Are we sure it's bad? : The Idol
At the beginning of 2033, The Idol was the most anticipated show of the year. A collaboration between Euphoria’s creator Sam Levinson and the hottest recording artist in the world The Weeknd couldn't possibly fail. There was too much talent and creativity on the payroll. Then, it became the most anticipated trainwreck of the year after a Rolling Stone article depicted the fucked up shooting conditions on March 1st. There were, allegedly, some sexually unhealthy stuff going on with the two creators.
The Idol came and went and predictably, everyone hated it. Right off the gate, like ten minutes into the first episode. Except for me. I didn’t hate it ten minutes into the first episode. I didn’t hate it when it was over. I wasn’t over the moon with it or anything, but I thought it was a good, thoughtful show about the inhumane conditions that create mass marketed icons. Of course, it’s also an extremely (and sometimes needlessly) pornographic show, but it has nothing to do with its discourse. At least, not much.
So let's review together the most common complaints against The Idol and ask ourselves the question: are we sure it’s bad?
It portrays disgusting sexual exploitation and torture porn of Lily-Rose Depp
Well, it's a show about sexual exploitation. One that we're complicit of (perpetrated by Jocelyn’s music label) and one that's meant to shock and revile us (perpetrated by Tedros). Jocelyn is torn between two parties who want to exploit her sexuality to further their own agendas. Her label wants to make money with her. Tedros wants to own her because he is one fucked up dude reminiscent of cult leader Keith Raniere. The Idol is a highly sexual show, but… bad, abusive sexuality is portrayed like bad and abusive sexuality?
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t get turned on watching Tedros choking Jocelyn with her own wardrobe. Yes, it is filmed lovingly. But everything in the series is filmed the same exact way: like a fucked up, surreal fantasy. I can’t read into Sam Levinson and The Weeknd’s intention or sexual desires, but the whole thematic arc of The Idol revolves around Jocelyn reappropriating her own sexuality in order to prevent other people from exploiting it. Is it well brought up? Sort of, except for the last episode.
Also, I understand that sexual exploitation is a sore topic for certain people and that it can lead to relive traumas to rewatch it on screen. I’d answer that The Idol is honest about what it is and what it is trying to convey from the get-go. If you want to watch it, you have to watch the entire thing in order to understand the point they’re trying to make. But I understand if this is too much. But again. It is pretty honest about being a sleazy, fucked up love story. No doubt that it is a provocative show.
It's bad. The performances suck and the writing is lame
Uh, no? Have you ever seen a bad show before? From the very first scene, the tone and the ideas are clear. They are challenging and uncomfortable to hear, but the character Nikki (who’s a great sleazes) makes it abundantly clear that Jocelyn is surrounded by wolves that want to exploit her when she openly tells her creative director that she WANTS to romanticize Jocelyn’s mental illness so that boys living in Iowa still think they got a chance at her. It’s vile, revolting, but it's also an interesting way to start a story.
Maybe The Idol isn’t the best paced show I’ve ever seen. I'll give you that. It's only five episodes long (allegedly cut down from six) and you don't really get into the meat of the conflict until episode three (Jocelyn’s relationship to her dead mother), but the characters are interesting. Tedros has this crew of misfits that behave like the Manson family on MDMA who clash with the business oriented creeps who try to control Jocelyn’s career. Also, Tedros is trying to infiltrate the business through Jocelyn. That’s fun.
I mean, if you find The Idol lame… I guess it means you find Euphoria lame? I guess The Last Of Us was your thing and that new and provocative ideas are not your strong suit? This is not a show that plays it safe. It plays out like an NC-17 version of Euphoria and not everyone has the stomach for it. If you really think that show is lame, I’m afraid to discover what your idea of good might be. I understand you can be shocked and appalled by the over-the-top sexuality? But lame and boring, this show isn’t.
The finale is weird and underwhelming
Well yeah, that’s the best argument I heard against The Idol because it was weird and underwhelming indeed. But so are many finales? The worst part is that we're probably all to blame for it. The Idol has SUCH a level of negative press that it (allegedly) cut back from six to five episodes and there’s obviously connexions missing from #4 to #5, like why does Jocelyn suddenly hates Tedros? Why is he a drunken mess all of a sudden? What the hell is this civil war happening inside her mansion?
I'm sure there was proper context for it, but that it’s forever lost to the floor of the editing room.
*
No, The Idol wasn't bad. The Weeknd wasn't even bad. He was OK at best, but it's not like he sucked. Even if you think it's bad right now, it will end up benefiting from revisionist history. It’s nowhere near the best show I've ever seen, but it's ballsy and forward thinking enough to make people uncomfortable. Especially with that finale which may or may not be the greatest "fuck all ya'll" in television history. We collectively lost our fucking shit about The Idol. We killed it, it’s never coming back.
So let's chill and watch it again. Shall we?
