The Beauty's three-episode premiere on January 21st gave viewers a full picture of what this show is about. After Episode 1's shocking Bella Hadid opening, Episodes 2 and 3 expand the world, introduce the major players, and raise the stakes considerably.
Here's everything that happened in the next two chapters of FX's provocative thriller.
Episode 2: Following the Trail
Episode 2 shifts from Paris to the United States as Cooper (Evan Peters) and Jordan (Rebecca Hall) bring their investigation home.
- The FBI officially classifies The Beauty as a public health threat
- Cooper discovers the virus isn't random—it's spreading through specific networks
- We meet our first "willing" infected: people who sought out the virus deliberately
- The Corporation is mentioned for the first time
The Infected Network: The most disturbing revelation: some people are actively trying to catch The Beauty. Underground "infection parties" where people pay to be exposed. The virus has become a black market commodity.
Cooper interviews a woman who paid $50,000 to contract The Beauty. "Best money I ever spent," she says, glowing with impossible perfection. "Do you know what it's like to finally love what you see in the mirror?"
Episode 3: The Corporation
Episode 3 introduces the show's most enigmatic figure: the billionaire known only as The Corporation, played by Ashton Kutcher.
The Corporation's Pitch: He's not hiding. He's marketing. The Corporation has developed a "refined" version of The Beauty—same transformation, supposedly safer. He's selling it to the ultra-wealthy as the ultimate luxury product.
"We're not creating something new," he tells potential investors. "We're perfecting something that already exists."
Cooper vs. The Corporation: Cooper's interview with The Corporation is the episode's centerpiece. Two men with completely different worldviews, each convinced they're right. The Corporation believes he's helping humanity evolve. Cooper sees a man profiting from a plague.
The Episode 3 Ending: The final scene reveals that The Corporation knows more about the spontaneous combustions than he's admitting. He has data. He's tracking who dies and why. And he's not sharing that information with anyone.
What's Next
Episodes 2-3 establish The Beauty's central conflict: a virus that gives people what they desperately want, sold by someone who may be hiding its true cost.
- What causes some infected to combust while others thrive?
- Is The Corporation's "refined" version actually safer?
- Who else knows the truth about the virus?
- And the biggest question: would YOU take it?
Episode 4, "Beautiful Chimp Face," airs Tuesday, January 28 on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.