LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Following the conclusion of Sam Levinson's contentious HBO series 'The Idol' on July 2, viewers online were unimpressed. Some called it the "worst written dialogue ever," while others called it an "absolute misfire on nearly every level by HBO."
The conclusion of 'The Idol' has arrived, and the HBO drama has retained its status as the most scandalous program of the summer to the very end. The fourth episode of the Sam-created sitcom ended with a bleak future for Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) as the pop diva handed her backup dancer and so-called buddy Dyanne (Jennie Kim) permission to cover Jocelyn's song, 'World Class Sinner,' as her own. If her meticulously orchestrated return wasn't enough, her personal life was thrown into disarray when she discovered that Dyanne and Tedros (Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye) previously knew each other and had a relationship before Jocelyn and Tedros met. Seeking vengeance, Jocelyn summoned her ex-boyfriend, Rob Turner (Karl Glusman), who succeeded in making Tedros jealous. Of course, Jocelyn's scheme backfired when Tedros had Xander take a risqué photo of Rob with a scarcely clad lady. As Tedros' crew — or should we say "cult" — continued to take over Jocelyn's home while his relationship with Jocelyn imploded — all under the careful eye of Jocelyn's manager Destiny (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) — we were on the edge of our seats to see how the drama's first installment concluded.
'You're mine forever'
Jocelyn started the episode by labeling Tedros a "con man and a fraud," stating he had been enamored with her for years before they met at his club. Tedros remains at her mansion and attends a meeting with her record company to organize her tour, despite her urging him to go and indicating the other members of their group can stay. With the meeting and tour in peril, the label decides to listen to other members of the group perform, and it is a success. However, the label is split on whether Jocelyn or Tedros brought the talent together.
During the discussion, it is revealed that Jocelyn's ex-boyfriend, Rob, reportedly raped a lady. Tedros and Xander (Troye Sivan) planned this after Jocelyn slept with him in episode 4. Jocelyn, tired of his pranks, has her manager Chaim (Hank Azaria) toss him out and offer him $500,000 to leave her life forever. Tedros rips up the cheque, claiming Jocelyn is worth more.
Going to "Plan B," Chaim hires a Vanity Fair reporter (Hari Nef) to do an exposé on Tedros, exposing him as a serial pimp.
Jocelyn's previous backup dancer, Dyanne, who was hired to replace her on tour, is fired with the full support of her record label. As she walks out of the meeting, she wonders, "It was Jocelyn, wasn't it?"
The show then jumps forward six weeks. Tedros attends Jocelyn's sold-out tour opening night with his image in ruins, the IRS investigating him, and the loss of his nightclub. When he leaves backstage, Jocelyn says she "misses him" and "doesn't like being apart." She observes that the tour and stardom are less meaningful without him. Tedros notes that the hairbrush Jocelyn had told him her late mother would beat her with was brand new as she fixes her cosmetics. He appears to realize that Jocelyn was more manipulating than he had previously suspected.
Jocelyn takes the stage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and before her performance, she pulls Tedros out in front of the audience, addressing him as the "love of my life." Jocelyn and Tedros begin kissing onstage, completely surprising her record label. "You're mine forever. Now go stand over there," Jocelyn commands.
'Such a dumpster fire of a project with such a large budget'
Comparing 'The Idol' to Sam's earlier works, one person tweeted, " I enjoyed Sam Levinson's other series Euphoria but this show... thought it would get better but nope. No good characters, terrible acting from anyone that wasn't Lily-Rose Depp & some of the worst written dialogue. An absolute misfire on nearly every level by HBO (4/10)." Reacting to the finale, one user noted, "So Sam Levinson, king of unresolved plots, out of character plot twists and hypersexualization of women AND minors, f**ked up another TV show? Shocking...." Asking for Sam's removal from future shows, one viewer tweeted, "wtf was the whole point of this show. like no theme, no message, and no point. just cringe sex scenes paired with cringe dialogue to the tune of the weekend for 5 hours. and sam genuinely thought he was taking show of the summer. yeah it's time to put him down." One viewer sighed, "Can't believe Sam Levinson released such a dumpster fire of a project with such a large budget."
On a Reddit thread, one user wrote, "Maybe the writers strike will end tomorrow if everyone agrees that Sam Levinson should never write anything again." Another person commented, "Putting music behind striking shots dosen't fix gaps in the script Sam." Some users felt they had to sit through major plot holes as they noted, "Feels like they cut out ten episodes between 04 and 05." A fourth user commented, "The endings are anti-climactic because Sam Levinson can't write his way out of a paper bag."
'The Idol' is streaming now on HBO Max.
