Somehow, just two episodes remain.
People who have made it their business to have an opinion about The Idol — everyday fans, drive-by haters, The Weeknd enthusiasts, HBO addicts, message-board hopheads, sad marrieds who are lonely on Sunday nights, and the paid online agitators doing publicity, stealth or otherwise — had a very intense week. The theories about The Idol and its reception far outpace The Idol itself in drama. This sitch only became more heated as reports this week said the show wouldn’t be given a second season, followed by HBO saying they’d decided nothing of the sort. Fans (do we call them Idolators? Tedrosbots? Jocsticks?) now see all kinds of conspiracies, most of which are in conflict.
Everyone’s opinion of the show is “poisoned by the media backlash,†as one person wrote on Reddit. People have “lost all concept of nuance or balanced tone within a work,†wrote another. There’s been a lot of arguments about if a cult leader can be gross and ugly. (The answer is definitely yes!)
Many folks online agreed that we’d all been told to hate the show by the mainstream media and now the show was unable to be viewed independently, without the lens of production drama and our grody feminist baggage and the whiff that this show was just Bad Men or Too Nasty or An Unfinished Product. Someone is out to get Sam Levinson, many people caped online. Critics are relieving Lily-Ross Depp of her agency by calling the show exploitative! And here’s my fave, courtesy of reddit: That HBO, stuck with a weak mess of a show, ginned up some negative publicity to instill some fan emotion to get it “divisive and trending instead of just disappointing and then irrelevant.â€
It’s been a tough week. Fortunately, tonight’s episode has satisfied everyone.
Just kidding! In truly one of the worst hours of television since Steven Seagal hosted Saturday Night Live, the cult moves into Jocelyn’s house and no one does anything about it! Leia, the best friend and assistant turned victim, at least tries to call for help, which seems to have some success. Still, she’s forced to drive Tedros and Jocelyn to Rodeo Drive while they do weird, gross sex stuff in the back of the convertible, and also there are lots of car beauty shots and strange slo-mo for no reason; later, she has to listen to them get nasty in the backyard. What are her hours? Has she considered a union job?! We also learn that Jocelyn’s mother just beat her incessantly for her entire life and no one did anything about that either, and now it’s time for her new boyfriend, Tedros Tedros, to beat her with the same hairbrush so she can make great art.
You know what Tedros literally says to Jocelyn? “Hey. All that trauma. You’ve got to turn it into inspiration.â€
And then he says. “You’ve still got that hairbrush? Go get it.â€
And that’s about it. One of the biggest pop stars in the world has just canceled her album and her record label manager is missing, everyone is MIA, and also she has just appeared on Rodeo Drive before dozens of people with their phones out. Somehow no one is like “Jocelyn Seen With Shady Nightclub Owner,†and no one at Valentino is telling TMZ that Jocelyn just had sex with some fella in their dressing room. And her dumb creative director is like Yes I love this new direction, it’s giving brain-washing, it’s giving Manson, it’s giving cum on your face, it’s giving bad girl, let’s get you beat by that hairbrush, hun!
Bizarrely edited, hackily written, a brilliant cast truly mishandled, a real mess, and I’m mad.
Idol Thoughts
The Good Five Minutes in This Episode
Lily-Rose Depp talking about being haunted by her mom (she says something kind of amazing about seeing her in every mirror) while Suzanna Son plays piano. The cast in this show is really unusual and rich! It’s upsetting to watch them be good in this playhouse of sad horrors.
This Week’s Pop Culture Referent
Honestly, feels like A Little Life, the abuse gore-fest about an abused child who became an abused man.
Products, Placed
There is a lengthy advertisement for the talents of Mike Dean, mega-producer and Weeknd collaborator, who Tedros says he’s bringing in to collaborate. It sounds like The Weeknd “dropped†two new tracks in the show? One was produced by Mike Dean! Neat.
Is The Idol Good For Max, the Improbably Named Streaming Service for HBO Products?
Honestly, I don’t think so.
One Mean Tweet
Nearly all the tweets are mean at this point.
Is Dyanne Coming Out on Top?
She is! She’s got the song, she’s in the outfit, she’s shooting the video, Dyanne is primed.
Chances She Dies in the End
Maybe we’re asking the wrong question about Jocelyn dying. Why aren’t we asking if he dies in the end?
More From This Series
- Sam Levinson’s Most Powerful Ally Is Over It
- If Only Someone Had Overthrown The Regime
- Max Tells The Idol ‘You’re Leavin’, Son’