Everybody and their mother appreciates Rachel Sennott’s presence in HBO’s The Idol because she’s the new and true queen of comedy. The actress does an incredible job at playing the kind of character that loves to dig a hole for themselves, always chaotic, always stressed, but perfectly dressed (maybe not always). Leia is Jocelyn’s best friend and assistant, and we should all know by now that mixing business with pleasure has its costs. We don’t actually know if Leia and Joss were friends before she became her assistant, but we can go with that narrative anyway. Seeing that Leia has been in Joss’ life for a really long time, it’s only fair that she believes she knows Joss well. When Joss decides she wants to call Tedros over, Leia is the first to oppose this idea. She doesn’t like his aura immediately and can smell his dirty shenanigans from a mile away. Now we know that Joss may have felt that way too, but she wanted to have him in her life for a reason.
Leia appears to be terrified at all times and doesn’t ever take a stand for her expectations and needs. Tedros repeatedly disrespects Leia after moving into Joss’ house. He calls her names and shuts her down, treating her like she’s his own assistant. It’s unfortunate that Leia never gets Joss to do anything about it, or maybe Joss doesn’t really care. The latter makes more sense at this point because, as we know, when Leia leaves, Joss just moves on and even introduces Tedros as the love of her life to the world. Leia and everybody else are just pawns in Joss’ big game. Fortunately for Leia, she realizes this by the end of the show and leaves Joss. We think Leia stayed on with Joss after Tedros joined because she felt guilty about how things went with Joss’ mother. This is why it’s not entirely clear if Joss lied about the whole thing or drastically exaggerated the truth to get Tedros to work. Leia also feels responsible for Joss’ safety, so she’s always trying to get D and Chaim as much information as she can in case something bad happens to Joss. Leia does everything for Joss and lives in her home with her.
Leia is always on edge when it comes to Joss; it doesn’t really feel like an equal friendship because Joss never pays any attention to Leia’s needs. When they go to the club, Leia’s the one treading with caution because if something happens to Joss, she’ll be the one in trouble. We also see Nikki, Chaim, and D blaming Leia for a lot of Joss’ own faults, which is rather annoying. Still, she sticks by her side until she sees Joss’ truly dark side. Joss is so preoccupied with the drama with Tedros that she completely abandons Leia. It’s as if she wasn’t needed at all. Leia is the only “good” person in the entirety of the show. She always complains about wrongs and protects the people she loves. She worries a lot and works hard. She has the characteristics and potential to be the perfect leading lady, but instead, she gets her head bitten off by all these barking dogs. Considering they’re all being played, too, though, it’s a win for Leia in the end. I’d imagine if we got to see Leia’s reaction to Joss’ announcement of Tedros as “the love of her life,” it would be a smile of triumph. Firstly, she doesn’t have to deal with any of that again, and second, the people who treated her like dirt are now getting the same treatment.
Is Leia The Real Winner Of The Show?
I’d say yes, because, after going through hell with Joss, she could possibly do any kind of hectic job without blinking an eye. She has moved on from the bad relationships in her life to a better place, and she can probably go ahead and lead a normal, fulfulling life, unlike the rest of Joss’ people. We see her stand up for herself for the first time when she finds out that Rob’s SA allegations are staged by Xander. Leia immediately asks to talk to Xander, who completely ignores her until he tells her that Joss also knew about it. This is Leia’s ultimate breaking point because it’s morally wrong. She could never lie about such a grave thing or be part of a team that would do something like that, and she finally leaves Joss. She also leaves Izaak, whom it seemed like she really liked, but considering he was mentored by Tedros, there is no way she would be able to bring him back to his senses.
I think Leia is able to do all of this because she’s rather detached from the industry itself. She’s not a singer, a producer, or a fancy executive. She’s just an assistant, and moreover, she’s more focused on the friend part than the assistant part. She gives Joss free therapy! It’s terrifying and awful that Joss didn’t seem to care at all after Leia left. Maybe it was lost time, and we couldn’t see her pondering over it, but seeing how she turns out in the end, we can imagine that Joss is saying good riddance to Leia, who is a pothole in the middle of her smooth road to success. If Joss isn’t able to do all the things she desires to make herself successful, then she can’t be a superstar, an “idol”. Leia comes in the way of that, so she cuts ties, never looking back. Leia finally sees that there’s nothing great underneath the glamor, partying, and status; it’s all just dirty work.
