![]() ![]() It’s all those emotions adding up to: This guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here." Does Tedros seem like a man who is in over his head? No, we don't think so either, as Episode 2 revealed that he is actually incredibly calculating, putting his groupies into Jocelyn's dance team and seemingly having another seduce her best friend so that he can have Jocelyn all to himself. Tesfaye is trying his best to backpedal and put some spin on the scene by claiming that the effect it had was intentional, stating that "however you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. The scene between Jocelyn and Tedros doesn't serve any real purpose aside from humiliating Jocelyn's character while reinforcing patriarchal fantasies and perpetuating the male gaze in media. Levinson has a long history of putting the women in his work into humiliating and unnecessarily brutal sexual situations that don't do much to advance the plot, let alone provide any feminine characters with agency or autonomy. This gross scene at the end of the second episode was a disappointing omen that the series is indeed setting sail for a season of male navel-gazing and boring sex disguised as subversion. Quite predictably, Jocelyn decides that a chaotic, psychosexual relationship with this man is the way to do so. ![]() Possibly the slimiest man on earth, Tedros is a mysterious figure who takes the vulnerable singer under his wing with promises to help her find her voice. ![]() Apart from those struggles, conflict is brewing because Jocelyn doesn't feel like she has enough say in her career - until she meets Tedros. Jocelyn's friends and managers are frantic about the state of her career, as she has recently recovered from a mental health crisis following the death of her mother and the cancelation of her tour. We also met her team, a trope-filled harem of jackals including a run-of-the-mill heartless manager ( Jane Adams), token meek best friend and personal assistant ( Rachel Sennott), and a suspicious Vanity Fair reporter ( Hari Nef) who inexplicably spends days following Jocelyn around for an article she's writing while never really speaking to her. Exactly why she owes him and how much remains a mystery.In the first episode, viewers were introduced to Jocelyn ( Lily-Rose Depp), a young pop sensation who appears to be a sloppy mashup of Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, and Britney Spears. When she mentioned the offer to him, he responded that this deal will help cover what she owes him. The only hiccup in this corporate synergy plan is the fact that Dyanne is working for Tedros. That impromptu audition turned into a management offer from Nikki. After noticing one of the back-up dancers, Nikki asked Dyanne (Jennie Ruby Jane) to sing for her. Jocelyn may have been unable to complete her music video, but the day wasn’t a complete bust for her manager, Nikki (Jane Adams). Somehow this was all part of Tedros’ plan to turn this ordinary man into a star. Every time he failed, Tedros shocked him with a collar. As half-naked people lay around him, Tedros instructed Izaak (Moses Sumney), a man in a skin-tight suit, to sink lower to the ground. The Idol (Photo Credit: HBO) Tedros used a shock collar on one of his followersĪs Jocelyn tried to power through her music video, the episode temporarily checked in on what Tedros was doing, showing us our first glimpse of his headquarters. After a particularly athletic take, Jocelyn threw in the towel for a second and took off her shoes, revealing her bloodied feet and opening her bloody thighs. The HBO series didn’t shy away from Jocelyn’s self-inflicted injuries. But when that new song literally started with a woman - presumably her - elaborately moaning, it was a bit on the nose, even for Levinson. When the episode began with Jocelyn (Depp) in a tiny crop top and low rise jeans talking about her new sound, it was clear that sex was on her mind. “The Idol” isn’t necessarily one for subtly. Don’t let that straightforward plot fool you “The Idol’s” second episode was full of jaw-dropping moments: Jocelyn’s new song started with audio of a woman having sex. But when the music video for the song she hates turns into a living nightmare, this pop star turns to Tedros and his crew for support. When it wasn’t being written about for its costly reshoots, a deep dive by Rolling Stone published months before its release described the series as “torture porn.”ĭirected by Levinson, Episode 2’s “Double Fantasy” primarily revolves around Jocelyn returning to the stage. But the drama was already being heavily scrutinized well before its premiere. Many called out its use of sex and nudity, criticizing the series for falling into male fantasies. The first two episodes of the series debuted at Cannes to mixed reviews. ![]()
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