Episode 2 of “The Idol” takes the trash even further and shows the heroine spiraling into a spiral as her affair with the disturbing Tedros takes shape.
If you found the first episode of The Idol too provocative, wait until you see the second. Available from June 12, this new chapter, entitled Dual Fantasygoes even further in the trash and reproduces, alas, the same errors as episode 1.
After re-recording her single with Tedros (The Weeknd) in a more daring version, Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) presents the new demo to her team, who deem the title unsellable. This disagreement plunges the singer into a state of distress amplified, in part, by the recent loss of her mother.
The next day, the young artist is going to shoot the video clip of her song. The decor reflects the good taste of the series, namely a strip club with pink neon lights and a more than suggestive plastic outfit. Like the photo shoot in Episode 1, this lengthy, souring filming sequence gives us a glimpse into the darker side of a pop star’s life.
Jocelyn arrives 3h30 late on set, accumulates takes, becomes exhausted and cracks under the pressure of a team who reminds her that for every minute that passes, thousands of dollars go up in smoke.
This whole part, anxiety-provoking and under tension, works rather well. “What we explore in this episode 2 is, in part, what happens when a person is so intransigent with themselves that they end up sabotaging themselves.”, explains the creator and director Sam Levinson for Deadline.
HBO/Prime Video Lily-Rose Depp in “The Idol”.
“It was a heartbreak to shoot because I have a lot of empathy for this characterreveals Lily-Rose Depp. Even if at that time she is unable to continue, it is very difficult for her to give up..” For the actress, this sequence shows what it is to live “in Jocelyn’s world” and to see “how many people depend on her and how much pressure it can be”.
Just like episode 1, the relevance of this story plummets as soon as The Weeknd’s character reappears on screen. The intentions of the protagonist are predictable – we know in advance that he will make the situation worse – and his presence always implies vulgar, gratuitous and deceptively subversive scenes. In its last ten minutes, the episode turns into a fine part worthy of a very bad erotic TV movie revisited for the TikTok generation. But for what purpose?
“She feels creatively trapped and she begins to look for inspiration in dark places”, details Sam Levinson to explain the attraction of his heroine for Tedros, the dangerous nightclub owner. This is not really enough to dispel the disappointment in front of The Idol. Hopefully episode 3 brings a bit more substance.
The Idol is available on Prime Video, via the Warner Pass.