For anyone confused about the ending to the fourth episode of Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities then allow us to try and help! We’ll also be covering the remaining episodes of Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, but here is the ending explained to The Outside.
The Outside is the fourth episode of Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and was directed by David Prior, and was written by Haley Z. Boston, Emily Caroll, and Guillermo del Toro.
Longing to fit in at work, awkward Stacey begins to use a popular lotion that causes an alarming allergic reaction, while an unnerving transformation inside and out takes shape.
What happened in ‘The Outside’?
As a social outcast at her work, Stacey was extremely depressed from not being able to fit in with the other women at the bank.
At Gabi’s (not so) secret Santa party, all of the women, including Stacey, were given a bottle of Alo Glo, an extremely expensive, but a popular brand for skin care. Sadly, for Stacey, after putting on the lotion, she had an immediate allergic reaction and had to go home. Over the next several days, Stacey, urged on by the man advertising Alo Glo, continues to use the skin care product despite her allergic reactions and protests from her husband, Keith.
Stacey doubled down by purchasing an entire case of Alo Glo. After her allergic reactions get even worse, she tries to confront the man from the TV ad, but by tapping into Stacey’s insecurities, such as her looks, personality, and her inability to fit in with other women, she is persuaded by him to carry on using the lotion. He also reveals that the transformation is already starting to take place beneath the surface of her skin. However, as Stacey goes downstairs to grab more lotion, the remaining bottles open, taking on a life of their own, which scares her into running back to bed.
The next morning Stacey discovers that her skin has begun healing, and wants to share her delight with Keith, however, he is more concerned she is extremely allergic, wants her to stop using the product, and refuses to listen. He does try his best to reassure her multiple times how much he loves her just the way she is before she storms off angrily to the basement.
While in the basement, Stacey finds the mound of lotion from the Alo Glo that has taken on a human form. She shares a few intimate moments with the lotion, before grabbing a scalpel and heading back upstairs. Stacey continues to argue with Keith over the use of the lotion, and once again he exclaims how much he loves her as she is, and goes into detail about what makes her special. Sadly, Keith’s words fall on deaf ears, and Stacey continues to vouch for the lotion, and her ongoing “transformation.” Once again, he protests, but this time she reacts in a fit of rage and drives the scalpal straight into his forehead.
Keith, confused by what just happened, pulls out the scalpel from his forehead and begins to bleed out. In his confusion, Keith is able to grab his walkie and attempts to call for help, but Stacey kills him with a baseball bat. Without showing much remorse, Stacey follows the trail of lotion on the floor and finds it in the bathroom, where it changes back into a liquid and fills the tub. Stacey then proceeds to get into the tub and immerses herself in the lotion.
Stacey leaves the tub, now covered in lotion, and heads to her bedroom for the mirror. To her euphoric delight, she is cleared of all rashes and is now blemish-free, and happy with her appearance. She runs downstairs to tell Kieth the news, forgetting she had just murdered him. Upon realizing what she had done, she takes Keith to the basement and uses her taxidermy skills on her husband.
After giving herself a haircut, a change in wardrobe, and a new attitude, Stacey is more than ready to embrace the new her. Once she disposes of Keith’s guts and places his taxidermy body on the sofa, Stacey heads to work.
She immediately turns the head of every person in the bank, in particular, Gina and her sycophant cronies. The group immediately swarms Stacey, complimenting her on her new changes. Behind the counter, Stacey lets the ladies marvel at her new skin, and then begins gossiping like she had always been one of them.
Finally, the women continue to be enamored by Stacey’s skin, but she begins rising into the air, staring straight into the camera as expressions of laughter, sadness, sorrow, euphoria, and curiosity cross her face, suggesting the old Stacey may be tucked away inside her head after all.
Did Stacey die?
The original Stacey is gone, but whether or not she is “died” is up for debate. At the very least, the shedding of her skin was more than symbolic and can be argued that the mass of lotion that she submerged herself in is now the one in control of Stacey’s body, albeit with a few upgrades.
In the final moments of the episode when Stacey begins floating into the air, it is extremely reminiscent of an out-of-body experience. Some of the facial expressions from Stacey suggest that she isn’t 100% comfortable with her new self, and the old Stacey is still in there somewhere, watching from the eyes of her new self.
Did the other women go through the same transformation?
None of the women ever made the audience aware that when they first used Alo Glo, they had the same reaction as Stacey. This leads us to believe that the transformation was unique to Stacey.
Will Stacey be arrested?
Yes. Most Likely.
The disappearance of a police officer won’t go unnoticed, and as the wife of one, the first place they will look at is Stacey and Keith’s home. With the taxidermied Keith sitting at home on the sofa, in clear view of the window, it won’t take long for neighbors or passing police to notice something strange.
What did you think of The Outside? Let us know in the comments below!