The Beauty (2026) s01e02 Episode Script
Beautiful Jordan
[Seabirds squawking]
[church bells tolling]
[agent in Italian] Agent Madsen?
Agent Bennett?
[In Italian] Yes.
What's with the hazmat suits?
We were assured
this virus wasn't airborne.
[In Italian] In Italy we take precautions.
We invented The Plague.
[Camera shutter clicking]
[camera shutter clicking]
[breathing heavily]
[in Italian] What does that symbol mean?
Does anyone here know?
[In Italian] No.
[In Italian] It's an Egyptian hieroglyph.
Nefer.
[In English] It means beauty.
[Birds chirping]
[line ringing]
- [Antonio on phone] Yo.
- [Person] Update, please. [sighs]
[Antonio] Eyes on the target.
[Person] Termination estimate?
[Antonio] It's gonna take the time
it takes if it's gonna be done right.
[Person] You are the best.
You are the best. [sighs]
I want this one to hurt.
Yeah, because we always hurt
the ones we love.
[Person] He stole my serum
and my boosters,
and not the level three, the tier one-A.
It was reserved for me
to distribute to my friends and myself.
[Antonio] He worked for you,
he stole your formula,
infected people.
You're pissed and horny. I get it.
I upped the nerve toxin,
so he should wriggle a little more,
foam at the mouth. All right? I got you.
Why can't people just leave life alone?
Is it greed or stupidity?
Beautiful people don't think
the rules apply to them.
Don't do it.
Whatever you do, don't do it.
- It's not worth it.
- [Door closes]
[whispering] They're here.
Don't do it.
[Gasps]
Fuck.
When was that retrieved?
About an hour ago.
Zuckerberg got pressured and cooperated.
When was it posted?
The day before the maid found her body.
"Don't do it."
A warning.
About what? To whom?
I don't know. It's progressed
from international virus to murder.
So, what? She was a whistleblower?
What was she doing?
Warn others attempted to join
a terrorist cell to cease and desist?
Well, we don't know that it was terrorism.
But someone is trying to send a message
and scare people.
Just need to find out
who wanted her dead and why.
Yeah.
Ah [speaking Italian]
[phone buzzing]
[clicks tongue, sucks teeth] Thank you.
- Yeah? What do you got?
- Okay.
[Person] You need to come down here.
It's a bloodbath.
- What time?
- [Person speaks indistinctly]
- Copy that.
- [Beeps off]
What?
We're being pulled. Flying back
to New York City in the morning.
No, but we're not done here.
We're just digging deeper
on the security footage
of a man forcibly entering--
An assistant editor at Vogue combusted
in the Condé Nast cafeteria today.
- [Scoffs]
- Yeah.
What? Too much cabbage soup?
It's perfect for career dieters.
Yeah.
Well, may we live in interesting times.
That we do.
[Groans]
What's wrong?
Too much vermouth?
What?
Coop, you [sighs]
you're a good guy,
but this needs to stay casual.
I didn't know you were seeing
other people.
I mean, I'm not. It's nothing serious.
[Stammers]
We're not serious either.
No.
Of course not.
So why the face?
I mean, you you screw around too.
You told me that you do.
Yeah. I do.
My, but didn't it get frosty
in here suddenly?
If I didn't know better,
I'd think that you were uncomfortable with
me having the same sexual appetite as you
or any man for that matter.
This job's a pressure cooker.
You know. And me and you,
we like to blow off steam.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, yeah.
[Scoffs]
I don't like to hold hands.
And I certainly don't have time
to take long walks on the beach.
But what I do like to do is fuck.
Mmm.
Unwind.
So that I can throw myself back into
this job with everything that I've got.
- And I like the fact that you do that too.
- Mmm.
So it's all about sex for you?
I think everything that we do,
from the minute we hit puberty
to the second we die,
is about sex.
We go to the gym, we work on our bodies,
we cut our hair, fix our teeth, our tits.
Torturing ourselves for some promotion.
And everything that we do is about
our universal, unquenchable thirst
to all be considered attractive enough
to get laid.
Right?
Yeah, I mean, I used to think that
I believed in monogamy and settling down,
having a kid.
But now I'm not so sure.
I mean, the world is on fire, right?
Live, laugh and fuck.
Oh, you little nihilist, you.
[Sighs]
You flirt all you want.
I know he's not better in bed than me.
Mmm. Probably not.
No one is.
[Sighs]
I should really go pull some intel
on this Condé Nast situation.
I'll see you in the lobby at 6:00.
Fine.
Hey, thanks.
- For what?
- For being cool.
For being my best friend.
Buonasera.
Hello.
Please. Sit down. You want a drink?
[Patron] Yeah, why not?
Guess I can stay a few minutes.
[Grunts]
[grunts]
[gasps]
[groans]
[panting]
[grunts]
[Cooper coughing]
[breathing heavily]
[grunting]
[grunts]
[groaning]
[straining]
[screams]
[panting, grunting]
Oh, fuck.
[Grunts]
[groaning]
[screaming]
[coughing]
[breathing heavily]
["Teardrop" playing]
Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word ♪
Fearless on my breath ♪
Gentle impulsion ♪
Shakes me, makes me lighter ♪
Fearless on my breath ♪
[Waves lapping]
[gasps]
[breathing heavily]
[grunts]
[breathing heavily]
[groans]
[breathing heavily]
[gasps]
[shuddering]
[bones cracking]
[gasping]
[screams]
[screaming]
[grunting]
[gasping]
[panting]
[bones cracking]
[screaming]
[water running]
[gasping]
[screaming]
[church bells tolling]
[agent in Italian] Agent Madsen?
Agent Bennett?
[In Italian] Yes.
What's with the hazmat suits?
We were assured
this virus wasn't airborne.
[In Italian] In Italy we take precautions.
We invented The Plague.
[Camera shutter clicking]
[camera shutter clicking]
[breathing heavily]
[in Italian] What does that symbol mean?
Does anyone here know?
[In Italian] No.
[In Italian] It's an Egyptian hieroglyph.
Nefer.
[In English] It means beauty.
[Birds chirping]
[line ringing]
- [Antonio on phone] Yo.
- [Person] Update, please. [sighs]
[Antonio] Eyes on the target.
[Person] Termination estimate?
[Antonio] It's gonna take the time
it takes if it's gonna be done right.
[Person] You are the best.
You are the best. [sighs]
I want this one to hurt.
Yeah, because we always hurt
the ones we love.
[Person] He stole my serum
and my boosters,
and not the level three, the tier one-A.
It was reserved for me
to distribute to my friends and myself.
[Antonio] He worked for you,
he stole your formula,
infected people.
You're pissed and horny. I get it.
I upped the nerve toxin,
so he should wriggle a little more,
foam at the mouth. All right? I got you.
Why can't people just leave life alone?
Is it greed or stupidity?
Beautiful people don't think
the rules apply to them.
Don't do it.
Whatever you do, don't do it.
- It's not worth it.
- [Door closes]
[whispering] They're here.
Don't do it.
[Gasps]
Fuck.
When was that retrieved?
About an hour ago.
Zuckerberg got pressured and cooperated.
When was it posted?
The day before the maid found her body.
"Don't do it."
A warning.
About what? To whom?
I don't know. It's progressed
from international virus to murder.
So, what? She was a whistleblower?
What was she doing?
Warn others attempted to join
a terrorist cell to cease and desist?
Well, we don't know that it was terrorism.
But someone is trying to send a message
and scare people.
Just need to find out
who wanted her dead and why.
Yeah.
Ah [speaking Italian]
[phone buzzing]
[clicks tongue, sucks teeth] Thank you.
- Yeah? What do you got?
- Okay.
[Person] You need to come down here.
It's a bloodbath.
- What time?
- [Person speaks indistinctly]
- Copy that.
- [Beeps off]
What?
We're being pulled. Flying back
to New York City in the morning.
No, but we're not done here.
We're just digging deeper
on the security footage
of a man forcibly entering--
An assistant editor at Vogue combusted
in the Condé Nast cafeteria today.
- [Scoffs]
- Yeah.
What? Too much cabbage soup?
It's perfect for career dieters.
Yeah.
Well, may we live in interesting times.
That we do.
[Groans]
What's wrong?
Too much vermouth?
What?
Coop, you [sighs]
you're a good guy,
but this needs to stay casual.
I didn't know you were seeing
other people.
I mean, I'm not. It's nothing serious.
[Stammers]
We're not serious either.
No.
Of course not.
So why the face?
I mean, you you screw around too.
You told me that you do.
Yeah. I do.
My, but didn't it get frosty
in here suddenly?
If I didn't know better,
I'd think that you were uncomfortable with
me having the same sexual appetite as you
or any man for that matter.
This job's a pressure cooker.
You know. And me and you,
we like to blow off steam.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, yeah.
[Scoffs]
I don't like to hold hands.
And I certainly don't have time
to take long walks on the beach.
But what I do like to do is fuck.
Mmm.
Unwind.
So that I can throw myself back into
this job with everything that I've got.
- And I like the fact that you do that too.
- Mmm.
So it's all about sex for you?
I think everything that we do,
from the minute we hit puberty
to the second we die,
is about sex.
We go to the gym, we work on our bodies,
we cut our hair, fix our teeth, our tits.
Torturing ourselves for some promotion.
And everything that we do is about
our universal, unquenchable thirst
to all be considered attractive enough
to get laid.
Right?
Yeah, I mean, I used to think that
I believed in monogamy and settling down,
having a kid.
But now I'm not so sure.
I mean, the world is on fire, right?
Live, laugh and fuck.
Oh, you little nihilist, you.
[Sighs]
You flirt all you want.
I know he's not better in bed than me.
Mmm. Probably not.
No one is.
[Sighs]
I should really go pull some intel
on this Condé Nast situation.
I'll see you in the lobby at 6:00.
Fine.
Hey, thanks.
- For what?
- For being cool.
For being my best friend.
Buonasera.
Hello.
Please. Sit down. You want a drink?
[Patron] Yeah, why not?
Guess I can stay a few minutes.
[Grunts]
[grunts]
[gasps]
[groans]
[panting]
[grunts]
[Cooper coughing]
[breathing heavily]
[grunting]
[grunts]
[groaning]
[straining]
[screams]
[panting, grunting]
Oh, fuck.
[Grunts]
[groaning]
[screaming]
[coughing]
[breathing heavily]
["Teardrop" playing]
Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word ♪
Fearless on my breath ♪
Gentle impulsion ♪
Shakes me, makes me lighter ♪
Fearless on my breath ♪
[Waves lapping]
[gasps]
[breathing heavily]
[grunts]
[breathing heavily]
[groans]
[breathing heavily]
[gasps]
[shuddering]
[bones cracking]
[gasping]
[screams]
[screaming]
[grunting]
[gasping]
[panting]
[bones cracking]
[screaming]
[water running]
[gasping]
[screaming]