Warning! SPOILERS for Cabinet of Curiosities episode 4.Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, episode 4, "The Outside," on Netflix is directed by Ana Lily Amirpour and based on the webcomic Some Other Animal's Meat by Emily Carroll. Kate Micucci's Stacey Chapman longs to join the inner circle of the ladies she works with at the bank. When she is gifted a tube of the much coveted Alo Glo lotion from queen bee Gina (Kylee Evans), she begins a transformation that upends her life and person with disastrous consequences. The additional Alo Glo Stacey purchases from the Alo Glo Man (Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens) coalesces into an Alo Glo creature and transforms Stacey.
While Stacey clearly really wants to be accepted by her coworkers, what is not clear is why it is so important to her. She continues to use the Alo Glo and dismisses the alarming reaction her body has to the lotion and even rejects her husband who steadfastly denies her need to change. In the end, Stacey sacrifices everything she has in order to achieve a transformation she isn't sure she even wanted.
What Happens In Cabinet Of Curiosities: The Outside’s Ending
Stacey completes her transformation by submerging herself in her bathtub filled with Alo Glo. When she finally returns to work the next day, the rashes originally caused by the Alo Glo have vanished. She finds herself surrounded by Gina and other women from the bank, awed and adored by them all as they gossip — much like the characters of Cabinet of Curiosities episode 1 "Lot 36." Stacey eventually looks into the camera with her shared fake laugh before a look of confusion dawns on her.
Why Alo Glo Is Only A Problem For Stacey
The red, itchy rash that appears from Stacey's use of Alo Glo is significant because all the other women at Gina's party don't get the same reaction. Gina is good friends with all the other women at the party, but Stacey was surprised to even receive an invitation. While Stacey taxidermizes a duck as her Secret Santa gift to Gina, who receives it in disgust, everyone else gets tubes of Alo Glo, which they all apply enthusiastically. They all have been using Alo Glo for a while and have already transformed, as opposed to Stacey who is just starting to "get fixed" and therefore experiencing side effects.
Why Does Stacey Kill Keith In Cabinet Of Curiosities?
Stacey kills Keith (Spider-Man: No Way Home's Mr. Harrington) before completing her Alo Glo transformation because he is the last thing preventing Stacey from transforming. Stacey's desire to fit in, her rejection by the women at the bank, and the manipulations of the Alo Glo Man all contribute to her transformation, so much so that even when Keith tells her she is lovely "inside and out" she believes he doesn't understand. Keith admits he doesn't want her to change, and so she sees him as an obstacle to her transformation.
What Happens To The Alo Glo Creature?
The Alo Glo creature represents the new Stacey and fuels her murder of her husband. Stacey first discovers the creature in the basement, having formed from the leaking tubes of Alo Glo, but she follows it to the bathroom where it dives into the bathtub. Stacey fully submerges herself in the Alo Glo-filled bathtub to complete her transformation, mostly likely absorbing the creature into herself to become an amalgamation of both Staceys.
What Cabinet Of Curiosities' Ending Means For The Old Stacey
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities' ending means that even though Stacey has fully embraced and transformed, the old Stacey is still there—just not on the outside anymore. Even though Stacey is more like her coworkers and even part of their flock now, traces of the old Stacey remain. She taxidermizes Keith's body just as the old Stacey did with Gina's duck, and despite her Alo Glo up, she still isn't quite at ease and may not even be happy with the other women at work, though she looks the part.
While Stacey achieves beauty and acceptance she craves with Alo Glo, she loses much of her sense of self and even her loving husband in the process. Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is proving to be a breath of fresh to both critics and audiences. Cabinet of Curiosities episode 5, "Pickman's Model," promises even more terror to come for the horror anthology.