‘The Idol’ episode 1 review: Not much Euphoria from this Lily-Rose Depp starrer

Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye in a still from ‘The Idol’
| Photo Credit: HBO

The first two episodes of The Idol were screened at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 22, where it received a five-minute standing ovation and was also panned for nudity(?). Billed as being a show that all those who loved Sam Levinson’s teen drama, Euphoria, would relate too, The Idol, while being decidedly graphic is not particularly shocking.

The first episode, which dropped on June 4, does not show any signs of genius-level intelligence or even regular levels of cleverness. The show starts with an album cover shoot for returning pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who we learn had a breakdown causing her concert tour to be cancelled. Now she is on a comeback trail with a single, ‘World Class Sinner.’

There are all sorts of issues playing out in this “day in the life of pop star fresh out of a mental breakdown.” An intimate photo of Jocelyn has gone viral. Managers Destiny (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and Chaim (Hank Azaria), with her publicist Benjamin (Dan Levy), record label executive, Nikki (Jane Adams), and the events person from Live Nation, Andrew Finkelstein (Eli Roth), try to do damage control and put a positive spin on the shady picture.

Jocelyn’s cover shoot is facing troubles with the intimacy coordinator reminding creative director Xander (Troye Sivan) about the nudity clause while Jocelyn bares her breasts. Chaim solves the problem by locking up the “nipple police” as derisively described by Jocelyn. A writer from Vanity Fair, Talia (Hari Nef), is at Jocelyn’s house to interview her for a profile while the singer goes through the raunchy dance steps for her video.

Jocelyn decides to go clubbing in the evening with her backup dancer Dyanne (Jennie Ruby Jane), best friend and assistant Leia (Rachel Sennott), and Xander. At the club, she meets and forms a hot and heavy connection with the owner, Tedros (Abel Tesfaye).

The Idol is halfway interesting when talking about all the hard work it takes to make a bubblegum star; in particular, the military precision and manoeuvring it requires to glean positives from negative stories in these days of instant creation and consumption of news. When it moves into the love-story mode, The Idol just does not have the necessary chops to carry it through.

That callback to Basic Instinct seems just bunged in there. Does Jocelyn see herself as Catherine (Sharon Stone’s character)? And that conversation on the superficiality of a pop song and The Purple One was just ridiculously self-conscious.

There is nudity and the obligatory masturbation scene to prove that the makers are very serious about the subject matter but it all comes across as rather silly. Hopefully, the following episodes will take a more nuanced look at the culture of celebrity and the music industry. Otherwise, The Idol will remain a well-dressed show that took itself too seriously for its own good.

The Idol is currently streaming on JioCinema