20 Years
Episode 1 of Now and Then starts in Miami 2000. A whole bunch of friends head out partying together, all of which filmed by Dani. Each of the kids talk about where they see each other in 20 years, with Alejandro finishing things off by hoping that they’ll all be together. That happens to be an ominous bit of foreshadowing, as Alejandro ends up passing out. As the teens hurry to take him to the hospital, they get involved in a horrible car accident. We don’t actually see the crash but do see the aftermath, as all the kids are blood-soaked and shocked over what’s transpired. This is a recurring nightmare that has haunted each of these kids, which we see as we jump forward to see these kids all grown up 20 years later. Each of the quintet have received a text message from an unknown number inviting them along to a school reunion. Among those in attendance is Marcos, who now works as a doctor. He has a wife called Isabel and seems to be doing well for himself. Meanwhile, Pedro is a politician and is also married to Ana, who happens to be another of the kids from that party. When these three show up at the reunion, they’re joined by Anita and Dani who both rock up soon after. All of these guys received the message, with Sofia showing up very late to the game. Interestingly, it would appear that there are some tensions between Ana and Sofia. At the reunion, the group receive another message, telling them to meet at midnight on Friday to hand over 1 million euros each. They’re all rattled by this, with most unable to actually pay this extortionate amount. However, Anita claims that they could go to prison if what happened is leaked, so they work hard to rustle up the funds. Interspersed throughout this episode are numerous flashbacks which reveal more – specifically around the car accident. There are several fatalities from this accident, namely that of Alejandro and a woman named Jessica. At the crime scene, an open car door grabs the attention of a rookie investigator. Each of the kids are questioned over what happened to Alejandro, given he died in this car accident after driving them all. The stories are a little inconsistent and it’s especially suspicious that everyone seems to remember the exact time (that being 2am) but not other details like who rang a supposed taxi that night. The investigation soon turns back to the deceased, where it would appear that Alejandro’s toxicology report is showing a high level of ecstasy in the deceased’s body, and a burst blood vessel also seems to reinforce the idea that he actually died before the accident. The evidence of this seems to be recorded too, on Dani’s camcorder. Back in the present, Marcos goes over his options with his lawyer, before everyone settles on paying the ransom. They all show up at the scheduled meet, putting all their money together for the drop-off. That night, Marco finds out that the blackmailer is actually Daniela. Interestingly, we cut from this scene with Pedro across to a crime scene where Daniela is found in her apartment dead on the floor. Marco is on the sofa, and it just so happens that the investigator in charge of this case is the rookie investigator from 20 years back too. In Daniela’s room, the investigators find a whole stack of tapes. Remember when Dani claimed that she didn’t make any copies? Well, that’s a lie. She did copy the tapes but never actually told the others.
The Episode Review
Now & Then looks like it’s going to be a twisty little thriller, although one cant help but shake the very evident I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes. The show has an incredibly similar premise, right down to a car accident and a bunch of intoxicated teens. We also don’t know an awful lot about these characters right now, although the extended run-time for each of these chapters is sure to change that. It would appear that we’re going to dive deeper into these characters as the episodes progress, with lots of ensuing drama in the process. Essentially we’ve got two murders – one in the present and one in the past- and seeing how all of this plays out is going to be intriguing. For now though, it leaves everything wide open for the rest of the season.
