The Viewing
The Cabinet of Curiosities invites four different people to view it at The Sandpiper House. The invite is for people with different interests, including a musician, a novelist, a medium and an astrophysicist. The group is picked up by mysterious driver called Hector, who drives them to the mansion.
These are the people who bought the house, and they’re a strange bunch. They’re nerdy, they’re science-minded, and they love to write. But they’re also very secretive. They’ve been told to remain silent after their brief visit, but eventually they make it into The Sandpiper House - a beautiful property that’s actually been turned into a surreal, futuristic paradise.
Doctor Zahra invites the group into her home, where they are given drinks of their choice and allowed to relax. They wait for Lassiter to arrive. ..
Lassiter, the host of the party, entices each of the guests with his custom-made music. He tries to gauge what each individual wants and Randall points out that he has an endless void inside himself that he can’t shake. “Everyone has a black hole inside them,” he says, but Lassiter interrupts him and claims he’s killing the vibe. ..
Doctor Zahra has a dark past too. We learn that she used to work for Gaddafi. She goes on to show a whole stack of cocaine, with added “fairy dust” on top. Some of the group is happy to take part, others less so. Still, Lassiter is quick to point out he’s hand-picked each of the individuals to take part in this “wondrous moment” to bring the best out of each. They need to be in-sync for it to work and that includes taking drugs and being dosed up. Lassiter promises it’ll be worth it.
Lassiter shows them his crowning achievement – an item he’s taken a great deal of time to acquire. “It’s time.” He says, smiling. And with that, they’re led down a hallway to a strange rock. Lassiter has no idea what it is, and it has been tested rigorously. It doesn’t show up on the periodic table, it doesn’t respond to X-rays, and it even absorbs the smoke from Randall’s joint too.
The rock has a strange effect on each of the group, hypnotizing them and seemingly reaching out and studying each of the individuals. A high-pitched ringing screams out, as the rock suddenly cracks open and crumbles to pieces. In its place, a bizarre alien creature with tentacles springs forth.
With all the group entranced, the creature telepathically probes each of them, melting Tarp while blowing up Guy’s head. As for Zahra, she touches the creature. In doing so, her skin melts away. Charlotte and Randall hurry out the room, while Lassiter sits on the floor and Hector breaks his no-violence vow and grabs the gold AK from the wall.
As Hector enters the room, the creature has absorbed Lassiter, turning into what appears to be the Nemesis creature from Resident Evil. It rasps and calls out, asking Hector for help. He blasts a barrage of bullets into its chest.
Randall and Charlotte drive away from the property, high as a kite, after seeing the creature. While they do, the creature heads out into the world, through a sewer duct no less, and with the promise of tasty humans to feed on in the future.
The effects in this episode are fantastic. Seeing the way the bodies melt and distort, turning into grotesque skeletal remains, is incredibly visceral and surprisingly effective in conjuring a lot of horror.
However, the episode ends on a more hopeful note with Lassiter and the other scientists coming to a realization that they can work together to solve the bigger problem. This idea is something that I think could be explored more in future episodes.
The final third of this episode is a great way to close out the season and set up the next one. There’s a distinct 80’s horror vibe hanging over large parts of this, whether it be the electronica synth soundtrack or the very distinct lighting and cinematography. This episode almost screams for a sequel to find out what happens next!
