The Beauty is getting uglier. The formula, which was making people pretty at a boiling point, is not as unfamiliar to the FBI as it was in the first few episodes. They are now on a hunt to find all carriers of ‘The Beauty’ before the outbreak mushrooms out of control, not realizing maybe they are chasing a threshold that is already behind them. From flashbacks, to flesh-melting hospital mayhem, a heartbreaking cliffhanger for Cooper, and deeper themes of systemic greed, episode four is short yet packed. 

Here is a roundup of all the moments and revelations that have set the stage for what is coming in the next episode on February 11.

Episode 4 of The Beauty, Beautiful Chimp Face, starts with a flashback featuring our can’t-keep-it-professional FBI agents, Cooper and Jordan, making a wish at a fountain and sharing a kiss. The beautiful memory of Cooper gets interrupted by the aftermath of the Condé Nast cafeteria explosion. Cooper and the FBI are now investigating all the other potentially-infected victims who were present during Harper’s death. 

It is soon revealed that Ashley had been se------ involved with Harper. An infection was a given at this point. But before this revelation came a heartfelt confession. Turns out, he had loved Harper too, though it was never returned. You could almost read the sting of recognition in Cooper’s eyes as he instinctively reached out to hold Ashley’s hand. Ashley calls him 'kind', but this was not the only time Cooper is tagged with that word in the episode. 

The second time comes from Manny, played by Ben Platt, who is already in the final stages of infection. Tied to a hospital bed, he pleads to be treated like a human, just as Ashley had been. As Cooper consoles him, and hears the word ‘kind’ again, Manny’s grotesque transformation begins. He rips himself free from the shackles, skin tearing in jagged strips, and turns the hospital into a nightmare reminiscent of the Bella Hadid sequence in the pilot. 

By the time Cooper gets a hold of Manny in a room lined with preserved slabs of dead skin, Manny has already morphed into his supermodel, newly renovated form. After a heated fight, Cooper, following the protocol, shoots Manny down with a taser to finally bring the chaos to a halt. Meanwhile, there are 2 other characters, Jordan and Jeremy, moving through their own shadowed paths. 

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While Jeremy learns the ropes of a pandemic-friendly s-- ed, Jordan has already left the cocoon behind. 

Jeremy’s evolution goes deeper than his skin. He has now grown close to Antonio and is learning how to move through intimacy without spreading the infection. After a supervised practice session guided by Antonio, the assassin takes Jeremy to meet Byron, aka The Corporation, played by Ashton Kutcher, to receive his monthly boosters. Despite being worried about the human explosions caused by his own product, The Beauty, Byron’s business instincts refuse to slow down. 

Byron orders Dr. Ray to water down the boosters, double production, shift the dosage from monthly to weekly, and keep the price the same. Soon after, Cooper jolts awake in a cold sweat, shaken by a nightmare of Jordan’s disfigured face. A knock at the door follows, revealing Jordan herself, now younger, unscarred, and in a different body. However, Cooper does not seem the slightest bit shocked. After Manny, belief comes easily for him. What does not come easily is the sense that the worst is yet to unfold. 

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Are you excited for The Beauty episode 5? Let us know in the comments below!