Tamal Kundu
A creation of the Academy-Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ is a Netflix horror anthology series. Each episode is helmed by a different director and tells a different story. Episode 7, titled ‘The Viewing,’ is the only original work by the scriptwriters among all eight episodes. It revolves around four highly accomplished individuals who are invited by a reclusive billionaire to his luxurious home for what has been touted as an unforgettable experience. But as the guests soon learn, what awaits at the end of the evening is horror in its purest form. Here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ episode 7. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 7 Recap
The events depicted in ‘The Viewing’ takes place on the evening of September 22, 1979. Four guests — author Guy Landon, astrophysicist Charlotte, psychic Targ Reinhard, and musician Randall Roth — meet at a parking facility before they are taken to the home of the billionaire Lionel Lassiter by a man named Hector. As they travel, the four guests try to glean as much information as they can about their host, but Hector, who likely serves as the security for the billionaire, doesn’t say much. Meanwhile, Lassiter’s physician, Dr. Zahra, prepares him for the evening by injecting him with a substance.
Upon their arrival, the guests are ushered into what looks like the living room. Zahra is already there, lounging on one of the seats. Targ attempts to demonstrate his worldliness by declaring that the architecture of the building bears a resemblance to the Aztec style, which earns him a scoff from the author. Soon enough, their host joins them, bringing with him Japanese whiskey from the pre-World War II era. Lionel regales his guests with the story of the whiskey bottle before pouring for each of them.
The guests realize they are an interesting bunch of people to gather together. They justifiably deduce they were picked because their professions are related to what they are supposed to see. Throughout the evening, Lionel addresses his guests, offering commentaries on each of their works and openly voicing his admiration for them. As the evening progresses, the guests try to figure out why they have been brought to the house, but Lionel remains silent, as do his two employees.
Constant music plays in the background, which Lionel claims is meant to prepare them for the viewing. As the guests begin to relax because of the flow of the conversation, they start to speak about their personal fears. Randall is afraid that his next album will flop, while Targ seems to have a constant need to prove his intelligence, which likely stems from his work. Unlike the musician, author, and astrophysicist in the room, he earns money by lying to people. One can argue that the authors are also liars, but the people they target are in on the entire scheme.
The narrative of this episode has this claustrophobic style that keeps the action tightly bound until the climactic scene, where it simply explodes. In contrast, the dialogues move freely, and sometimes it seems it meanders without purpose, but that’s not the case. The dialogues build the characters, giving them motivations for being in that house that evening.
Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 7 Ending: What Does Lionel Want to Show His Four Guests?
After an evening filled with copious amounts of whiskey, cocaine, and fairy dust, Lionel declares that it’s finally time to show his guests why he has brought them to his home. He leads them to a secure room, where a rock of unknown origin is kept. Randall tries to smoke a cigarette, but Lionel politely but firmly tells him that he must not smoke in there. Randall then tries to smoke weed, but Lionel once more asks him to put it out.
However, the smoke is absorbed into the rock, and it starts to crack, and a green and hideous monster emerges. If Lionel’s four guests are there for the viewing, they, along with Zahra and Lionel, draw the interest of the other-worldly monster that has just gotten free. It melts the brain of Zahra, Landon, Targ, and claims Lionel’s body for itself. Charlotte and Randall flee as fast as they can. They get into a sportscar, and Charlotte drives like a demon to put as much distance as possible between them and the monster. Meanwhile, Hector confronts the monster with the golden Kalashnikov rifle that we see throughout the episode, but the bullets don’t have any effect on the creature, and Hector is killed for his efforts.
Is Lionel Dead?
Only two persons truly make it out alive of Lionel’s home — Randall and Charlotte. The latter drives the car at full speed, desperate to put as much distance as she can between herself and the monster she just saw. Earlier, the creature probes the brains of his would-be victims before latching itself onto Lionel and transforming into a semi-humanoid monster. As the episode ends, this monster reaches the nearest town and is almost ready to be unleashed on the people of the world.
What Will Happen to Charlotte and Randall?
Charlotte and Randall are the only two survivors of the incident. While they successfully make it out alive, it is highly unlikely for them to reach out to the authorities to relay what has happened. The trauma here they have experienced must be tremendous, overshadowing any other feeling they might have about the incident. Even though Charlotte’s life’s work involves proving the existence of the alien, the terror she experiences during this episode is likely to make her reluctant to revisit the incident, even in remembrance.
Read More: Cabinet of Curiosities Episode 6 Recap and Ending, Explained
