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00:00After all of the hype, the idol mostly turned out to be a disappointment, mainly due to the lost
00:06potential. The initial premise, exploring the ups and downs a child star turned superstar faces as
00:12she mounts a comeback and has to deal with a creepy cult guy weaseling his way into her life,
00:17sounded like it had so much promise. It's like edgy, but like in a cool way.
00:23Then the show premiered and it was, let's say, not really what people had been hoping for.
00:30It taps and tact in the way that you say it.
00:32But you know it was awful.
00:34We've already covered everything that went wrong with the show. So now we're taking a look at what
00:39the show could have been and where it could go if it does manage to get a second season.
00:45The difference between me and him is I can actually make you a star.
00:51One of the biggest changes between the original direction of the show and what we ended up seeing
00:57is the focus. Initially, the show was meant to be an in-depth look at the psyche and experiences
01:04of a famous young woman dealing with past abuse while attempting to make her way in an exploitative
01:09industry, and how all of that began to dovetail once a charismatic cult leader worked his way
01:15into her life. We were supposed to see things from her point of view and through a female lens,
01:21with director Amy Simons aiming to create an empathetic, deeply felt take on the pitfalls
01:27of superstardom for young women.
01:31But then, allegedly, Tess Faye just couldn't handle the focus not being on his character,
01:41and the rest is, unfortunately, history.
01:45Hello, Angel.
01:46Getting to see the world framed through Jocelyn's eyes in a show that treated her like an actual
01:52human being would have made for a much more engaging show, allowing us to go on this journey
01:58with her as she battled against all of the forces trying to pull her apart, from industry
02:04figures to parasites in her inner circle to her past trauma creeping back up to the cult.
02:10Actually getting to see her deal with and work to overcome these struggles could have created
02:16a deeply observing narrative that explored so many facets of the industry that are often
02:21glossed over or ignored.
02:23I've never chosen this without her before. I don't know what to do.
02:28And having a female lens wouldn't have necessarily meant that the show would have to pretend
02:33that Jocelyn is some perfect angel who can do no wrong, just that it would have likely been
02:38far more realistic and fair in its portrayal of her as a person.
02:42Instead of the audience being left to guess why she's making any of the choices she does,
02:47we could have gone with her on her interior journey, experiencing the rollercoaster of emotions
02:52in tandem.
02:54I just don't want to like make a fool of myself.
02:57I don't want people to like make fun of me.
03:00Leaked photos from the pre-takeover set do seem to paint a much different picture from
03:04what we ended up getting. Jocelyn appears to have friends and younger sisters, and we
03:10even get some real glimpses of her child star past. But all of this seems to have been erased
03:15for the final version of the show, which serves to make her feel more like the sex fantasy
03:20Levinson and Tess Faye were apparently more interested in creating.
03:24All that trauma, you gotta turn it into inspiration.
03:28Filling out Jocelyn's life and past in a real way would have made her more relatable as a character,
03:35and thus made it possible for the audience to connect with her, even if some of the specific
03:39hurdles she's up against might not be something we necessarily encounter in our everyday lives.
03:45I think the dark shit I've been through is pretty f***ing unique too.
03:48That elusive, maybe was meant to exist, but also maybe not, sixth episode also could have
03:55gone a long way in helping give the show time to fully expand not just Jocelyn's story,
04:01but also all of the other interesting secondary character stories as well.
04:06From members of Jocelyn's inner circle like Xander and Leia and Diane, to the uber-talented
04:11cult members like Isaac and Chloe, to the industry figures like Destiny and Talia.
04:16That they all lost screen time to Tedros' rat tail is a real shame.
04:21I don't give a f*** about anybody's past.
04:22Getting to see all of the characters interact more with one another,
04:26and watching their intricate relationships build and break,
04:30would have created a much more cohesive and, importantly, interesting narrative.
04:35The show as it exists is so disorganized and untethered from anything that feels real,
04:41that it's nearly impossible to really care about anyone or anything that happens to them.
04:47Even the Jocelyn taking over the cult storyline could have been really engaging if done correctly.
04:53The inherent parallels between actual cults and the cults of personality created by famous people
04:59is certainly an interesting topic to explore.
05:02Bask in the warm glow of what it feels like to love me.
05:06If drawing on those similarities was indeed the goal,
05:09then keeping the main focus of the story on Jocelyn would have helped achieve that,
05:14painting a clearer picture of how she uses her fame and charm to pull in
05:18both her millions of fans and people in her real life, for better or worse.
05:24With the proper effort and creative care,
05:27the show could have become a darkly satirical view into this world of fame and excess,
05:33and what it really takes to be on top.
05:35As it stands, the show mostly just felt like it was written by someone who watched
05:40Gone Girl on a plane once and didn't really get it,
05:43but definitely thought they could write their own version.
05:46No way, baby. I'm it.
05:49The biggest downfall of the idol is the loss of all of this great potential.
05:54Even with so much talent in front of and behind the scenes,
05:58and so many interesting ways the story could have gone,
06:01all it took was two people who were a bit too full of themselves
06:04to send everything right down the very sleek, overpriced drain.
06:09Despite all of the exposés, bad reviews, and relentless mockery online,
06:18rumors are swirling that the cast and crew are already gearing up for a second season.
06:23This isn't totally surprising, as it's definitely not the first time that
06:27hate watchers have boosted a bad show's numbers enough to get it renewed.
06:32Though, given how quiet HBO and co. have been about the viewership numbers
06:36after they started falling post-episode 2,
06:39one does wonder just how many people were actually watching by the end.
06:44So, if there is a second season,
06:47one that has to continue on from the mess that was season 1,
06:51could they turn things around?
06:53Well, maybe.
06:54If they're willing to make some big changes.
06:56The most obvious being having Tedros take a back seat,
07:00and ideally disappear.
07:02Tesfaye was the weakest link when it came to acting,
07:05and the shift to focus more on Tedros instead of Jocelyn's interiority was a mistake.
07:11Shut the f*** up!
07:14Oh.
07:16Oh, shut the f*** up.
07:17Yeah, shut the f*** up.
07:19They also need to decide how bad Tedros is really meant to be.
07:24At the beginning of season 1, he's a cult leader creep,
07:27who is confirmed to have been incredibly abusive in the past.
07:31There is a 400-page trial transcript with details
07:36that will raise the hair off of your mother f***ing neck.
07:39But by the end, it feels like the show wants us to feel bad for him.
07:44Like he's just a really dedicated guy that got a little caught up in this crazy music world.
07:49These are my babies.
07:50I can see it.
07:51Truthfully, it feels like the former was what Tedros was supposed to be.
07:59But then, when Tesfaye decided that he should be more of the focus,
08:02and more directly parallel to himself,
08:05then, of course, he had to be softened and made into not such a bad guy, really.
08:10And have everyone else's villainy ratcheted up to make him look better in comparison.
08:15We ruined him.
08:20Shifting back to Jocelyn would also give the show the ability to fix a huge problem from season 1.
08:26The surprise twist that she is actually the villain and secretly in control.
08:32We're talking to my people. They're an extension of me.
08:35Tedros, these are my f***ing people now.
08:37Her turn comes pretty much out of nowhere near the end of season 1.
08:41Feels unearned and doesn't really make a lot of sense.
08:45At least given the very little they actually let us know about the character.
08:49There were a few attempts to make it clear that Jocelyn wasn't quite falling for Tedros' shtick
08:54in the same ways the others had.
08:57But narratively, it just doesn't feel like her villain arc was something they had planned from the beginning.
09:02It just feels like one more thing they tacked on for shock value
09:06as they were scribbling down scenes the morning of the shoot.
09:09But if Tedros was out of the way for the second season
09:12and actual writers were given the chance to craft the story properly
09:16it could be an opportunity to finally gain an understanding of what's really going on with Jocelyn
09:22and why she's behaving the way she is.
09:25She f***ing controls everything around her and everyone
09:29and now she's doing it to you.
09:31Diane working her way into Jocelyn's inner circle just to turn on her
09:36was treated as an afterthought.
09:38So it would be great to get more insight into her life and choices
09:41and to have more opportunities for Jennie to actually have lines and sing and dance.
09:47And that goes for the other cult members as well.
09:49We got little peeks into their lives before the cult
09:52but it would be really great to actually learn more about them.
09:55I was living on the streets.
09:57Jocelyn and Xander's thorny history as child stars together is hinted at a bit
10:09until she gets Tedros to tase Xander into submission
10:13and he slides right back into follower mode.
10:16You don't understand the f***ing years that this b***h has taken from me.
10:20The f***ing career that I could have had.
10:24I'll stop lying. I'll stop. I'll stop. I'll stop.
10:27Unpacking what really happened between them
10:30and how it led to Xander essentially just becoming one of Jocelyn's powerless helpers
10:34instead of a star in his own right
10:36would not only flesh out his character but Jocelyn's as well.
10:41Leah, the only really normal character on the show
10:44had enough, packed her bags and left by the end of season 1.
10:48And who can blame her?
10:50Oh, come on. Come on. Come on, Leah. Leah.
10:54But her character provided important grounding to the show.
10:58Their chat in episode 1 is the only time we see Jocelyn
11:02seem to feel safe or emotionally connected to someone.
11:06And she works as a good insanity barometer for the audience
11:09reminding us that, yeah, all of this stuff happening is really crazy.
11:14So if the show wants to work towards healing
11:16like a show about real human beings that exist in the world
11:20it'll be important to find a way to bring Leah back.
11:23And given that she does seem to care about Jocelyn
11:25in a way that no one else does
11:27it shouldn't be hard to pull her back into the fold.
11:30At the end of the day, the most important thing
11:33the creators need going into season 2
11:35is to have a real plan from the get-go and stick to it.
11:39Given all of the talk about Levinson's issues
11:41with this both on this show and Euphoria
11:44it does seem that he needs to humble himself
11:46and hand the reins over.
11:48A proper showrunner in control of the writers' room
11:51would help make sure that narrative decisions make sense
11:54and are set up and paid off.
11:56And that, you know, the scripts are actually finished
11:59before the day of the shoot.
12:00If the show is able to secure a second season
12:03they're going to need to do a lot of real work
12:06to pull people in.
12:07The oh my god danger sexy scandals ahead hype
12:11barely managed to keep people watching
12:13and talking about the show past episode 2.
12:16So if early reviews drop that it's just more of the same
12:19poorly paced fantasies of two of the world's
12:21most unimaginative people
12:23it'll likely be a wrap before the new season even drops.
12:26But the question is, what are you going to do now?
12:30From the beginning, there was a lot of interest
12:32in the promise of what the show could be.
12:35So if they're able to make it clear
12:37that they've gone back to the drawing board
12:39and have really done the creative work
12:41to make a second season worthwhile
12:43it could pull the show out of the dumpster.
12:46There are still little glimmers of potential
12:48within this story
12:48but it remains to be seen
12:50if the show will help them burn brighter
12:52or just let it all fade away.
12:55That's the take!
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