Episode 8 of "Before" kicks off with Noah bolt upright in a hospital bed, utterly disoriented. Eli, on the other hand, finds himself equally adrift, albeit now without Noah as his patient. Driven by an insatiable urge to uncover the truth, Eli proceeds to develop the photographs, where the majority blend into the mundane, yet a handful stand out, depicting the enigmatic farmhouse.
Upon beholding these images, Eli is enveloped by a surreal sense of deja vu, grappling with the possibility of whether he and Lynn had ever ventured there. Equally confused is Lynn, who shared his sentiment. Jackson's proposition that it might be their "Fernweh " – a place where one's heart longs to escape – seems to resonate with a certain truth.
Eli races to Denise, pleading with all his might to halt Noah's transfer to a treatment facility. Yet, Denise remains unyielding and returns to the hospital, where Noah lies entranced, whispering incantations as if in a trance.
Eli is steadfast in his conviction that all is interconnected, and a pivotal clue arrives via Cleo's call. She has located the farmhouse, reportedly nestled in Orange County. In a near-fatal dash across the road, Eli narrowly escapes a truck, but more critically, upon arriving, discovers the farmhouse still standing, a relic of forgotten times.
As Eli steps inside, he's transported to a haunting vision of the past. The once-thriving swimming pool lies empty, an infected wound on his hand begins to writhe with worms, and he finds himself inside a restaurant, clutching a pen. These disparate fragments converge into the haunting familiarity of the bath scene, culminating in Eli's scream as he collapses to the ground, enveloped by chaos.
When Eli awakens, he finds himself confined to a hospital bed. His hand, seemingly stabbed by the pen, is a stark reminder of his mental turmoil. As voices swirl within his mind, Eli suddenly confesses to Cleo, amidst a burst of raw emotion, that he killed Lynn.
