As the second episode of The Girl Before begins, Emma (Jessica Plummer) dances and drinks alone to deal with her recent breakup with Simon (Ben Hardy). After the intro, Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) talks to Mia (Rakhee Thakrar) about Simon who she hasn’t heard from since. Jane also says she doesn’t think Edward (David Oyelowo) does hookups. She learned that Emma fell down the stairs and Edward never put up a handrail to protect the new tenants. We see one of the questions from Edward’s questionnaire. It questions whether there have to be consequences for breaking rules in a well-run society. Emma talks to her psychologist about the sexual assault and staying quiet about it previously. Although the shrink says she did nothing wrong, Emma isn’t sure since she no longer enjoys having sex. She wonders whether she’ll ever feel like herself again.

The psychologist recommends completing exercises to get back to normal. Emma lashes out at her when she mentions the flat no longer being a safe place. She gives Emma her mobile number and reminds her they’re in this together. Jane has a nightmare about Emma falling down the stairs. The relator Camilla (Francesca Knight) meets with her later for the inspection. Everything is fine. She tells Camilla she hasn’t had any problem sticking to the rules. Before Camilla leaves, she is asked about the woman who died in the house previously. She knows nothing about it since Emma and Simon (Ben Hardy) worked with a different agent and Camilla’s firm took over later. When Jane’s helper carries a package into the room, Jane freaks out, rushes over, and grabs the box. She turns to Camilla and apologizes while saying it is something personal.

At work, Saul (Mark Stanley) approaches Emma to ask about the slogan and the fact that she split with Simon. Saul argues she could’ve done much worse than Simon before encouraging her to let him down gently. Moments later, Emma calls Edward to ask what would happen if one of them left and one wanted to stay. He admits it would depend on who wanted to stay. When Emma confirms it is her, Edward asks if she wants to look at a building with him later. Although confusing, it appears Edward asks Jane the same question at some point. Jane meets with Simon a few seconds later and admits she is intrigued. He insults the architecture of the buildings. Then, he begins showing Jane around. Edward explains this was their masterpiece. Inside the building, we see that Emma is hanging out with Edward now. She admits she doesn’t like churches.

In the present, he talks to Jane about it too. Edward reveals the original building burnt down while Emma argues the best thing about a church is the acoustics. She sings Amazing Grace in the church while Jane tells Edward what she likes about churches. When Emma asks why he brought her there, Edward only says it is a very special building. Emma goes with him to a restaurant where she receives instructions for removing Simon’s name from the property. She apologizes for the headache although Edward wanted to have lunch with her anyway. When she questions whether it is a date, Edward says he doesn’t do dates. Then, he reveals he wants to be in a relationship with her, but he doesn’t do conventional relationships. He says people respond differently in buildings and they’re too quick to do unnecessary romantic gestures and such. He wonders what would happen if they stripped all that away and have a relationship that won’t be impacted by expectation.

Emma describes it as a relationship without pressure. Edward tells Jane he believes marriage would be better if divorce was required after a certain period of time. While he believes people would appreciate each other more knowing their relationship would end after three years or so, Jane says they would constantly be stuck looking for another perfect mate. She asks about the deaths of his wife and child and learns that it was an accident at a building site. He compliments her looks when her hair is down before laughing at the idea of letting his hair down. She wonders if she’ll find out one day. When Edward and Emma step outside, he tells her he wants to cook for her. Once they make arrangements and Emma leaves, Jane asks how well he knew Emma. Edward claims he didn’t know her well.

Emma heads to work and gets flowers from Edward. She walks over to Andrew (Bert Seymour) to see if he can help her remove Simon’s name from the tenancy. He tells her you can get one off the Internet, but she wants him to help her with it. He agrees to help and says all tenants will need to sign the paperwork once he is finished. The detective calls Emma to see if she can come speak to them because there is an update on her case. They agree to meet in the morning. That night, Emma brushes her teeth until her gums bleed. Jane goes to work and gets a package. Dual timelines show that both women received a black dress from Edward. When he calls Jane, he tells her it wasn’t a romantic gesture and was instead a practical one. In exchange for the gift, he wants to cook for her. Then, we see another question from the questionnaire asking whether your partner should live up to your standards.

Later one night, Simon unexpectedly shows up at the house with wine believing he can win Emma back. She says they’re not getting back together although Simon says he is back. He tells her he loves her before Edward calls Emma and finds out what is going on. Simon is given the phone. Edward tells him to sign the papers and get out of the house because he is coming to make dinner and that would be awkward. Simon can’t believe it is Edward of all people or that Emma could do that to him. He quickly signs the paperwork and angrily leaves. Jane puts on the back dress and activates evening mode. She stands in front of glass and it looks like another woman is standing with her. Edward arrives and he is quickly allowed inside. He enters and tells both women they look perfect. They make out and head to the bedroom together. Once they finish having sex, Edward rubs Jane’s side. She stops him and asks about cooking dinner.

He tells her she doesn’t have to hide anything from him. Jane is glad she existed so Edward says it was worth it. Still, Jane doesn’t like feeling like she has been permanently marked. Edward reveals he split up with someone once because she had a tattoo and he couldn’t get over it. Emma rolls over playfully and recommends having a bed feast with biscuits and wine. After Edward goes to the kitchen, Emma hears a loud bang. She walks to the kitchen to find that Edward broke the teapot Simon bought her. He apologizes and promises to get her a better one. Edward watches Jane sleep. When Jane gets up, she finds a message from Mia who offers to go with her today. Edward is already gone and the shower isn’t working. She walks over to one of the control panels and discovers that the house facilities have been disabled. She’ll have to complete a 50-question questionnaire to restore access to the facilities. She begins rushing through the questions.

Emma goes to the police station to meet with DI Clarke (Ian Conningham) and his partner. Clarke explains that CPS is going to charge Ray Nelson (Jimmy Walker) with several crimes including rape. They’ve been trying to put Ray away for some time and her case should finally take him off the streets. They suspect he will be pleading guilty during the hearing and it’ll be over. Emma is told that she’ll need to give a victim impact statement so the court will know how the incident impacted her life. Her statement will influence the sentencing. Jane goes to the doctor where she learns that the stillbirth is still unexplained. She asks Dr. Green (Dan Li) whether there is anything she could’ve done differently. Although there were a few oddities, they’re not enough to explain the death. Jane says she should’ve visited the doctor earlier. The doctor offers to put her in touch with a counselor.

He gives her the paperwork and she goes home where she looks in the box at pictures and other items relating to her pregnancy. She cries and says she is sorry. Andrew approaches Emma to make sure the paperwork was okay. Then, he surprises her by revealing two people are buried right under the building. He noticed when he checked the deeds and it is perfectly legal as long as it is handled correctly. Andrew calls it freaky, but Emma says it is amazing and she loves it there. That night, she tries to write her victim impact statement. She gets angry and can’t focus on it. A fox enters the garden portion of the house and looks at Emma for a few seconds. Housekeeper picks a song while Edward cooks and Jane asks if he is going to stay the whole night. He won’t because he likes starting work early. Then, she complains about the questionnaire and being treated like an experiment.

Edward says buildings are designed to have an impact on people. He believes a house should give you a framework to live by although Jane says it should serve the occupants and not the other way around. He reminds her that the questionnaire was a condition of her moving into the house. Jane admits it is the questionnaire and other things since it has been a tough day. They have sex again. Emma asks Edward if all his relationships are semi-attached like this while he cooks. He reveals they are now before she asks what his wife was like. He doesn’t answer and instead asks Emma why she doesn’t like being kissed. Although she is hesitant to answer, she eventually says she was raped. She believes it might’ve had something to do with her breakup with Simon while Edward wonders if their relationship is happening too soon. She doesn’t agree because she feels closed in and safe when Edward is with her.

Plus, he makes her feel different instead of the person it happened to. Emma wonders if she could be more like the person he imagined living there with. Edward is asked about Elizabeth being buried there so he admits it is true. He says it is an old Japanese custom and not as strange as it sounds while Emma calls it romantic. She goes on to say she has a clean slate when waking up each day in the house. Next, Emma gets a notice about the upcoming hearing while people tour the house. Peter (Ben Addis) watches her go upstairs. Jane gets a drink as the control panel shows that the administrator is overriding the system to process the user’s data. The software steals information from her laptop as well. She goes upstairs and finds Simon looking through her clothes. She stops him while saying it is private, but he doesn’t believe anyone living in the house should expect privacy. She is asked what else she is willing to do to live in a house she can’t afford. He knows Edward has been sleeping there.

As Jane tells him to get out, Peter jokes that she is better dressed than the last one and he wonders how long she will last. She complains about Peter to Edward later although Edward doesn’t think it is a big deal. She wants to know about the one before, but Edward quickly changes the subject and promises to speak to Peter. Emma tries to get ready for the hearing, but the house wants her to complete a questionnaire. She gets upset and decides to press agree on every question. She rushes to the courthouse where James Clarke introduces her to her prosecution barrister John Broome (Jason Thorpe). They take her to a private room to discuss the recent developments. They tell Emma that Ray has pleaded not guilty and challenge all the evidence. The judge believes the defense has a point when it says the video on her phone isn’t enough to prove rape. The judge will cross exam Emma today to determine whether there is a case to present to a jury.

Furthermore, Ray is going to be released on bail. When Emma rushes to the bathroom, John warns DI Clarke he is about to lose his star witness. She goes outside, spots Ray, and returns to James and John. She asks if talking to a judge will put Ray in prison. Clarke says that would be their best chance. She decides to go talk to the judge. Once she walks into the courtroom, we see shots of the empty house. Jane hears a thud and quickly awakens. She gets up and begins looking around before finding a new door slightly open. She pushes the door open further and finds what appears to be a computer room or server room.

She enters and looks around. It looks like a makeshift bed in the corner with a card that has the name Carol Younsen on it. She also finds that small, white stone that looks like a heart. On the wall, we see that someone has written help me. When Mia visits, Jane tells her it looked like Carol had been sleeping up there. Mia searches for Emma Matthews on her phone and can’t believe how much they look alike. Then, she looks up Elizabeth and she looks just like them as well. Jane decides to track down the psychotherapist Carol (Amanda Drew). Once Carol lets her inside, they briefly talk about Jane’s relationship with Emma and the loss of her baby. Carol breaks the news that she isn’t allowed to speak about Emma. She wants to know why Jane wants to talk about her. Jane says she is curious because Emma died in the house and it looked like she had been sleeping in the computer room.

When Carol hears Edward’s name, she asks what their relationship is and Jane confirms they’re seeing each other. Carol explains she is bound by law to be confidential unless breaking it could prevent harm from coming to another. She warns Jane that she is living in the same house as Emma and having a relationship with the same man as Emma. She directly tells Jane she is in danger just before the episode ends.

 

The Girl Before Review

With too much going on and more confusing time warps than ever, the story of The Girl Before is being muddled beyond enjoyment. The drama is based on a novel, so there is likely some type of coherent, meaningful story beneath the clutter although few will ever find it. Many who manage to suffer through the first two episodes will likely find themselves on the verge of throwing in the towel.

With so many negative reviews for the book, it is surprising anyone ever thought it would be a good idea to turn The Girl Before into a television show. On the other hand, it is unsurprising that the casting department decided to completely change the characters to better suit modern politics and the demands of HBO Max. Some will highly praise a show simply because a specific type of person is leading the wagons regardless of the content’s quality.

There is really nothing likable about The Girl Before. The lead characters are uninteresting and unbelievably stupid considering they would agree to be enslaved in their own homes and foolishly fall in love with their enslaver. Still, I am not convinced Edward is the ultimate boogeyman since that would be too convenient and an ultimate no-no.

Since it is impossible to care about Emma or Jane, it is impossible to care about the show’s story or outcome. It seems like the other minor characters are just here for a little diversity since they’re all utterly pointless. At this rate, The Girl Before would’ve been better for everyone involved if it had been hidden on an obscure streaming service without any promotion. The fewer people who see it the better because most are only going to be frustrated and annoyed by the weak, idiotic storyline.

I’ll, unfortunately, watch the remaining two episodes since it would be stupid not to recap the rest, but I’ll do so begrudgingly while knowing The Girl Before could’ve been much better. The episode scores a 5 out of 10. The Girl Before recaps can be found on Reel Mockery here.