawing Noah created when Eli asked him to depict his earliest memory after dumping the file.

Sophie notices a detail that others missed, even though Eli initially believed the image showed Noah harming a different child. The person is killing the terrible thing around the boy's neck, she informs Eli. The child therapist examines it more closely and notices a tentacle around the victim's neck, which is similar to what happened with Noah and his classmate over the pencil. When Eli discovers that his client has been harmed by someone or something, he flees the house and heads to the hospital.

Eli records a preliminary dissociative identity disorder diagnosis.

Eli, Noah's mental health provider, must ascertain the precise psychological issues affecting his young patient in order to treat him effectively. But in terms of diagnosis, Eli's symptoms don't entirely fit into one category.

These descriptions all apply to Noah's persona in the first five Before episodes. Eli writes that he has diagnosed Noah with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) based on a combination of these characteristics. This complicated mental illness, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is caused by childhood trauma that stops the brain from developing a single, full consciousness. As a result, there are memory lapses in two or more distinct alters (alternative states of identification). Alters can have various names, histories, genders, mannerisms, and skills. For example, Eli in Before was able to speak Dutch from the 17th century.

The disease known as dissociative identity disorder is often misunderstood and vilified in thrillers and horror films, such as the contentious film Split. If the Before creative team decides to stick with the DID plot, maybe they will use psychological tools to accurately depict the stigmatized condition.

Noah claims that Eli caused him pain.

Eli visits the hospital to talk to Noah after Sophie points out the drawing's details. Noah confirms to him that someone injured him, but the boy is reluctant to name the offender. Eli assures Noah that he won't be angry, but Noah claims that Eli has injured him. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the child's motivation for naming Eli as the person who harmed him, despite Noah's remarkable confidence in his allegation. The child has already hinted at this once, but he hasn't provided any additional context for his assertion.

As Noah previously stated, it's likely that he is projecting his emotions and memories onto Eli. Alternatively, the two may have previously met without recognizing it because they are both connected to an enigmatic farmhouse. Eli has exhibited violent, uncontrollable behavior and a partial memory of the event. This would provide a more concrete justification for the charge. Alternatively, if there is a future twist to explain other odd events in Apple TV+'s Before, the comment might be related to a supernatural creature.

Eli is finally able to discuss the day of his wife's death with the therapist.

Before Billy Crystal's Eli eventually confides in his therapist about that day, episode 3 goes on to discuss Lynn's passing. Despite having cancer, Lynn made the decision to keep fighting it with Eli's help. He brought home Chinese food after going to the pool because she was feeling well and her symptoms were under control. Eli discovered Lynn dead in the shower when he returned a few hours later.

As many questions are raised by these details as they are resolved. The background clarifies for the audience why Eli is experiencing nightmares about a swimming pool and why he feels bad about leaving her for a while. But it doesn't tell us anything about Lynn's side of the tale. However, this might be advantageous because describing suicidal thoughts could agitate viewers.

Episode 3 Teases Eli May Have Murdered His Wife

Before episode 3's last minutes are both startling and perplexing. Either a flashback or a vision from Eli's point of view depicts Lynn's eyes opening again, his hands encircling her neck, and her being strangled in the Apple TV+ original series. Eli in the present is panicking and appears to be in emotional anguish. Lynn's delusion, in which she accused Eli of lying when he was unable to save her death, most likely exacerbates this.

It's unclear whether this is a vision, a dread of his, or something that actually happened because Before makes it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what isn't. Eli appears to be terrified of himself and his own skills at all times. The day of Lynn's death and Eli's involvement will need to be fully explained in upcoming Before episodes.