Episode 2 of The Idol may be significantly better than Episode 1 only because of Lily-Rose Depp’s command of the screen. Apart from that, it’s still an aimless plot that makes less sense the further down you go. The show claims to represent the dark side of the music industry and Hollywood in general but switches lanes to cults and exploitation. As we already know, the series is deep in controversy because of a toxic behind-the-scenes mess and a whole reshoot situation after the original female director left and Sam Levinson got on board.
Spoilers Ahead
When we think about the fact that Abel was unhappy that the show had cast a bigger lens on Jocelyn rather than Tedros, our skepticism about seeing the show makes complete sense. The Idol Episode 2 had some particular scenes that were so strange that I got second-hand embarrassment for everyone involved while watching them. After watching this, we can’t help but look at The Weeknd in a new light and question his commercial music-making ways (I am shivering while writing these words).
What Happens In ‘The Idol’ Episode 2?
An excited Jocelyn decides to show the new recording of her single “World Class Sinner” (we’ll just ignore the name for now) that she made with Tedros to her team. Nikki, her manager, is immediately put off by the sleazy new sounds and reminds Jocelyn that the original track is made to be a commercial super hit, which she needs right now if she wishes to sell out her tour tickets. Nikki reminds Jocelyn that she needs to be grateful to her team after all they’ve been through because she didn’t want to cancel her tour when her mother died, but Jocelyn ended up spiraling, and it had to be done ultimately. Tedros’ influence on Jocelyn is really massive, rather quickly, because he tells her exactly what she wants to hear. We know Jocelyn has been struggling since her mother died, and Tedros is using this to his advantage. Jocelyn is constantly trying to reach him and talk to him, like a lost puppy looking for her master. We see Jocelyn work hard and have a team of helpful people who train her and give her healthy food and everything she may need to make her a stronger “idol” for the millions of people watching her. But Tedros thinks she needs a new team that understands her vision of authenticity to truly make her an unbeatable superstar.
During the shoot of the music video, things aren’t going too well for Jocelyn. She’s late to makeup because she has slits on her thighs that need to be covered, and it takes an extra 3 hours. Everyone on set is already upset, and things seem to get worse every time they shoot because she’s not satisfied with herself or she’s giving the director a hard time by failing to lip sync to her own song. In the middle of all of this, the Vanity Fair journalist observes everything that’s happening to write her profile on Jocelyn. This is the first time Jocelyn is doing this after her mother’s death, and she feels like the vision doesn’t match her own ideas, so she wants to change some things up. Of course, this is kind of impossible because of the amount that has already been spent on this set. Jocelyn thinks she can pay for it herself, but she’s definitely not in a position to do so because she hasn’t made any music in the last 8 months. She pulls through and gives an impeccable take, but at this point, the camera goes out of focus, and this is her breaking point.
Jocelyn finds herself thinking about her mother, calling out for her, and essentially having a complete meltdown in front of the entire crew. At the same time, Nikki thinks Dyanne is outshining everyone on set and realizes she has the potential to be the next big thing (we knew this was going to happen!). Nikki wants to sign Dyanne and even gives the journalist a heads-up because her article is about to get really juicy. On the other hand, Jocelyn is bleeding and tired; she can’t think straight, but she’s willing to go again because she knows how important this is for everyone else present there. Finally, Nikki convinces her that she needs to go home, and it’s packed up. Jocelyn’s first move is to call Tedros when she’s on the down low, and he brings some friends along to her home.
As we already know, Dyanne is working for Tedros, and when she tells him that Nikki wants to sign her, he says he can finally get “returns” on her. This man gives such an ick. Jocelyn’s team, of course, is slightly concerned, maybe for her image and maybe for Tedros’ influence on her career, so they do some digging on him, and it turns out his name is Tedros Tedros (please take a break to laugh about this). He is in debt, and it is confirmed later that he is a manager for all these talented people that work for him in the club. In Jocelyn’s mansion, Leia is weirded out by the fact that Izaak, the guy she met at the club, knows Tedros. Leila has her detective hat on even while she’s with Izaak and tries to extract some information on Tedros from him. As it turns out, Tedros manages all these artists, as we predicted. From the last half of The Idol episode 2, we can understand that Tedros has some fantasies, and Jocelyn is willing to do anything to get her authentic voice for Tedros. She’s also completely smitten by him, not realizing that he’s slowly taking over her life. Tedros even mentions he needs to live with her to make new music to show her team that has no faith in her and save her musical career. During the ending sequence of The Idol Episode 2, the girl that Tedros has brought along sings a beautiful song about family and an upset mother, which probably invokes some sort of emotion in Jocelyn, and so they’re probably going to move into her house soon enough.
Final thoughts
When you remember that Abel is involved in writing this show and may have had some say in the many strange dialogues, it makes it extra weird to watch this show with a straight face. Just as last time, I leave the end of the episode with a question mark floating above my head, and I don’t think it’s going to get any better. We will possibly see a rivalry between Jocelyn and Dyanne, but we can’t really tell where Tedros will fit into all of this. Leila might be Jocelyn’s only hope, but if she gets fired when Tedros comes on board, then things are going to get really messy. I just hope there’s a positive outcome to all of this by the end of the six episodes. Lily-Rose Depp may be a great actress, but even her skills may not be enough to salvage this drab show. It’s safe to say that the show relies a lot on spectacle because it has no real substance. It’s already been deemed unwatchable by a lot of viewers, but the controversies keep it afloat. I’m also extremely disturbed by that one scene in the bedroom, you know, and it’s going to be a while until I recover from it.
