The Controversial HBO Series 'The Idol' Finale Ends With A Twist
In 'The Idol' finale, Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) chooses to yell "female empowerment" and position herself as the puppeteer of everything instead of the three-quarters-naked marionette on the end of a set of strings.
Author:Hajra ShannonReviewer:Dexter CookeJul 05, 202363.9K Shares1.4M Views
In 'The Idol' finale, Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) chooses to yell "female empowerment" and position herself as the puppeteer of everything instead of the three-quarters-naked marionette on the end of a set of strings.
The buzzy HBO show The Idol, which was co-created by and stars Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, has always been a big topic of conversation. In the drama, Lily-Rose Depp played a pop star named Jocelyn, who is just getting over a nervous breakdown when she meets Tesfaye's Tedros, who is the leader of a secret group. It's not surprising that Sunday's ending, which took a surprising turn, caused a lot of talk.
HBO Show 'The Idol' Finale
Episode 5 Preview | The Idol | HBO
We are finally free from The Idol on Sunday nights, but at what cost? The first season of the HBO show had five episodes. The last episode tried to turn the rest of the series on its head with a confusing plot twist. After watching a painfully long "talent" show and Tedros Tedros's (Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye) fall from grace.
In Episode 5, "Jocelyn Forever," we find out that Lily-Rose Depp's pop star character was in charge the whole time, even when she made everyone think Tedros (Abel "The Weeknd") was controlling her.
The announcement comes on the first night of Jocelyn's long-awaited new tour, which starts at SoFi Stadium. All of Tedros' artists are on the tour as support acts, and her creative team is happy to be sitting in their fancy label boxes. Tedros joins Jocelyn in her dressing room because he feels ashamed after a harsh story in Vanity Fair by Talia Hirsch (Hari Nef) and problems with the IRS. There, he finds the toothbrush she told him for sure was the one her mother used to beat her with all the time. Depp said in a segment about how the finale was made.
“„I think a lot of the audience will watch maybe the first few episodes and think that this guy is taking advantage of her. By the end, he realizes that she knows exactly what he’s doing and she knows exactly what she’s doing.- Lily-Rose Depp
At the beginning of the show, there is a lot of tension because Jocelyn has turned against Tedros. She kicked him out of her inner group, and he's going crazy because he's used to being in charge. Jocelyn's team is also looking for answers. When her tour manager comes to her house to talk about the tour, she puts on quite a show. She insists that several artists that Tedros found will open for her, saying that she has been taking care of them all along.
Throughout the first four episodes, Jocelyn was a smoking mystery whose main purpose seemed to be to give Tedros a target for his cringe-worthy pornographic conversation.
One of the few shows that takes place outside of Jocelyn's house is the finale. The last part of the show was filmed at SoFi Stadium during The Weeknd's After Hours tour. Levinson said that they were able to film Depp's speech onstage during the concert's first act, but they didn't have much time to do what they needed to.
“„We basically shoot this with a live audience of 70,000 people. We have two takes to do it. We had the Friday night and the Saturday Night of the concert. Either we get it or we don’t.- Sam Levinson
Depp asked herself what Jocelyn would do to stop her fears from getting the best of her.
“„I was nervous about going out there for sure, but I just tried to put my Jocelyn hat on. It was one of the craziest experiences I think I’ll ever have in my life. Everything that she’s gone through in the season, she’s found something that feels right to her.- Lily-Rose Depp
Max has all of the episodes of The Idol.
Conclusion
If anyone had hoped that "Jocelyn Forever," the last episode of The Idol's first (and maybe only?) season, would find a way to fix the show's confusing plot, it was a warning that HBO's overly ambitious pop-star S&M fantasy was never going to meet that brief.
The last hour of The Idol's five-episode run was rushed and expositional in all the wrong ways. It showed that the show's many pompous ideas about fame and isolation, which it tried to show through its porn-ready-cum-music-video style, were never fine-tuned enough to make the show fun to watch.
Hajra Shannon
Author
Hajra Shannona is a highly experienced journalist with over 9 years of expertise in news writing, investigative reporting, and political analysis.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Columbia University and has contributed to reputable publications focusing on global affairs, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
Hajra's authoritative voice and trustworthy reporting reflect her commitment to delivering insightful news content.
Beyond journalism, she enjoys exploring new cultures through travel and pursuing outdoor photography
Dexter Cooke
Reviewer
Dexter Cooke is an economist, marketing strategist, and orthopedic surgeon with over 20 years of experience crafting compelling narratives that resonate worldwide.
He holds a Journalism degree from Columbia University, an Economics background from Yale University, and a medical degree with a postdoctoral fellowship in orthopedic medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dexter’s insights into media, economics, and marketing shine through his prolific contributions to respected publications and advisory roles for influential organizations.
As an orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive knee replacement surgery and laparoscopic procedures, Dexter prioritizes patient care above all.
Outside his professional pursuits, Dexter enjoys collecting vintage watches, studying ancient civilizations, learning about astronomy, and participating in charity runs.
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