7 Most Shocking Moments From The Idol Episode 2

Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Idol Episode 2

Last week, ‘The Idol’ lived up to its reputation in Cannes, shocking audiences on HBO as well as viewers at the film festival. And this week was even more scandalous.

From “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Reza Fahim comes HBO’s latest Sunday night drama. The Idol follows a pop idol named Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) whose career is in decline after a recent nervous breakdown. Her desperation to regain fame leads her into the arms of Tedros (Tesfaye), a self-help guru and modern-day cult leader.

The first two episodes of the series premiered in Cannes to mixed reviews. Many criticized the use of sex and nudity, and criticized the series for falling into male fantasies. But the drama was scrutinized long before it premiered. When it hasn’t been written about for its costly re-recordings, a Deep Dive by Rolling Stone A document released months before release called the series “torture porn.”

Directed by Levinson, Episode 2 of “Double Fantasy” revolves around Jocelyn’s return to the stage. But when the music video for the song she hates turns into a living nightmare, this pop star turns to Tedros and his crew for help. Don’t let this simple plot fool you. The second episode of “The Idol” was full of breathtaking moments:

Jocelyn’s new song began with the sound of a woman having sex.

“The Idol” isn’t exactly one for subtlety. As the episode began with Jocelyn (Depp) discussing her new sound in a tiny crop top and low-rise jeans, it was clear she was thinking about sex. But when this new song literally began with a woman — presumably herself — moaning at length, that was a little on the nose, even for Levinson.

Jocelyn choked again and had an intimate moment with a drinking glass.

As Jocelyn tried to figure out the next step for her song, she thought back to her night with Tedros. This memory quickly led to Jocelyn gagging and enjoying her glass of ice cubes. By the way, this was the second time Jocelyn choked while masturbating, as many episodes. Of course, she called Tedros to set up a second round in the next scene.

The pop star was three hours late for set because makeup had to cover her self-injuring scars.

Most of Episode 2 revolved around Jocelyn recording her first music video after the death of her mother and the resulting nervous breakdown. While everyone was weighing whether Jocelyn still had “it,” the pressure was on for this celebrity. But before she even made it to the set, Jocelyn was three and a half hours late. In muffled whispers, several members of her team reveal that the delay was only to allow their makeup artist to cover up the scars on their thighs from self-harm.

The HBO series didn’t shy away from Jocelyn’s self-inflicted injuries either. After a particularly athletic shot, Jocelyn threw in the towel for a second and removed her shoes, revealing her bloody feet and thighs.

Tedros used a shock collar on one of his followers.

While Jocelyn attempted to play through her music video, the episode temporarily explored what Tedros was doing and gave us a first look at his headquarters. With half-naked people lying around him, Tedros instructed Izaak (Moses Sumney), a man in a skin-tight suit, to sink lower to the ground. Each time he failed, Tedros shocked him with a collar. Somehow it was all part of Tedros’ plan to turn this ordinary man into a star.

Dyanne secretly worked for Tedros.

Jocelyn might not have been able to finish her music video, but for her manager, Nikki (Jane Adams), the day wasn’t a total flop. When Nikki noticed one of the back-up dancers, she asked Dyanne (Jennie Ruby Jane) to sing for her. These impromptu auditions led to a management offer from Nikki.

The only catch with this corporate synergy plan is the fact that Dyanne works for Tedros. When she mentioned the offer to him, he replied that this deal would help pay off her debt to him. Exactly why and how much she owes him remains a mystery.

Chloe secretly watched Jocelyn and Tedros having sex.

When Jocelyn and Tedros met in Jocelyn’s bedroom, Chloe (Suzanna Son) watched them from the closet. That’s just one of the shocking moments surrounding Chloe. Tedros’ follower also spent most of her time at Jocelyn’s house walking around naked, including a nude piano performance.

Tedros and Jocelyn’s sex scene was graphic even by HBO standards.

This time the camera didn’t show Jocelyn and Tedros having physical sex, but that wasn’t necessary either. After ordering Jocelyn to put on a blindfold, Tedros required her to bend into certain positions. Packed with particularly skimpy underwear and plenty of close-ups of Depp’s body, their second encounter blurred the lines between prestige smut and XXX.