‘The Beauty’ Is the Best and Worst of Ryan Murphy in One Show
I have been burdened with a glorious purpose in my life: Watching every Ryan Murphy show. It started when I was young with Nip/Tuck and the rest was written in some frustrating stars because now I’m torn over his new series, The Beauty.
The premise of the series fascinated me. It felt like both American Horror Story and Nip/Tuck in one series. An obsession with beauty and a darker twist happening? Where some of Murphy’s best work starts. But like many of his shows, there are elements that really don’t sit well with me. Alas, my curse as a fan of the largely expanded Ryan Murphy television universe.
First, the first episode features an incel named Jeremy (played then by Jaquel Spivey) who is convinced to get a lot of work done to become desirable by women. That’s when Murphy and company called Glen Powell a “Chad” and the Scream Queens fan in me gave Murphy the side eye.
But then came the overly complicated and weird nature of the serum that makes you beautiful. Because it is essentially an STD. Essentially, you come into contacts with the bodily fluids of someone who went through the “beauty” and you end up with it. That’s how Ben Platt, who was exposed when someone exploded at Condé Nast, turns into Isaac Cole Powell. Yes, Platt’s upgrade is another theatre boy. But also a man who isn’t white.
There’s a…lot to unpack with that but it drives home my issues with The Beauty: Everything is like half-baked and not really though through.
Unnecessary additions to a sold concept
No one does the obsession with beauty quite like Murphy. I would know because I did watch all of Nip/Tuck and even his failed pilot for the show Pretty/Handsome. He really understands the desire for beauty, how society can force your self worth to shift, and the pain of feeling “unwanted” or “unattractive.”
All that being said, The Beauty just does too much. Which is also a Murphy staple. Shows like Glee and certain seasons of American Horror Story just go too far with their arcs and characters and it is all because he doesn’t seem to know when enough is enough. To be fair to Murphy, he often uses the same collaborators and the same problems persist.
The Beauty though is a first for Murphy, who created the series with Matt Hodgson, who has been a writer on shows like 9-1-1 and Glee. For the most part, The Beauty is based on a comic by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley. But there are some unmistakable “Murphyisms” in the show that I have seen time and time again.
Unfortunately for me, the quote from Brokeback Mountain perfectly explains how I feel about Murphy’s shows: I wish I knew how to quit you. When I think I’m done, something brings me back in and then I end up frustrated, dissatisfied, and then I tune in every week just to be mad about it. So…that’s where I’m at with The Beauty.
(featured image: FX)
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