Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Ryan Murphy and Matt Hodgson, FX’s ‘The Beauty‘ traces the fine line between beauty and horror through the creation of a new, nigh-supernatural drug. The Beauty promises to alter the human form on a cellular level, transforming people into an aesthetically perfected version of themselves. As this takes the world by storm, FBI agents Jordan Bennett and Cooper Madsen begin noticing a string of strange but recurring symptoms: the overheating of the body, a state of frenzy, and then, an internal explosion. Worse, the Beauty appears to be sexually transmissible, and with the entire world at risk, the detective duo has to nip the problem in the bud before it is too late. The seventh episode of this sci-fi body horror show, titled ‘Beautiful Living Rooms,’ widens the narrative scope to shine a light on two supporting characters: FBI agent Meyer and the assassin. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Byron Frost Preys on Agent Meyer’s Deepest Vulnerabilities
‘The Beauty’ season 1 episode 7 begins with Cooper taking Jordan to a new hideout after the assassin left a mutilated corpse at his home. As they get comfortable, the complicated question of their relationship begins to emerge once again. Initially, Jordan tries to brush it off by joking that she should have married him a long time ago. By the end of their conversation, however, she can no longer hold her feelings in and confesses her love to Cooper, who is left dumbfounded. From there, the scene shifts to the perspective of Meyer, who is Cooper and Jordan’s boss at the FBI. While he rules over his division with an iron fist, his personal life is in a perpetually turbulent state, particularly due to his daughter’s close calls with death.
Joey has progeria, a rare, fatal disorder that causes the body to rapidly age, which means that every day is a challenge for her and her family. While Joey continues to bravely battle her condition, Meyer appears to be on his wits’ end, and secretly wishes to issue a do-not-resuscitate order for the next time her heart stops beating. This puts him in direct odds with his wife, Ash, who is similarly drained but desperately wants her daughter to live. In a heightened state of frustration, both accuse each other of being solely responsible for their daughter’s genetic condition, and it appears that a point of no return is inevitable for the family. That changes, however, when Byron arrives at their doorsteps one morning, complete with a sales pitch that promises to give their daughter a fresh start.
The Assassin Reveals His Past
While Meyer is completely taken aback by Byron’s new look at first, the pieces of the puzzle soon start to fit for him. By the time Byron is done pitching for the Beauty, the FBI chief realizes that his most-wanted criminal has walked right into his arms. Arresting Byron, though, quickly turns into a moral and emotional conundrum, as, despite all, Meyer truly desires the recovery of his daughter. He has already seen the near-miraculous effects of the Beauty first-hand, and Byron doubly assures him of the side-effects being a bygone reaction, using himself as a proof-of-concept. By the end of this segment, the deal is too tantalizing for Meyer and Ash to let go of, even when it comes at a horrific price: selling out Cooper and Jordan.
With a major task accomplished, Byron finally has all the pieces he needs to launch an all-out offensive on Cooper and the NIH. That has to wait a bit, however, as from there the story descends into a flashback to the assassin’s past. In a bonding session with Jeremy, he reveals that his real name is Antonio and that at one point, he was one of the army’s finest soldiers. However, he was taken out of the highest leagues due to a messed-up psychological evaluation, following which he quickly began minting money via illicit channels. That, too, came to an end when he fell in love and began a family, as he could not afford to let his darker life blend in with his “clean” one. At the end, he was hired as a top rung billionaire’s personal bodyguard, and life seemed to be sorted, until a mysterious attack from the Furies.
The Furies, as it turns out, are a group of bio-terrorists who target billionaires regularly. On that fateful day, however, their acid attack instead found a target in Antonio, resulting in over 80% of his body being burnt beyond repair. With no permanent treatment, he was looking at a lifetime of pain, grafts, and disability, hearing which his billionaire boss soon bailed on him. It is at this low point in his life that he encountered Byron and essentially sold his soul to him. Given that the Beauty was still in its early stages, Antonio only got a partial effect: attaining a new physique and vitality, but with some defects, such as his scarred eye. This transformation also meant that he had to give up on his family for good and completely don the persona of a cold, enigmatic assassin.
Jordan and Cooper Confess Their Love as Doom Awaits
Hearing Antonio’s story brings Jeremy to an emotional tipping point, as he, too, begins reminiscing about his own father, who abandoned him when he was a teen. We learn that it was his father’s departure that indirectly pushed Jeremy towards his poor lifestyle, and while he is at his physical peak now, a part of him still yearns for his father’s validation. Antonio sympathizes with him through a critical reminder: the bodies and identities they have right now are superficial and meant to function as a cog in a larger system. Their true selves, so to speak, are still tethered to their immutable soul. Before Jeremy can ponder on this idea, however, it is time to take down the NIH, and potentially, the FBI’s two best agents.
While Jeremy and Antonio prepare their onslaught, Cooper and Jordan set out with their own agenda: to break into the NIH and gather intel, both in the form of stolen data and the patients’ blood. Cooper believes he has Meyer’s silent support in this operation, not knowing that he is falling right into Byron’s trap. Predictably, Jordan and Cooper are ambushed by Jeremy and Antonio, respectively. It turns out to be a closely matched fight at first, but as Jeremy one-ups Jordan and gets a gun pointed at her head, Cooper has no choice but to let go. As the duo is chained and sits down in a truck, Cooper realizes that this may be his last chance at saying the truth. With that, he confesses his love to Jordan as well, before being taken to an unknown location by his two grim reapers.
Elsewhere, we return to Meyer and Ash, who have also signed up for the Beauty alongside their daughter. Byron assures them that he will only be administering his latest and most potent batch, and while it feels like a trap at first, he surprisingly stays true to his word. Within an hour, both Meyer and Ash begin the now-familiar ritual of bodily contortion and the creation of a cocoon, out of which comes an unrecognizable version of their new selves. The biggest surprise, however, is waiting for them next door, as well as learn that Joey has undergone a full transformation as well. While this is a moment of pure celebration for the family, there is a clearly unsettling layer on top of it, all originating from Byron’s manipulative agenda of stripping people of their wills, one shot at a time.
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