Nick Appleton

**Nick Appleton** is a character in Netflix's *Cabinet of Curiosities*, appearing in "Lot 36." He is portrayed by Tim Blake Nelson.

## Profile

Nick Appleton is an army veteran. He served in the Gulf War and since then has suffered a constant ringing in his ears. Down on his luck, he has turned to scavenging items in reclaimed storage lots to make a living, but has fallen on hard times. He carries grudges against immigrants and people of color, believing them to be an affront to everything that he fought for. He feels that his life is one series of hard times and that the system is rigged against him.

## History

At a 24-hour storage facility, Nick places the winning bid on "Lot 36," one of the many units within the facility that has seemingly been abandoned by its owner. He and Eddie, the facility's manager, have a long-standing relationship, with him informing Eddie of units likely to contain treasures worth prospecting. Shortly afterwards, Nick is confronted on the phone by a debt collector who told him that he had warned him not to cross county lines before settling in full.

Upon leaving the storage facility, Nick is approached by a Hispanic woman, Emilia. She tells him that the storage unit was hers and that it was sold off by mistake. Unsympathetic to her, he tells her to speak with Eddie, but she tells him that she already did and he told her to speak with him. She pleads with him to just allow her to visit the unit so she can retrieve some photo albums and other items of personal value. Nick, however, is entirely unwillingly, telling her that he bought the unit fair and square and it's not his problem. He hands her the broken padlock that was on the unit, telling her she can have that, and starts to walk away. She curses at him in Spanish and he turns back, asking what she said. She asks if he speaks Spanish and he tells her that she should at least have the decency to insult him in his own language. She then shouts at him that she hopes he rots in hell.

Eddie begins surveying the contents of the lot. He discovers some items of potential value, including an antique table and a candelabra that may be gold. When he shows the items to Eddie, Eddie tells him that he should skip the usual five-and-dime and instead visit a woman named Agatha. Eddie heads out and is confronted by a man who smashes one of the windows of his truck. He tries to fight the man off, only for the man to tell him that he owes him $12,000 by tomorrow. When Nick says that he's made his point, he smashes the windshield as well, saying that *now* he's made his point.

Eddie takes the items to Agatha. She does not think much of the candelabra, however, saying that she can only sell it for gold scrap. The table, however, she finds much more interesting. She identifies it as being a séance table and things get even more interesting when Nick discovers a secret compartment containing three books Agatha recognizes as being rare.

Agatha calls in a colleague, Roland, telling Nick that Roland is likely to be very interested in these items. Roland arrives quickly. Upon seeing the books, he is gobsmacked. He tells Nick that he'll immediately give him $10,000 for all three, but that there is a fourth book and that if Nick can find that, he'll cut him a check for $10,000. Astonished, Nick agrees to return to the storage lot with Roland to search for the book. During the trip, Roland shares that he knows something of the history of Lot 36. He talks of the former owner having "summoned an entity," but Nick is uninterested in the story, telling him to "cut the creepshow." He is also annoyed when Roland holds up the candelabra, claiming that it will offer protection.

The two proceed to the storage unit and begin rooting through the various items, hoping to find the valuable book. They eventually discover a false wall, with Nick pries open, revealing a hidden passage. The two proceed down the passage and discover a strong stench of decay and, at the end, a room containing a decaying body inside a pentacle. The head has been hollowed out and two tentacles writhe within it. Roland speaks of how the owner of the unit sacrificed the woman Dottie Walmar to summon a demon. Nick, however, unimpressed, steps over the pentacle for the book that is open ahead. Roland shouts at him, telling him that he has no idea what he has unleashed. As Nick studies the book, the demon rises from the hollowed head of the corpse. It consumes Roland and then turns for Nick, who flees in terror. As he races the corridors, he eventually finds himself up against a locked door. Seeing Emilia outside, he bangs at the door, shouting at her to help him. She, however, just holds up the broken lock, then walks away. He tries again to flee, only to run straight into the demon, which consumes him.