The Beauty (2026) s01e01 Episode Script

["Firestarter" playing]
Hey, hey, hey ♪
I'm the trouble starter
Punkin' instigator ♪
I'm the fear addicted
The danger illustrated ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
I'm a fire starter
Twisted fire starter ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
You're the fire starter
Twisted fire starter ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
I'm a fire starter ♪
[Screams]
[crowd gasps]
[crowd screaming]
I'm the bitch you hated
Filth infatuated ♪
Yeah ♪
[Groans]
[groaning]
[thuds]
[in French] Relax!
Hey, hey, hey ♪
I'm a fire starter
Twisted fire starter ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
[Engine starts]
[pedestrians screaming]
[horns honking]
I'm the self-inflicted mind detonator ♪
[Tires squeal]
Yeah ♪
I'm the one infected
Twisted animator ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
- [Tires screech]
- [horn honks]
I'm a fire starter
Twisted fire starter ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
You're the fire starter
Twisted fire starter ♪
[Grunts]
[tires screech]
[Music stops]
[car door opens]
[car door closes]
[Music resumes]
[waiter in French] Ma'am, can I help you?
[Glass breaking]
[in French] Ma'am,
please, you can't just--
[Patrons gasp, scream]
Hey, hey, hey ♪
- [Exclaims]
- [groans]
- [thuds]
- [patron screams]
Hey, hey, hey ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
I'm a fire starter
Twisted fire starter ♪
Hey, hey, hey ♪
You're the fire starter
Twisted fire starter ♪
[Screaming]
[screaming]
[grunting, panting]
[screaming, grunting]
[police officer one] Police.
[Grunts]
[police officer groans]
[grunting, panting]
[tires screeching]
[sirens wailing]
[grunting]
[grunting, panting]
[police officer two in French] On my order!
Prepare to fire!
[Groans, exhales]
[car alarms blaring]
- [moaning]
- [grunting]
[moans, giggles]
[grunting, moaning]
[both moaning]
[chuckles]
[both moaning, sighing]
[both giggling]
[groans]
It's, uh, here.
[Person one] It's incredible.
Pretty great. [clears throat]
[sighs] Yes, I know.
I'm very good at it.
Not so bad yourself.
Thank you.
God, wouldn't it be amazing to come to
Paris and be put up for once in the Ritz?
See the city twinkling to life at sunset?
I like my view just fine.
Or, I don't know, the Hotel Artemide
in Rome or the Gritti Palace in Venice.
I don't mind it, actually.
[Inhales] I mean, it's a job,
you know that.
We didn't get into this to get rich.
Besides, the make-your-own
waffle bar downstairs is unparalleled.
- Waffles?
- Waffles.
Give me a light.
No judgment. I'm in Paris.
I didn't say anything.
[Exhales]
[person two] Mmm.
[Smacks lips] Did you do something
different with your hair?
I don't know what you're talking about.
- Those.
- Those?
- That. Yeah.
- Yeah, I got new tits.
Wow.
Can I ask why?
I don't know.
I was very self-conscious about them.
I got called names in school.
"Itty-bitty titty committee."
I didn't like how they looked in clothes.
Now
Now I love myself completely.
Did it hurt?
Beauty is pain, my friend.
[Doctor] Let's look at the implants
and see how far up you wanna go.
[Person two] I need to get caught up on you.
You went on a date last week
and you haven't told me a thing.
Come on, I want to know all the details.
Every last juicy, salacious, sordid one.
[Sighs] What do you want to know?
Everything.
Tell me it wasn't Raya.
Nah, Grindr.
- [Jordan] Oh. Right. [laughs]
- [Cooper snorts]
[person one] She was all right.
Over the second glass of wine,
I was telling her my famous shark dive
in the Maldives story.
[Person two] No, Coop, you didn't.
Not that story.
- [Coop] That's a great story.
- Not if you want to get laid.
[Coop] She seemed distracted
and she blurted out
Did you use tetracycline
antibiotics when you were a kid?
Were you sick or something?
Uh.
Because your teeth are just
the slightest bit gray.
Just a teeny bit.
You can fix that.
Um.
- She didn't.
- She did.
Brutal.
Dating is so hard.
It is. It is, Jordan.
I've never noticed. Let me see.
Yeah, they're fucked up.
[Scoffs]
I think you have perfectly fine teeth.
- Really?
- Yeah.
[Coop] That's nice.
[Jordan] It's impressive.
Someone can say
something like that to you,
and it doesn't affect
your self-confidence,
or no need to go out,
get veneers or whatever.
You're just you.
Why is that, I wonder?
How do I explain this?
Mmm.
I sense a philosophical lecture coming on.
And, no, no, as usual, I
I'm living for it.
Okay.
When I was stationed in Japan
- Here we go. Mm-hmm.
- Years ago.
- A fucking decade ago.
- Yeah.
[Coop clears throat]
I stumbled upon this place,
and there was this, uh, potter.
He was practicing his art,
and his art was called kintsugi.
See, if a person breaks a glass or a bowl
or something, instead of throwing it away,
they take it to this sage town
potter who welds it back together.
But, see,
this potter welds the cracks with gold.
- Ooh.
- Ooh.
And the idea is that
embracing imperfections,
can create something stronger
and even more beautiful than before.
[Jordan giggles]
[inhales] I don't get it.
[Inhales] I'm kidding. I get it.
You're all about the cracks.
You think what we're doing is wrong?
What? Fucking?
Because we work together? No, I don't.
- [Grunts]
- I think that we're both on a career path
- Mm-hmm.
- And we don't want anything too serious.
And fucking floods the brain with oxytocin
and is tremendously helpful with jet lag.
There have been studies.
Your dick is my Provigil. Deal with it.
I'm not complaining.
Let's go.
- Where you going?
- Out.
- What?
- Yes.
- Yes.
- No, Jordan. Uh-uh.
Don't you just wanna stay in
bed and then lay here naked
and then order steak frites or
snails and butter, some shit, and crash?
We gotta be on site so fucking early.
No, that sounds incredibly tedious.
Come on, we're going out.
["Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" playing]
Lady, hear me tonight ♪
'Cause my feeling is just so right ♪
As we dance by the moonlight ♪
Fuck. Ugh.
Take it, take it, take it.
Can't you see you're my delight? ♪
Lady, I just feel like ♪
Aah.
Hello.
I won't get you out of my mind ♪
I feel love for the first time ♪
And I know that it's true ♪
Thank you.
I can tell by the look in your eyes ♪
Don't know. Must be the new tits.
Oh.
Why didn't I think of that?
[People cheering]
[church bell tolling]
[Jordan groaning]
Ow.
[Groans] What have I done?
[Jordan] Thank you. Hey!
[Tense music playing]
Cooper, Jordan,
welcome to my fucking nightmare.
Deep breath, my friend. Big guns are here.
Laurent is just wrapping up
his briefing with the president.
[Cooper] DGSI and DGSE?
[Agent] Military intelligence, Interpol--
[Jordan] And us.
You guys haven't sounded
a horn like this since 2018.
A terrible, terrible day.
But this this is far worse.
They're calling it Catwalk Carnage.
[Cooper] Whew.
Two days ago at about roughly 4:00 p.m.,
a supermodel at the Balenciaga show
began exhibiting
erratic, violent behavior.
[People on TV screaming]
[agent] This was just the beginning.
- What the hell was she on?
- Seriously, are bath salts still a thing?
Waiting on toxicology, but no
other adverse reactions were reported.
All in, we have five dead
and another seven injured.
At this point,
we don't believe it's terrorism.
Have you accessed her digital life yet?
Police are searching her home as we speak.
Lone wolf. Scariest kind.
Spit it out.
London. Six months ago.
Very similar combustion-related
incident occurred with a model.
Then one more in
Berlin a month after that.
The details are limited.
We're lacking video on that.
How the hell are you just
telling us about this now?
[Jordan] Seriously.
This is the first time we've
been able to connect any dots.
Hold it.
Go back.
[Chuckles] What,
she's stopping for a water break?
Witnesses stated she kept asking for
it, was desperate to quench her thirst.
This is where she detonates.
[Explosion]
- Holy
- [car alarms blaring]
[Jordan scoffs]
A little hard on
the tasers, wouldn't you say?
None were deployed.
[Typing]
Oh. Powercock6969.
You want baby to show
you her big naughty tits?
Well, if you wanna see my milkers,
- then give me some tokens.
- [Powercock6969 breathing heavily]
Baby needs $20.
[Punching keys]
Look, sorry, cheap-ass.
I just got offered $75 for a private.
[Heavy breathing]
[heavy breathing intensifies]
[Sinister music playing]
[person] Okay, fine.
Thank you.
Do I have to say it after every meal?
'Cause if those are the rules
now, I'll just get Uber Eats, Ma.
[Muffled dialogue]
[muffled dialogue continues]
Yes. I looked for a job this week.
It's nothing I'm interested in.
Everything's boring.
[Muffled dialogue]
I don't wanna go back to school.
I hated school, Ma.
I [sighs] I don't wanna talk.
[Muffled dialogue]
I said I don't wanna talk.
[Muffled dialogue continues, distorted]
Shut the fuck up!
Leave me alone!
[Doorbell rings]
["Pop" playing on headphones]
I'm snatching Wave caps off
Gang tats off ♪
Yo' set, hat get soaked ♪
Spilled that yolk, Figg Side ♪
That boy, we smoke that boy ♪
Chase him down
Do that boy, we left that boy ♪
Get buck, get buck, get buck, get buck ♪
Get buck, get buck, buck, buck ♪
Get buck, get buck ♪
Uh, a hunnid in this
I never could miss ♪
We jump out that ♪
Yeah, check off the list ♪
You rappin' this
, we really do this ♪
Pussy, you really's a bitch ♪
[Message notifications chiming]
[person in French]
The bullet is lodged here,
in what remains of her shoulder.
And it seems the wound
sealed itself somehow.
Without a doubt caused by--
[In French] Extreme high
temperature immolation.
[In French] Yes, but truly very extreme.
Enough to liquify and carbonize
internal organs.
[In French] A chemical reaction?
Accelerants?
[In French] If you figure it out,
let me know.
[In French] Her body,
it's a burned out shell,
almost hollow.
[In French] Because she burned,
from the inside out.
[In French] Listen, I've spent
twenty-three years in this job,
and I am above all,
a woman of science,
but here, the evidence is just--
[In French] Listen.
This is not some kind of
spontaneous human combustion.
[In French] This can make you think
very unscientific things.
[In French] Remember that informant
a year ago?
Forced to swallow a military grade
thermite bomb.
Somebody hit a button Boom.
Blown to bits.
[In French] Yes, but this girl did not explode.
She burned from within, without
any trace of chemical agents.
[In French] She's still smoldering.
[In French] What's her current
body temperature?
Or what's left of her.
[In French] One hour ago
she was 175 degrees.
Bitch melted two of my bone saws.
[In French] But why did she drink
all that water?
I really don't understand.
[Coroner in French] Maybe she was trying
to extinguish the fire?
[In French] Yeah,
but it feels like a symptom.
[In French] A medication interaction?
[In French] An infection. Rabies?
[In French] Yeah, that explains
the thirst, but not the melt.
[In French] There is this. I figured
it was an error or anomaly.
(VIRUS UNKNOWN)
[in French] Or maybe something new.
[Bus driver] Next stop. Indianapolis.
[Phone keys clacking]
[Tense music playing]
[doctor] Let's start with the basics.
Who referred you here today?
Um. I saw a thing on the Internet.
[Doctor] I don't advertise.
Not an advertisement.
It was kind of a chat room discussion.
Aha.
From a satisfied customer.
Yeah, he said
you did extensive surgery on him,
boosted his confidence,
and then his life changed.
Yes, my work tends to have that effect.
You see, what I did
for your chat room friend,
and what I can do for you
has become a specialty of mine.
I can make you a Chad, Jeremy.
What's a Chad?
Before I tell you what a Chad is,
I have to tell you what you are.
You are an incel.
Okay.
What's that?
An involuntary celibate.
You try and try,
and you can't copulate with females,
and that fact is driving you
literally insane, isn't it, Jeremy?
Putting dark thoughts
of violence and pandemonium in your head.
You've come to the realization
that it doesn't matter what you do
or what you say,
because of the way you look.
I'm ugly.
I know that. The world tells me every day.
But I have a sparkling personality.
Jeremy, this is not your fault.
I want to reiterate this point.
You had nothing to do with how you look.
It was the fault of your father
and your mother's chromosomes.
Their genetic blandness.
It's the hand you were dealt,
but you are not alone.
I see so many different kinds of strong,
misunderstood men like you.
I'm lost.
[Tense music playing]
I wanna have a purpose.
Do you think I should do stand-up?
I had a coworker when I worked,
and he said I should do stand-up, so
Maybe that's the answer for me.
Jeremy, let me sell this to you straight.
Chads are the good-looking men
of our culture.
The Glen Powells.
Any of the Hemsworths.
The difference
between a Chad and yourself is
literally a few millimeters of bone.
Chiseled features.
It's your literal bones
that make you unfuckable.
And keep you
from the happiness you are entitled to.
So let's fix that.
Let's break some bones.
[Tense music intensifies]
Rush forensics.
Any patterns?
A strong one.
Great. Let's see.
Here are the photographs of the Balenciaga
model Ruby Rossdale, Carine de Serf.
Burned alive
in a Mercedes across from Big Ben.
Johann Groff, leather enthusiast
and self-immolator from Berlin.
No surveillance video,
all traced from dental records.
- Okay.
- Now, here are their modeling photos.
[Chuckles] Hey, hold on, hold on.
What am I looking at?
These aren't the same people.
- This is a mistake.
- Dental records.
I've never seen anything like it.
[Jordan] So you're telling me that
all the victims became models.
All of them. All oddly two years
into flourishing careers.
[Suspenseful music playing]
Was The same modeling agency?
Any connective tissue?
No, different agencies, no connection,
no proof they knew each other either.
Wild. Plastic surgery, I guess.
[Cooper] Best one you can buy.
Yeah, throw in enough Mounjaro to kill
a horse, and anyone can have cheekbones.
Mounjaro, what-what is that?
Come on.
You do realize none of these people had
a social media profile,
which doesn't track with models.
I mean, they were living in the shadows.
Check this out.
All the victims cut off any contact
with any primary family or friends
two years ago as well.
Two women were Americans turned expats.
The German kept his name, identity,
and residence because he's fucking German.
This guy used to make bratwurst
for a living and lived with his mother.
She died mysteriously
18 months ago of natural causes.
I asked for an exhume.
Well, if the women changed their names,
then it does track with sex trafficking.
Maybe, but it doesn't explain the deaths.
This is bigger than cartel.
Because this, whatever this is,
requires resources,
high-tech capabilities, labs, chemists.
MBS, FSB.
["Confetti" playing]
Wanna stay, wanna go ♪
I don't know, I don't know ♪
I get sad on my birthday ♪
I wanna talk back in the worst way ♪
On the ladies.
I always wanna stay, wanna go
Wanna stay, wanna go ♪
I don't know what to say
I wanna throw it all away ♪
I feel like a zombie ♪
I'll die at the party ♪
Yeah, you'll find my body
Fully covered in confetti ♪
So my friends and I have a bet going.
We all think you're hot.
You do?
I bet my friends that you
would come party with all of us.
They said you wouldn't.
"He probably had a girlfriend,
and weren't the cheating kind."
So, who wins the bet?
["Quando, Quando, Quando" playing]
My money's on you.
Tell me when will you be mine ♪
Tell me quando, quando, quando ♪
We can share a love divine ♪
Please don't make me wait again ♪
Cheers!
When will you say yes to me? ♪
Tell me quando, quando, quando ♪
You mean happiness to me ♪
Oh my love, please tell me when? ♪
Every moment's a day ♪
Every day seems a lifetime ♪
Let me show you the way ♪
To a joy beyond compare ♪
[Retches, gasps]
[breathing heavily]
[breathing shakily]
[whistles]
Sorry, guy, the tab.
Nah, I already paid mine.
But your girlfriends didn't.
They said you were taking care of it.
- Where are they?
- They left 20 minutes ago.
[Tense music playing]
That'll be $300.
They left?
But I look good!
["El Diablo" playing on headphones]
I shoot dice, yeah
Gamble with my life, yeah ♪
No invites, yeah
Keep my circle tight, yeah ♪
All my hoes, yeah
Keep that sugar spice, yeah ♪
For the bros, yeah
I do not think twice, yeah ♪
[Gunshot]
[screams]
[gunshot]
[Suspenseful music playing]
- You lied.
- I don't understand.
You lied!
You said you could change me
and make me a Chad, and you didn't!
You lied.
Now I gotta do fucking stand-up.
Jeremy, I didn't lie.
- You did. Yes, you did.
- Jeremy.
- I can fix this.
- [Jeremy] How?
You can't fix this shit.
There is one more tool in my arsenal
we haven't used.
It's very expensive.
[Nurse] Wait.
[Gasps]
I need you to listen to me.
There is one more thing we can do,
and then you will be perfect,
and then you will be free from your pain.
You will like the results.
[Gentle music playing]
Hi.
I'd like your best available room, please.
What are you doing?
Stop talking and do exactly what I say.
I could easily kill you, you know that?
I don't give a fuck.
I have nothing to lose.
But you have everything to gain.
She'll be here in two minutes.
Take off your clothes
and lay naked on the bed.
What the fuck? No!
What, you gonna do another procedure?
Because I'm not going under,
and I'm not doing any more anesthesia.
You won't need any.
- [Gun clicks]
- Look.
I don't blame you deep down inside, okay?
[Suspenseful music playing]
You did what you could.
I want you to understand that I get that.
So let's just get this over with, okay?
There's no hope for me.
So let me just kill you
and then kill myself and we'll be done.
It's a nice room.
It's a nice place to die.
[Sinister music playing]
[elevator bell dings]
[knocking on door]
Take off your clothes like I said
and lay on the bed.
You need to trust me.
I don't trust anybody.
Give me an hour, one hour.
And if you're not thrilled
with the results, fine, kill us both.
Just so we're clear,
I'm not letting go of my gun,
and if you try to leave,
I'ma find your ass.
Where is he?
Bedroom.
Who the fuck are you?
I'm Claire.
Relax.
You're in good hands.
[Claire, Jeremy panting]
[Jeremy moaning]
[moaning continues]
[heavy breathing]
Are you a nurse or something?
You could say that.
'Cause I need to tell you
I'm a virgin so I ain't never done--
[Claire shushes]
Enjoy the ride.
- [Claire panting]
- [Jeremy moaning]
[exhales]
[groans]
[grunts]
[clattering]
- [whirring]
- [grunts]
[clattering]
[groans]
[breathing heavily]
[Jeremy grunts]
[Eerie music playing]
[grunts]
[breathing heavily]
Front desk.
Um, yes, this is the penthouse.
Could you please send up a couple of
bottles of water and some Advil, please?
[Panting]
And do you have a-a thermometer?
[Water dripping]
[thermometer beeps]
[Tense music playing]
[breathing heavily]
[screams]
[groaning]
[bones cracking]
[screaming]
[grunting]
[screams]
[groaning]
[bones cracking]
[groaning continues]
[tooth cracks]
[screaming]
[substance squelching]
[groaning]
[bones cracking]
[groaning]
[groaning]
[screaming]
[panting]
[gasping]
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah!
[Laughing]
- [knocking on door]
- Mm-hmm?
Genome testing just in.
Great.
- More virulent than Ebola.
- Well, what are we doing?
We need to immediately quarantine
everyone that was at the crime scene.
No, we don't. I checked on that.
The virus they're infected with is
too dense for aerosol contamination.
The sequencing is kind
of a Frankenstein pathogen,
nonrespiratory, fucked up love child
of HIV and rabies, but neither.
Prelims show that
the travel agent is bodily secretion.
Still, hundreds if not thousands could
already be infected.
Prototype?
RNA tech for sure.
Origin unknown, but brand fucking new.
- Sounds lab made.
- [Boss] Yeah.
Chemical warfare?
[Boss] Not ruling anything out
at this time.
CDC requires a daily briefing.
- It's moved to the highest level.
- Fuck.
- Let's hope they get it right this time.
- This is a big one.
I need you to go to Venice tonight.
- Go home and pack.
- Venice?
- Beach?
- Italy.
Ritualistic murder of another model,
also some kind of influencer.
Crime scene is a horror show.
There's one other connection.
She tested positive for the virus.
[Tense music playing]
Glamorous dead models, Paris, Venice.
[Chuckles]
Best assignment ever.
Yeah, if only we weren't
staying at the Hilton again.
[Sinister music playing]
[music ends]