Summary
Are we alone in the Universe? This installment of the anthological series seems to think not. And it presents a beyond-terrifying prospect.
We recap the Netflix Horror anthological series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities season 1, episode 3, “The Autopsy,” which contains spoiler and the ending.
The third installment of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities was directed by David Prior, and it’s based on a short story written by author Michael Shea. As with the previous two episodes, Guillermo del Torro introduces the story. The Autopsy stars F. Murray Abraham (Homeland), Glynn Turman (Fargo), and Luke Roberts (Game of Thrones).
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities season 1, episode 3 recap
In the opening shot, we see a group of miners in an elevator at the end of their shift. A man jumps on top of the lift before detonating a strange spherical object. As it turns out, the workmen died after the incident and coroner, Carl (Abraham) was called in to perform an autopsy. It appears Carl and police chief Nate (Turman) have been friends for many years.
At the station, Nate explains that the explosion in the mine is only the most recent event in a strange series of disappearances. With the use of flashbacks, we learn that one man, Abel, disappeared after running into his old friend, Eddy at the bar. Eddy claimed his name was now Joe and hypnotized Abel into walking out of the establishment with him. Police finding Abel’s body coincided with the disappearance of two hunters, who were helping Nate in his investigation. And just when things couldn’t get any weirder, Nate reveals to Carl that the dead body he found had been completely drained of blood. We also learn that Eddy / Joe was the man responsible for the explosion and the spherical object seems to be not from our planet.
On the way to the morgue, where Carl is to perform his autopsy on the dead miners, he confesses to Nate that he’s dying of cancer and only has a few months left. After Nate leaves Carl to his work, he proceeds to perform the autopsies all the while verbally narrating his findings on a tape recorder. Soon enough, as he opens up the cadavers, he realizes that the miner’s organs had also been drained of blood.
When Carl is about to perform his autopsy on the body belonging to Eddy / Joe, the cadaver comes to life and starts talking to him. Eddy / Joe / Alien Creature tells Carl that he’s an explorer from a different planet that took over Eddy’s body, like a parasite. The creature wants to transfer itself to Carl’s body because his coroner job will give it access to fresh bodies he can feed on.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities season 1, episode 3 ending
And then we reach the end of Cabinet of Curiosities season 1, episode 3. To transfer itself from Eddy’s body to Carl’s, the creature needs to fully open Eddy up. While it’s cutting poor Eddy apart, it reveals that it keeps the brain of its victim alive for as long as possible so they can feel every second of the brutal and painful death he inflicts on them. As terrifying as that sounds, it gets worse, as the alien plans to slowly kill Nate while forcing Carl to watch helplessly.
As the disgusting parasite is about to enter Carl’s body and take over, the good doctor comes out with a plan. He got his hands on a scalpel, but can’t reach the parasite. He can, however, shove the scalpel in his eyes and ear, before slicing his own throat, meaning the alien becomes helplessly trapped inside his body. As he’s dying, Carl uses his brainwave to taunt the creature and reminds it that it had been recorded. So when Nate arrives in the morning, he’ll know what he’s dealing with.
The ending of Cabinet of Curiosities season 1, episode 3 has Nate arriving at the morgue and finding Carl’s dead body. On his chest, the old coroner wrote in blood: “PLAY THE TAPE. BURN ME.”
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