In The Idol, superstardom is not all it’s cracked up to be. The Max series—from creators Reza Fahim, Sam Levinson, and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye—centers around the troubled pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who is gearing up for a major comeback after a very public breakdown following the death of her mother. Her manager, Chaim (Hank Azaria), and pushy label executive Jane (Nikki Katz) are pressuring the star to release a mainstream single, music video, and ensuing tour—but Jocelyn feels creatively stuck, as though her music doesn’t properly reflect who she is as an artist. Enter Tedros (Tesfaye), a mysterious club owner who meets Jocelyn on a fateful night out and wants to help her unleash her real voice. Cue the drama.
In episode two, which premiered last night, Jocelyn’s career revival is off to a rocky start. After the singer and Tedros remix her single to make it feel more “her,” Jocelyn floats the song to her team, who quickly shuts it down. The new sexy sound, heavy on the moaning, just isn’t commercial enough, apparently. Following a number of grueling dance rehearsals, Jocelyn is ushered to film her music video for the proposed bubblegum hit. It’s one of those cold Hollywood soundstages that has been fashioned into a strip-club set, with a giant neon “Jocelyn” sign hanging over it. “It’s not really what I imagined,” Jocelyn says apprehensively to her creative director, Xander (Troye Sivan). The message is clear: Jocelyn is stuck. The constricting fashions she wears in the episode only heighten the mood.
As Jocelyn begins filming the dance sequences for her video, her glamorous attire—by costume designer Natasha Newman-Thomas—soon turns against her. She sports a futuristic pink bodysuit from LA designer Nusi Quero and extremely strappy silver stilettos: The more takes that Jocelyn does, the more these pieces begin to rub against her and cut into her skin, eventually making her bleed. Even so, Jocelyn is determined to keep filming until she gets that perfect take. “I’ve really got to get this right,” she says, fighting back tears, as the makeup artist on set continues to cover up her wounds with even more foundation.
The fashion in the episode is used as a weapon against her, presented as the price of wanting to be in the spotlight. Or perhaps it’s the price she has to pay for pretending to be someone she isn’t. The lyrics in her extremely catchy song aren’t so subtle about the pop world’s dark and demanding grasp on her: “Get down on your knees, and get ready to become my bitch,” she sings.
Of course, it all comes to a dramatic conclusion when Jocelyn breaks down into tears, unable to cope with the pressure of doing yet another take. She’s eventually carried off set, as she can’t take one more step in her torturous sky-high heels. If her flashy costume represents her persisting image as an A-list pop act, her physical inability to wear it could be foreshadowing what’s to come. Two episodes in, and momentum appears to be building toward a second climactic downfall for Jocelyn. But maybe her failed pop comeback will be a triumph of sorts—a way for her to shed all of that and reclaim her identity as an artist, finally free to make music on her own terms. Say what you want about the series thus far—the reviews have been, well, mixed!—but the use of style in this latest episode has stuck in my head.
