Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Ryan Murphy and Matt Hodgson, FX’s ‘The Beauty‘ follows two FBI agents, Jordan Bennett and Cooper Madsen, on an around-the-world mystery-solving adventure that quickly goes wrong. Chasing after a strange series of bodily transformations, the duo realizes that this is the work of a human-made beautification treatment, which just so happens to be sexually transmissible. As the disease spreads like wildfire, global conspiracies erupt, with everyone’s quest to become magically attractive leaving a mountain of casualties in its wake. The sixth episode of this sci-fi body horror, titled ‘Beautiful Patient Zero,’ continues pulling back the curtains of the Beauty, both through the eyes of its creators and its very first recipients. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Byron Owns Up to the Consequences of His Actions
‘The Beauty’ Episode 6 begins in the past with Dr. Ray strapped to an airplane seat, as Byron has sex with one of the flight attendants. Given the slaughter of all the Beauty recipients in the previous episodes, Ray understands that he is treading on thin ice, but that doesn’t stop him from sounding the alarm on the treatment’s potential side effects. At the top of the list is its potential of spreading via sex, and hearing about this makes Byron cautious. His larger plan, as we know, is to make the Beauty the biggest product in the market, and sexual transmission can end his idea before it even finds its footing. As such, he gives little thought to getting the flight attendant killed, and then tasks Ray with figuring out the nitty-gritty of this new treatment and everything it entails.
Back in his mansion, Byron makes complete use of his new vitality, picking the finest of clothes and luxuries on his way to his wife, Franny Frost. At first, Franny refuses to believe that the younger person in front of her is indeed Byron, but proof comes with his third nipple, nicknamed Archibald, which appears to have made it through the transformation process. Upon learning of the Beauty, however, Franny’s confusion is replaced by a blend of disgust and disinterest, in no small part due to Byron’s attempts at converting her via sex. As he illustrates his plans to go public with the treatment, we learn that Ray’s only way of researching it is by using Byron’s blood, which makes him invaluable. Franny, however, remains deeply unimpressed and is quick to point out how the Beauty is merely one of many ways Byron tries to cope with his self-loathing.
Infuriated by Franny’s dismissal, Byron seeks out Ray to check up on the research process, only to learn that more bad news is on the way. An acceleration program reveals that the Beauty begins to malfunction at roughly 883 days, creating an internal thermal reaction that can blow up the human body. This also means that Byron effectively has less than 3 years left to live, and Ray has only as many days to bring out an antidote or a cure, or die a painful death. We know that the solution to this emerges in the form of booster shots, which Byron now relies on to retain his sense of immortality. The transformation also has a visible effect on his attitude, as he discards the name Byron and demands to be called the God of the new world.
Byron’s Lab Develops a Life of Its Own
From Byron’s greenlighting of the research project, we jump a bit ahead to when the company is already at work, with white coats in a lab. However, due to strict compartmentalization rules, most scientists have to do their work in well-sealed rooms, with no clue that they are essentially creating a modern-day fountain of youth. The episode specifically centers around Mike and Clara, two scientists whose jobs are far less interesting than their inner lives. Clara is transfemme and builds up a strong friendship with Mike, who is single and perpetually lonely. While one of the scientists working in a different lab, named Jane, does appear to show interest in him, Mike doesn’t have the courage to ask her out until Clara pushes him to.
Although Mike musters up enough courage to ask Jane on a date, the plan doesn’t exactly go as planned. Jane, as it turns out, is already engaged, and that news leaves Mike even more upset than before. The following day, there is an incident reported at the animal testing department, where Jane works, and she later explains that one of the chimps, named Larry, was given a mysterious drug that backfired. Although he initially transformed into the most physically perfect version of himself, just as one does with the Beauty, Larry soon began showing signs of dehydration, overheating, and severe aggression. While he was ultimately put down before he could leave the lab, he did manage to bite Jane’s hand. Something she doesn’t think too much of.
Mike and Clara Become Patient Zero and One
While Jane doesn’t exactly show up at work the following day, Mike slowly gets more curious about the nature of the experiments being conducted at the company. A deeper digging through points him closer towards the Beauty, and in a desperate bid, he breaks into the security system and uploads his iris into it, registering himself for the deeper corners of the lab. There, after much sneaking around, he comes across the mysterious vials and catches two of them before rushing back home. Once settled, he administers the Beauty upon himself and becomes the first confirmed patient zero since Byron himself. Predictably, Mike is the most attractive he has ever looked, but that also means he has one more responsibility left.
That night, Mike sneaks his way into Clara’s house, initially terrifying her at first, but later assuring her that he is indeed Mike from before. After revealing the nature of his transformation, Mike offers the second vial to Clara, knowing that there is a possibility that she will be transformed into a perfected boy instead of a girl. However, having endured discrimination and self-doubt forever, Clara is ready to deal with the truth. However, nothing can quite prepare her for the feminine form she takes post-transformation, before seemingly escaping the system with Mike. Here, the story returns to the present timeline of events, with the Assassin killing Mike in cold blood, before presumably heading towards Clara next.
Read More: Is The Beauty a True Story? Is the Beauty Based on a Real Drug or Virus?
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