Before: Character Guide and Noteworthy Show Information
This is a character guide for Apple TV +’s “Before,” with character descriptions, quotes, names of actors, and more.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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General Information
| Network(s) | Apple TV Plus |
| Created By | Sarah Thorp |
| Based On | N/A |
| First Aired | October 25, 2024 |
| Executive Produced By | Billy Crystal, Adam Bernstein, Eric Roth, Sarah Thorp, Jet Wilkinson |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery |
| Renewal Status | To Be Determined |
Groups & Organizations
Notable Locations & Items
- The Farmhouse (Season 1): The farmhouse is a place that connects Lynn, Eli, and Noah
- Location (4.8): Sullivan County, New York
- St. Benedict (1.5): The hospital Noah ends up at when Denise and Eli find themselves unable to help him, and he becomes both a threat to himself and others
- Ithaca (1.6): The location of a High Care Facility that Noah might get moved to.
Terminology
Noteworthy Information
- Eli’s Dog (1.1): His name is Larry
- It’s All Connected (1.6): Episode 6 of the first season begins to show us how Eli, Benjamin, Noah, and Lynn are connected.
Billy Crystal As Eli Adler
Eli is a man who has been a child psychologist for most of his professional career and has been reeling over the sudden and traumatic death of his wife recently.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
- The actor is also known for their role in “Untogether.”
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Judith Light As Lynn
Lynn is Eli’s wife, who was an artist with a focus on making books for children, who committed suicide for reasons unknown as of the series premiere.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
- The actor is also known for their role in “The Young Wife.”
Additional Information
- Death (Season 1/ Episode 3): Before her suicide, Lynn had cancer that she was fighting
Quotes
Jacobi Jupe As Noah
Noah is an 8-year-old boy who has bounced from foster home to foster home due to seeing shadowy figures about to attack people and him pouncing – thus hurting the person rather than the shadow.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
Additional Information
- Case File (Season 1/ Episode 1): He has been in 5 foster families in the last 2 years
- Safe Haven (1.2): Noah is a Safe Haven baby i.e. his parents dropped him off at St. Matthews near Battery Park
- Case Number (1.10): For Eli, he is case number 423
Quotes
Julia Chan As Eli’s Therapist
While Eli has friends, he recognizes the power and use of a therapist, so he sees one voluntarily weekly. However, it seems that in most of his sessions, he avoids talking about Lynn and focuses on everything else in his life—almost to the point of appearing to want to talk to someone who doesn’t know him as Lynn’s husband.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
- The actor is also known for their role in “Accused: Season 1/ Episode 11.”
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Sakina Jaffrey As Gail
Gail is a lawyer with a professional relationship with Eli, who she uses to do psychological exams.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Itzhak Perlman As Drake
Drake is a professor and friend of Eli, whom he goes to when he is trying to decipher what Noah was saying after he attacked Eli.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Robert Townsend As Jackson
Jackson is one of Eli’s closest friends, whom he has known since college.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
- The actor is also known for their role in “Love Is: Season 1/ Episode 2.”
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
- You’re blinders are both your main strength and your main weakness. — Jackson, quoting Lynn (1.3)
Rosie Perez As Denise
Denise is Noah’s foster mom.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 1
- The actor is also known for their role in “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).”
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Miriam Shor As Sue Ann
Sue Ann is a realtor who Eli isn’t the most fond of, but she does make an effort for his business enough that he recognizes she isn’t a bad person, just a persistent one.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 2
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Maria Dizzia As Barbara
Barb is Eli’s daughter. For most of his life, she has come second to his work, which has long complicated their relationship.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 2
- The actor is also known for their role in “School Spirits: Season 1, Episodes 1-3.”
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Rebecca Ruane As Sophie
Sophie is Eli’s granddaughter.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 3
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Ava Lalezarzadeh As Cleo
Despite Eli wrapping things up with his career, on the verge of retirement after Noah, he still has an office and an assistant, Cleo, who helps with the paperwork and changes his notes into the proper format for diagnosis and likely billing.
- Character Introduced In Season 1/ Episode 3
Additional Information
- (Season / Episode):
Quotes
Jane Wilkinson (Hope Davis)
Character Description
Season 1
Jane is a doctor at St. Benedict who handles a room full of children, including Noah, who are experiencing varying and worrisome symptoms.
Additional Information
- Introduced in Season 1/ Episode 5 | Original Actor Is Also Known For: Love Life: Season 1
Notable Episodes
Ruth (Barbara Bain)
Character Description
Season 1
Ruth is Lynn’s mother, Eli’s mother-in-law, who is experiencing something akin to dementia and thus is generally homebound. Luckily for her, however, she does have an aide to take care of her and various tapes and more to keep herself entertained.
Additional Information
- Introduced in Season 1/ Episode 5
Benjamin Walker (Will Hochman)
Character Description
Season 1
Benjamin Walker is Lynn’s ex who, back in 1978, had similar symptoms to Noah and is the person who led to Lynn and Eli’s meeting.
Additional Information
- Introduced in Season 1/ Episode 5
- Death (1,6): He died at St. Benedicts in 1978
- Specifically (1.7): Around March 7, 1978
Lawrence (Lenny Venito)
Character Description
Season 1
Lawrence is Benajmin’s younger brother, and he helps Eli piece together who Benjamin was when he was alive.
Additional Information
- Introduced in Season 1/ Episode 6 | Actor Is Also Known For: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 3, Episode 4
Dutch Girl in Brown – Lynn (Delaney Bike, Danika Bike)
Character Description
Season 1
It seems Lynn has been drawn to Eli in multiple lifetimes, and it was no different when they were kids of Dutch descent. Upon seeing Eli near the lake, she got a bit bashful, and they talked as Noah entertained himself – or herself at the time.
Additional Information
- Introduced in Season 1/ Episode 10 | Actor Is Also Known For:
Dutch Girl in Red – Noah (Emma Fagerstrom)
Character Description
Season 1
Noah, in a past life, saw Eli as one of their closest friends, alongside Lynn. They joined her on adventures, and being that she was very curious about things, they were often drawn into situations by her. Unfortunately, the last time they played together, things became deadly as they ended up running from bees, hornets, and some type of flying bug. Eli accidentally knocked Noah into a frozen lake, and between falling and potentially cracking their skull and going under the ice, Noah died.
Additional Information
- Introduced in Season 1/ Episode 10
Dutch Boy – Eli (Walter Mulroony)
Character Description
Season 1
Eli was a Dutch boy who had two friends. One was Noah in his previous life, and the other was Lynn, and they played together. As time grew on, Eli focused more on Lynn, and when it came to Noah, she still would seek out Eli to play, but he showed himself to be not the most reliable friend, especially when it counted.
Additional Information
- Introduced in Season 1/ Episode 10
Episodes
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