The Idol – Season 1 Episode 2 “Double Fantasy” Recap & Review

Double Fantasy

As episode 1 of The Idol begins, we hear the remade “World Class Sinner” single Jocelyn made with Tedros when she plays it for her entourage. Be prepared to be bamboozled when you hear this redone version. Who on the HBO team thought it would be a good idea? The absolute shocker of a song is played but no one likes it. We see that Jocelyn recorded the song with that red robe over her face and Tedros tightening his grip from behind. Nikki, the record label executive, goes on a rant against Jocelyn about why she shouldn’t muck around with her new single, which will be a hit without any new edits.

Nikki explains how the label has already done the spending to advertise and promote the single on various platforms. The single will be released as planned, next Friday. She recounts an incident from the recent past. In the wake of losing her mother to cancer, Jocelyn assured Nikki and the label she would be able to perform at Madison Square as scheduled. This was despite their assurances that cancelling the show would be alright. But Jocelyn only cancelled it a week before the actual show. When no one else supports her, she backs down.

Chaim, her manager, consoles Jocelyn and says that he “believes” in her no matter what.  She keeps trying to get through to Tedros but he doesn’t pick up. When he does, Tedros reprimands her for going to the team without their fully remade version. He plans to “spend more nights” at the house to work with Jocelyn on the song.

Tedros runs some sort of perverse night-strip club with escort services on the side. He is as shady as a dude can be. Right across from him, we see Izaak regaling Leia with his charm. She is definitely interested too. Tedros decides not to give Jocelyn any attention and makes her crave it by saying he will not be able to make it for the next two days.

Jocelyn must get to work the next morning as the shoot for her single is scheduled at the studio. In the buildup, we see her being distracted and lost from her surroundings. She is still probably thinking about Tedros, who is the nightmarish manifestation of her mental illness problems.

It takes almost 3 hours to get Joss’ makeup done before the shoot. For the bizarre reason that we already know about, the team had to “airbrush” Jocelyn’s thighs, which had cuts. We know this is because she used ice and glass to create the same sensation that Tedros did that night. When she sees the set, Jocelyn is a little disappointed. That plays into her subsequent attempts to sabotage the shoot. She keeps demanding reshoots of the first scene to draw the ire of everyone involved.

Tensions run high as Jocelyn keeps working to get the perfect shot. Nikki spots Dyanne, Jocelyn’s backup dancer, doing the moves. Later, Nikki gets Dyanne to sing raw in front of her and decides to sign her to the label. For now, Jocelyn’s rigorous attempts and costume have badly hurt her feet. She indicates to Chaim that they should redo the set and come back the next day. But Chaim cites the costs involved on a per-day basis and rejects the request. Destiny and Chaim privately discuss Tedros and arrive at the conclusion that he is “bad news.”

Chaim also confers with Leia and warns her to keep Jocelyn away from him. Destiney gives Joss a pep talk and she gives the perfect scene. Even she herself feels great about it. But as fate would have it, the camera lost focus and the shot was vitiated. Joss breaks down in tatters after learning this. Her problems resurface as she shockingly calls out for her mother from the stage. Everyone is struck by this behaviour. Chaim is the most distressed when watching her like this. Nikki finally makes the decision to send her home and later scraps the video shoot.

Joss is worried that she might be losing the plot, financially, and Chaim confirms her fears. Currently, he is paying for half the mortgage on the house and since Joss isn’t doing any new work, this will not be sustainable. Jocelyn talks to Tedros, who says he will come to the house that night with some friends. We learn that Dyanne and Tedros are in cahoots. They are also lovers and the former brought Jocelyn to the club to boost its popularity.

In another extremely weird and strange sequence, we see Tedros, Izaak, and Chloe arrive at the house. Izaak corners Leia and takes her into his company, making way for Tedros to solely focus on Joss. Leia is unsure after what Chaim told her and is wary. Chloe is as weird as the show, in general, and stomps around the house doing weird stuff, naked. It is revealed that Tedros is also some kind of vocal coach, having coached both Izaak and Chloe, who have beautiful voices. Leia tries to learn about Izaak and Tedros’ backgrounds but Izaak powers his way through and they have sex.

Joss and Tedros have sex as well but in a very… let’s say “unphysical” way. I mean, you have to see it to understand it. That cannot be reduced to words. The episode ends with Chloe and everyone else singing ‘Family’ around the piano.

The Episode Review

I wrote in the episode 1 review that The Idol could go either way based on what it did in the next episode. It is unnecessarily provocative and lewd without any purpose. The underlying notions of identity and grief are far too contrived and the ambiguity doesn’t help either. Under Sam Levinson’s watch, The Idol does a very poor job of creating a story that is obtuse, inaccessible, and very difficult to follow.

On the plus side, Lily-Rose Depp can shed a single tear almost effortlessly and one cannot find faults in her portrayal. But she needs more to work with as she deserves better roles than this.

I physically can’t stand to watch The Weeknd. He is repulsive to look at and hear. The overall cinematic universe of The Idol is nightmarish and intently wants to create a jarring effect on the viewer. While that’s not always a bad thing, the perversity is sometimes too extreme. This HBO show is a dud!