The Idol hasn’t exactly turned out to be the TV show of the summer like HBO clearly hoped.Oh, sure, folks are talking an awful lot about the dark music biz drama from The Weeknd and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson… but they don’t have many good things to say about it.The story of pop starlet Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her toxic relationship with cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd) has been described as cringe, at best, and shameless, misogynist, smutty, and ill-conceived, at worst.But the latest episode, “Stars Belong To The World”—also its penultimate, as there won’t be a second season—represents a possible turning point for the series, with a standout scene that just might convince skeptics to tune in.
Or, maybe it’ll turn you off further. Depends what you’re into. *wink*Spoilers ahead for all four episodes of The Idol thus far.While The Weeknd’s performance really makes us wish he’d stick with music, the supporting cast has been turning it out for the most part.
Troye Sivan, in particular, has been a real standout, proving once again that our preeminent twink pop star has some real acting chops.In The Idol, Sivan plays Xander, a longtime friend of Jocelyn’s who works as her creative director.
Up until the fourth episode, his job was mostly just to look concerned over Jocelyn’s intensely intimate connection with Tedros, but the latest narrative pivot takes Xander’s arc in shocking new directions.