Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Ryan Murphy and Matt Hodgson, FX’s ‘The Beauty‘ taps into a futuristic world where culture is determined by the advent of a new treatment, one that promises a physical transformation unlike any other. When FBI agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett are sent around to track down a string of murders, they find that all the deceased persons look completely different from their official IDs. As it turns out, this is the effect of the Beauty, a sexually transmissible treatment that is as disruptive as it is dangerous.
With each episode of this sci-fi body horror show, based on the eponymous comic series by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, the show delves into the psychology of beauty and aesthetics, and the many limits people can break in their pursuits for the same. Episode 8, titled ‘Beautiful Brothers,’ shifts the narrative from Cooper and Madsen’s adventures to focus on Byron’s inner life, specifically, introducing his two estranged children into the equation.
Byron Infiltrates Every Level of the Government in Preparation for Beauty Day
‘The Beauty’ episode 8 begins with Byron presenting himself to an empty stage, as preparation for what is likely to be the biggest day of his life: the Beauty’s launch. By positioning himself as the proof of concept, the billionaire ensures that the entire world will trust his product blindly. This, however, isn’t enough for him, and he goes out of his way to make the flashiest ad possible, simultaneously poking at everyone’s deepest insecurities at once. Be it people sick with disease, or people who are overweight, or people who believe themselves conventionally unattractive, the Beauty is framed as a one-stop “cure” for anything and everything, even if it means stripping one’s individuality. While Byron is confident that he will change the world with this invention, the irony here is that his own family has rejected him, and by extension, the Beauty.
Meanwhile, we learn that the NIH facility has turned into a hellscape since we last visited it, and the patients who were there in quarantine are now essentially prisoners. Each metamorphosis takes place within the quarters, with blood, guts, and mucus covering every inch of the floors and the walls. Food is a luxury, and those who are still alive are fed sludge once a day. Still, it appears that life has found a way within this small system, with new transformed characters, Johnathan and Wang, being instantly smitten with each other’s appearance. Their moment of joy, however, is temporary, as without warning, the top hatchet opens to reveal an entire squadron of masked, armed gunmen. While it initially feels as if the captives are about to be rescued, to their horror, the gunmen open fire in all directions, killing every last one of the transformed patients with absolute mercilessness.
Cooper Creates a Rift Between Antonio and Jeremy
While the identity of the killers isn’t exactly revealed, it is clear that the problem is now much bigger than the government can handle, and most, if not all, of its institutions are now compromised. This means that there is no help arriving for Jordan and Cooper, who are presently aboard a van with Jeremy and Antonio, headed to an unknown location. While under watch, they proceed to talk in Morse code by blinking, but unfortunately for them, Antonio is trained in such ways and regains control soon enough. Instead, Cooper and Jordan move on to their next tactic: target Jeremy, who is clearly the rookie and hardly knows anything about the world he has just found himself in.
Predictably, Jeremy is surprised to know that the Beauty isn’t exactly without its side effects, and that all users are bound to overheat and boil up from the inside out, ultimately bursting in an explosion doomed to set a chain reaction. Interestingly, Antonio doesn’t confirm or deny any of the claims, but the fact that we have seen him take booster shots all but confirms that he kept things a secret from Jeremy and likely intended him to die soon. Still, with his young prodigy still unaware of these details, Antonio finds his chance to force Cooper’s mouth shut, all the while subtly trying to shift the topic away from what’s at hand.
Antonio is Betrayed by the Very Forces He Swore to Protect
Things get troublesome for Antonio and Jeremy, however, when they exit from the truck, only to find the same squad of gunmen from the start of the episode. Together, they subdue Antonio and Jeremy before forcefully covering their heads and stuffing them back in the van. With this, the group makes a surprise return to the NIH building, where they are thrown into the same concrete pit where the quarantined patients were being kept. The bodily residue is enough to tell Jordan what happened to those who transformed, and Antonio also realizes that he was never really Byron’s ally, but merely his final loose end, reserved for the future.
Elsewhere, Byron seems busy with cutting down the budget of his company, a huge part of which is to end many of its diversified endeavors and reinvest that money into the Beauty. One of the many divisions he plans to disband is Robot Lady’s, which oversees the creation of an army of near-human entities known as Deacons. While she warns Byron of the Beauty’s side effects and many variables, he is not one to listen and shuts the door in her face. Byron’s hatred also seemingly extends to his two sons, Tiger and Gunther, who are now biologically older than their father. Both siblings struggle with drug addiction and do not share Byron’s creative drive. This also means that he essentially sees no value in them outside of them being his blood.
Byron Transforms His Two Sons by Force
With the clock ticking and no way out, Cooper and Jordan begin thinking out of the box to escape, but a surprise comes when Cooper is summoned to meet the NIH’s new supervisor. While the man looks charming at first glance, Cooper quickly recognizes him to be none other than Meyer, who appears to have completely given up on his agency. Still, when Meyer asks Cooper to simply do as he is told, the latter is left with no choice but to retreat, only to find that the mercenaries are back and have surrounded Jordan and the rest.
In a moment of crisis, Cooper chooses to take a leap of faith, climbing up with the mercenaries and away from the NIH’s murderous atmosphere. Elsewhere, it appears that Byron has played his game-changing move already, with both Tiger and Gunther being given the Beauty while on their deathbeds due to an overdose. While the duo is effectively rendered unrecognizable, this is the tipping point for Franny, who promises nothing but vengeance directed towards her husband.
Read More: Is The Beauty a True Story? Is the Beauty Based on a Real Drug or Virus?
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