Before episode 9 provides only a small number of reveals, but the significant moments push the story toward its climactic ending. The Stephen King-approved thriller follows the supernatural connection between a child psychologist named Eli and his troubled patient named Noah. Critics have panned the series, but the viewers have a very divided response to the slow-paced show. Some viewers love the Billy Crystal psychological thriller, while others agree with the critics, expressing that the show is boring and redundant.
After nine episodes, the miniseries will finally come to an end next week. Noah and Eli are finally headed back to the farmhouse together as Noah’s on the brink of death. The finale could be a make-or-break episode, either saving the show or cementing it as one of the worst Apple TV+ original shows ever made. Either way, the events and reveals of Before episode 9 will be essential to remember going into the finale.
Because he’s labeled a danger to himself, the hospital admits him on a 72-hour involuntary hold and places him in the same psychiatric ward to which he previously administered care. This is a particularly vulnerable position, as he’s put through the same forced care and testing he previously participated in. Given his erratic behavior throughout the series, it’s surprising it took nine episodes to get to this point.
Eli also has different expectations from reality. He thinks that he can use his charm, medical vocabulary, and position of power to manipulate the nurses on the ward. However, the medical professionals seem impervious to his influence. This shows their caliber as professionals. Ultimately, the involuntary detainment creates tension throughout Before episode 9, increasing Eli’s desperation to save Noah. It also contributes to the climactic episode ending, which sets up a dramatic finale.
Back in Before episode 4, Eli’s breath becomes visible and his lips turn blue just like Noah’s had earlier. Eli also starts hallucinating the worm after Noah did a few episodes later, which is another odd connection between the two. This episode continues the trend of Noah and Eli exhibiting similar symptoms that a simple diagnosis can’t explain away. Even transference countertransference, which is suggested multiple times, is a stretch.
At the start of Before episode 9, Eli is shivering, freezing cold, and his lips are blue. The medical professionals claim that the symptoms might come from Noah being arrhythmic. When Denise goes to visit Eli at the hospital, she finds him bundled up in a blanket, wearing a beanie, and shivering. She’s shocked because the weather is sweltering hot, making it odd that they are both cold.
At this point, Before has all but confirmed that Eli,
Noah, and possibly Lynn existed together in a past life that involved
them walking through a snowy and icy forest. It hasn’t
suggested another explanation for the supernatural occurrences, and it
would be foolish for the show to introduce an alternate explanation in
the final episode of the show. As such, the symptoms can be taken as a
psychic imprint from the past life.
