Episode 10 continues directly after the previous episode. In the bathroom, Jordan—still in shock—carefully combs the hair of the newly transformed Cooper. Cooper tells her that even though he now appears to be 12 years old, they still need to move forward with their plan to assassinate Byron.
Downstairs at the hotel bar, Jordan meets with Antonio and Jeremy to discuss their next move. Jordan suggests calling Dr. Diana to find out Byron’s location, then working with her and Franny to gain access. As they start to agree on the plan, a pharmaceutical advertisement for The Beauty suddenly plays aloud, triggering notifications on everyone’s phones. Cooper rushes downstairs and tells them they’re too late—The Beauty has already been released.
The episode then jumps ahead one week to a preppy high school. In the girls’ bathroom, a young girl named Ruthie carefully peels the bandages off her recent nose job, wincing in pain. When she looks in the mirror, she realizes it still doesn’t look the way she hoped. Her best friend, Bella, tries to comfort her, reminding Ruthie that she’s still beautiful.
In the hallway, students watch the ad for The Beauty on their phones. Bella checks her reflection in the mirror inside her locker. Suddenly, a student who has taken The Beauty and undergone a transformation storms down the hallway. She loudly confronts her bully, throwing her to the ground and striking her. Later, another student interrupts class time when he suddenly undergoes a transformation, leaving Bella staring in shock.
At home, Bella watches an influencer online documenting his transformation journey after taking The Beauty. Later at dinner, she tells her parents that she wants to take it so she can finally feel noticed. They strongly disapprove.
The episode ends at school, where Ruthie—now fully transformed—approaches Bella. She excitedly explains that her parents paid $20,000 to let her take The Beauty and goes on about the luxury concierge experience that came with the “full poke treatment.” Bella listens, trying to seem happy for her friend while quietly concealing her jealousy. She jokes that Ruthie shouldn’t forget about her when she’s off in Paris working as a model. But before leaving, Ruthie explains that just before she left the treatment center, a worker pulled her aside and said that since The Beauty is financially out of reach for many people, there are other ways to get it. He gave her a card and told her to pass it along if she knew someone who might want it. Ruthie then slips Bella the card, which has a phone number printed on it, and encourages her to give it a call.
Episode 10 of The Beauty takes a smart narrative pivot, offering a new perspective on how the drug is affecting the world—particularly the youth. Combined with the influence of social media, the episode shows how The Beauty is shaping the attitudes and desires of kids through the eyes of Bella, as she finds herself increasingly eager to take the drug. While it pauses the main storyline, it’s also compelling to see how quickly society seems to be adjusting to the existence of The Beauty.
With just one episode remaining in the season, a showdown between Cooper’s team and Byron is eagerly anticipated.
Rating: 7.5/10
Photos credit: Courtesy of FX Networks