The Idol Episode 4 Plot Twist Was Great on Paper, but Sloppy in Execution

Sam Levinson's The Idol is clearly one of the most popular series of this summer, but the HBO producers must realize that the respectable numbers the show is posting for the fourth week in a row are mostly the result of hate-watching, not genuine fandom interest. However, it's now becoming clear that the story of pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) being corrupted by cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd) is not as simple as it seemed, as Levinson developed the script with a huge twist in mind.

Now that the recent Episode 4 gave us some important revelations, fans of The Idol think that the creators should have spent more time setting up the twist instead of shocking us with R-rated content in the first three episodes.

From the beginning of the show, it was clear that Tedros was the main villain, verbally and physically harassing Jocelyn at every opportunity, but the fourth episode teased that Jocelyn herself may be an abuser. For many viewers, the scene in which the pop star urges Tedros to continue torturing her creative director Xavier was a sure indication that The Idol's finale will reveal Lily-Rose Depp's character as the real villain of The Idol.

Of course, turning the person who was supposed to be a victim into the main villain is a clever twist, and it may even save the show from being a total flop. However, some fans are already complaining about it, arguing that Jocelyn was never given enough time to develop as a character and that Episode 4 ruined the upcoming revelation with a sloppy reasoning for her becoming a monster.

In response, fans have come up with numerous more interesting twists to end the series that would have made the revelation more compelling and realistic.

'A better twist would have been Tedros was working for Destiny and the other manager. They wanted her to fall in line so they enlisted him to brainwash her and in exchange they pay him off and get him connections for his own label or something,' one fan suggested their version for the finale.

Beyond that, it seems that Sam Levinson's penchant for shocking his audience made The Idol lose its original appeal, as the creator failed to give his show a cohesive structure.

'[The Idol is] super sloppy plot-wise. This show needs to pick a lane. It doesn't know whether it's satire, horror, porn, commentary on the music industry, or soapy ridiculousness. It seems like it is trying to do all those things at once, and all of them badly,' another fan argued.

The Idol Episode 5 will arrive on HBO on July 2, 2023.

Source: Reddit.