Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: The Viewing

In the seventh installment of the Cabinet of Curiosities, we get the only original work not based on a short story. The Viewing is written by Panos Cosmatos and Aaron Stewart-Ahn and also directed by Panos Cosmatos.  I am not familiar with Panos’ other works, but if this is any indication, I am not a fan.  Just a reminder, never judge someone on what they like or dislike, the enjoyment of any film or television series is completely subjective and what speaks to one person, won’t have the same effect on another.

The episode takes place in 1979, and four characters are invited to the house of Lionel Lassiter (Peter Weller), a wealthy eccentric recluse.  The group includes a novelist Guy Landon (Steve Agee), music producer Randall Roth (Eric Andre), a psychic (Michael Therriault), and an astrophysicist (Charlyne Yi).  The characters are all intrigued but confused as to why they have all been summoned.  They are joined by Lionel’s doctor (Sofia Boutella) who supplies alcohol, weed and cocaine to open their minds and make sure the team is in sync.  After Lionel pokes and prods all of his guests giving the audience a bit of exposition, they go into a room where a strange rock made out of an unknown material resides.  But things do not go as planned, when what is inside the rock wakes up.

I know I am in the minority, but this episode just really didn’t resonate with me. I found the premise intriguing and the setting visually stimulating, with all the performances being quite good and the characters interesting and likeable.  But the information we are given about the characters and why they were chosen is so vague with no real discernible reason to bring those people together.  The dialogue is well written, but the lack of cohesive meaning or understanding leaves more questions than answers. The ending holds no real resolution and felt incomplete.  From what I understand, this all is a particular style of Panos Cosmatos but it isn’t one I enjoy.