The Outside
Episode 4 of Cabinet of Curiosities starts with Stacey struggling with insomnia. She watches late-night TV and hears strange noises, convinced that there’s someone outside. ..
Stacey feels alienated at work, with all the other women wrapped up in their own gossip. Gina’s party is coming up and the office do Secret Santa. Stacey gets Gina herself. So what better present than a stuffed taxidermic duck, right? ..
As the women chat and share their products, the mood in the room is broken. Gina awkwardly accepts a gift from Stacey, but she quickly casts it aside. Meanwhile, Stacey receives an identical gift to the rest of the girls, which happens to be some skin lotion. Unfortunately, Stacey is allergic to it and she comes up in a big, angry rash.
Stacey is desperate to fit in and wants to be loved. She sees an advert for a lotion called Alo Glo on TV, the same brand she’s allergic to. The man inside the TV speaks directly to Stacey, promising to fix her and make her loved by everyone.
Stacey tells her partner how guys can look however they want and everyone loves them, but for women it’s a lot harder. She phones in sick to work as the rash gets worse, In fact, every bottle starts to ooze the liquid from before, running down the side of the box and engulfing the basement.
Keith sees the state of Stacey’s skin and immediately exhibits concerns, believing she should go and see the doctor. He reassures her that she’s beautiful on the inside and out, but Stacey ignores him and heads down to the basement instead, intent on using more lotion. ..
A woman is walking in a park when she comes across a strange figure. It mirrors her every move and she ends up touching hands with it too. ..
When Stacey returns to the living room, she speaks to Keith one more time, who tells her how perfect she is… so Stacey stabs him in the head. She goes on to bash him upside the head multiple times and then submerges into a bath of that lotion. When Stacey returns, she becomes just like all the other women, only with a dead, taxidermic husband sitting on the sofa. ..
Stacey has always wanted to be a hollowed out caricature. The fake laughter and the pain in her eyes are evidence enough that she’s made a huge mistake. ..
This allegorical tale about fitting in and being like everyone else is a bit of a letdown. It’s not particularly scary or creepy, and the chapter itself is pretty forgettable. The show’s overall symbolism is good, but the episode as a whole is rather weak.
The story did not need to be this long and while the idea is good, it soon runs out of steam and struggles to keep up momentum. Still, the ending is what saves this chapter and it helps to capture the essence of what it means to be “popular”, which in itself is another form of loneliness.
