‘The Idol’ Episode 2 Recap: A Hellish Video Shoot Ends in Blood, Bruises, and a Breakdown

The Idol spends its entire second episode, “Double Fantasy,” hooked on the single fantasy that Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) will magically overcome her mental illness and be able to film the music video for “World Class Sinner.” The dream is dead the moment Joss wobbles onto set, wearing heels that can’t support the weight of the superstar’s ego.

And yet, we’re forced to stay at the video shoot with Joss and her team for half the episode, watching the poor girl crush her toes until they’re bruised and leaking pus, fall crotch-first into the arms of exhausted (and “overly femme”) male strippers, and spiral completely into emotional disrepair. Sam Levinson is kind enough to replay this disarray over and over again for us, until the point is drilled into our minds: Jocelyn is struggling to make this video, and herself, perfect.

There’s nothing wrong with this plotline—in fact, the first 10 minutes of the music video shoot are an enthralling peek into the not-so-glamorous (but still aesthetically pleasing) life of a pop star. Then things become tedious. Every three minutes, another character is required to remind the entire cast that Joss’ mom died. It gets to the point where even Talia (Hari Nef), the Vanity Fair journalist profiling the star, is reminding Jocelyn’s own team of this. “I also think Jocelyn’s context is important here,” she says, “because her mother died of cancer. She had a very public breakdown. She was cheated on by someone who loved her. She’s down.” We get it!

Read more at The Daily Beast.