Now & Then on Apple TV debuts on a night that won’t be fondly remembered. Six friends go to the beach one evening soon after graduating from college for some drinks and a bonfire. Only five survivors of a terrible disaster return. On the eve of their 20-year class reunion, they get blackmail threats from someone claiming to know what truly happened that night. The incident weighs on the survivors for years later, derailing their lives and lasting in their dreams. This may be why they don’t seem fully shocked.
Opening And Overall Plot Of The Show:
Although not extraordinarily unique, the series’ premise is inherently juicy. Once the show introduces two cops, who have been troubled by the case for their reasons, pure curiosity seems to be enough to keep Now & Then going for a while. However, throughout eight-hour-long episodes, poorly developed characters and a plodding tempo prevent the series from living up to its full promise. And unlike the terrible night in question, Now & Then Apple TV is all too simple to forget.
Both the series and its characters have a strong sense of promise at the beginning. The bittersweet contrast between the fates its characters had imagined in their 20s is introduced in the first episode, which was directed by Gideon Raff, in wide, effective strokes. And the ones they end up living once they reach their forties. Success has varied from person to person.
However, none of them have the life they truly desired, and the passing of one of them. Their friend passed away in a tragic accident. They agree to never again bring up the accident in conversation. Now, 20 years later, a mysterious blackmailer threatens to reveal what happened that night by sending them all a terrifying text message.
Review:
The lack of personality in the series significantly detracts from the emotional intensity of the subject. Now & Then can feel too much like a grab bag of established tropes in the absence of specificity. Many of these tropes have already been used in shows like Yellowjackets, I Know What You Did Last Summer and other recent releases. Speaking of dialogue, Now & Then Apple TV writing is where the series starts to fall apart. It feels like a plot created for a film that has been stretched out to eight hours.
The series occasionally switches out younger performers for some of the dreamier moments set in the present. The choice to alternate between two time periods, however, is even more harmful. Although it seems like a catchy concept on paper, Now & Then lurching between plot arcs in 2000 and the present turns out to be all show and no go.
It is challenging to commit to any version of the lead cast for an extended amount of time due to the haphazard period switches. When the plot of one character starts to grow interesting, Now & Then chooses to go back in time or go forward in time.
Although Now & Then frequently falls flat due to its empty flashiness, some of the performances serve as examples of the show’s more understated moments of success. Unfortunately, the program chooses excess far too often, especially given how long it lasts. Unfortunately, it lives up to its name; yet it occasionally achieves its potential. It is usually a slog.