The Beauty is getting uglier. The formula that once made people pretty is now a boiling point of chaos, and the FBI is on a relentless hunt to find all carriers of ‘The Beauty’ before the outbreak mushrooms out of control. However, they may be chasing a threshold that has already slipped through their fingers. Episode four is a whirlwind of flashbacks, flesh-melting hospital mayhem, and a heartbreaking cliffhanger for Cooper, all while delving into deeper themes of systemic greed. This episode, though short, is packed with revelations that set the stage for what’s to come in the next episode on February 11.
Ben Platt’s surreal, not-so-pretty meltdown
Episode 4, titled Beautiful Chimp Face, opens with a flashback of our emotionally entangled FBI agents, Cooper and Jordan, sharing a tender moment at a fountain. This beautiful memory is abruptly interrupted by the aftermath of the Condé Nast cafeteria explosion. The FBI is now tasked with investigating all potentially infected victims present during Harper’s tragic death.
As the investigation unfolds, it’s revealed that Ashley had been romantically involved with Harper, making infection almost inevitable. Before this revelation, a heartfelt confession emerges: Ashley admits he loved Harper, though that love was never reciprocated. The sting of recognition is palpable in Cooper’s eyes as he instinctively reaches out to hold Ashley’s hand. The word ‘kind’ is used to describe Cooper, a label that resonates throughout the episode.
The second instance of this descriptor comes from Manny, played by Ben Platt, who is in the final stages of infection. Tied to a hospital bed, he pleads for humane treatment, echoing Ashley’s earlier plea. As Cooper consoles him, Manny’s grotesque transformation begins. In a shocking moment, he breaks free from his restraints, skin tearing in jagged strips, turning the hospital into a scene reminiscent of the Bella Hadid sequence in the pilot.
By the time Cooper confronts Manny in a room lined with preserved slabs of dead skin, Manny has morphed into a supermodel version of himself. A heated struggle ensues, culminating in Cooper using a taser to subdue Manny and restore order. Meanwhile, two other characters, Jordan and Jeremy, navigate their own tumultuous paths amidst the chaos.
Jeremy’s evolution is profound; he grows closer to Antonio and learns how to navigate intimacy without spreading the infection. After a supervised practice session, Antonio introduces Jeremy to Byron, aka The Corporation, played by Ashton Kutcher, for his monthly boosters. Despite the human explosions caused by his product, Byron’s business instincts remain unyielding.
Byron instructs Dr. Ray to dilute the boosters, double production, and shift the dosage from monthly to weekly while keeping the price unchanged. This corporate greed is juxtaposed with Cooper’s nightmare of Jordan’s disfigured face, which jolts him awake in a cold sweat. A knock at the door reveals Jordan, now younger and unscarred, yet Cooper’s reaction is one of eerie calm. After witnessing Manny’s transformation, belief comes easily, but the foreboding sense that the worst is yet to come lingers heavily.
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