Nicola Peltz's Gruesome TV Comeback in Ryan Murphy's 'Offensive and Unwatchable' Show
Published March 5, 2026. Spoilers for the finale of The Beauty follow.
The Beauty concluded its chaotic run with a guest appearance from Nicola Peltz Beckham, in a role that might need to be seen to be believed. The Ryan Murphy co-written and produced nine-part series reached a body horror fever pitch with its finale, featuring spine-cracking contortions as beauty hopefuls took a hot jab to transform into new versions of themselves.
A Shocking Transformation and Disturbing Scene
One character who entered a newer, younger body on the Disney Plus show was Isabella Rossellini's Franny, who had staunchly opposed the injections masterminded by her billionaire husband Byron, played by Ashton Kutcher. However, her resistance crumbled when her callous, MAGA-coded sons injected her against her will. Rossellini's character then morphed into Peltz Beckham, who woke up outraged to have her life's battle scars smoothed out with restored youth.
Understandably, Franny was disturbed that the decision had been taken out of her hands, even as her husband tried to spin it positively, since he had been taking the substance and defying his real age for some time. The scene took a gasp-inducing turn as Peltz Beckham's Franny stuck a jagged shard of pottery into her neck, mirroring her sons' actions with the jab. She bled out before a panicked Kutcher in a grim sequence, but due to the show's defiance of age and death, Franny was kept alive on life support.
Critical Reception and Cultural Commentary
In a one-star review, Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook urges viewers to proceed at their own peril. With the advent of supernova drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, plus ongoing conversations around cosmetic injectables and Kris Jenner's facelift, this could have been the perfect moment for a show about the 'one shot that makes you hot.' However, the result is described as shameless claptrap.
Cook speculates that The Beauty might have been completed before recent trends hit, or perhaps it was intentionally created this way to generate word-of-mouth hype through its so-bad-you-have-to-see momentum. She concludes by stating, Ryan Murphy, you can do better. And we deserve it.
Homage to Classic Film and Fashion Nods
Post-body morph, Peltz Beckham was decked out in a top of chunky strung-together jewels, a sly nod to Rossellini's costume in the 1992 horror comedy Death Becomes Her. Incidentally, that film is noted as a much better commentary on modern beauty standards than this series. Director Michael Uppendahl revealed in an interview that he wasn't sure Rossellini was aware of the homage, since she isn't in the scene, but it was Murphy's idea.
Uppendahl told Variety after the finale aired, As soon as I heard it, I thought it was spectacular. Someone recently started making that jewelled top again. It is kind of coming back in fashion, on a very high, rather exclusive level that Franny could afford.
The Beauty is available to stream on Disney Plus.
