The sex they had was disgusting. The words, vile (“I want to grab you by the ass while I suffocate you with my cock”). The whole thing: straight out of a porn scene bookmarked by a teenage boy. But in The Idol, troubled superstar Jocelyn actually seems into these triple X-rated liaisons with creepy club owner Tedros. Soon he’s moved into her house “for work purposes”. Next, the pair are singing “that’s my family” around a grand piano. And that’s the moment you realise: this is not a family, it’s a cult.
Much has been written about The Idol, HBO’s seedy new drama about a young musician’s attempted comeback following a nervous breakdown and her fledgling relationship with a seedy self-help guru that may or may not have done some “dark s***”, as one of the characters claims. But its most interesting aspect – its depiction of cults – is one that has been strangely glossed over. The much-maligned series from Euphoria’s Sam Levinson and Tesfaye has been criticised for everything from its gratuitous nudity and undeveloped plotlines to its torture obsession and grotesque sex scenes. All this has led to a somewhat disastrous reception, only made worse by the recent news that the six-part series will conclude one episode earlier than planned this weekend.
