Curious Case of the Cabinet of Curiosities

Spoiler Alert: Don’t read if you haven’t watched Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix.

I am the most cowardly person I know. Growing up, I loved watching Courage the Cowardly Dog; to date, it remains one of my favourite shows. Why can’t Netflix stream that? Instead, it's streaming the new show by Guillermo Del Toro: The Cabinet of Curiosities. Naturally, I braced myself for my usual night terrors and sudden jump scares. As my form of “anti-binging” goes (a term I am coining to refer to my habit of watching any content with interim breaks), I didn’t finish the first episode, Lot 36, in one go. However, even at a slowed pace of viewing, I felt that the episode was too rushed. The backstory seemed too convenient to fit the narrative and the sub-plots seemed more fleshed out than the actual horrific entity we encounter. While the VFX and usage of lights were beautifully executed, the monster seemed to be more caricaturish than truly horrifying. In terms of creativity, the monster seemed to draw inspiration from octopi and not “other-worldly” beings as the storyline depicted. While I do agree it is definitely going to cause nightmares for some, the demon — as it was labelled — resembled a deepsea monster and not Lucifer’s bidder from the annals of Hell. The background score didn’t play the biggest role in creating an atmosphere, rather the squidgy noise that emanated from the demon reminded one of a chalk creasing on a bare blackboard of an empty classroom. What does work for the first episode though are the acting chops of each performer and the underlying theme of racism and xenophobia, tying every character through an invisible thread of toxicity. The protagonist is a war veteran and not a decorated one at that. He hates those who he feels have encroached upon his country and taken away what is rightfully his. Yet, he maintains a business relationship with someone who represents an oft-persecuted group. The latter is played to perfection and appears to be more sympathetic to those in need. Another character who gets introduced much later, but leads to the turning point in the story — the mysterious foreigner with 300K to mete out over ancient books — is played stereotypically but expertly by the actor. The role didn’t have much to offer and its only redeeming quality was the layer dialogues. The best role is easily the wronged Hispanic lady who stays back to dish out some good, old Karma on our protagonist as he finally discovers his polite manners. The climax felt too hurried and unexplained. Nevertheless, the series kicked off with a good script and capable actors. As a viewer, don’t forget to derive the lessons it sends out.