Despite the fact that the series received a barrage of terrible reviews, I sat down a watched all five episodes of The Idol. My first impression: The show should have been called Lily-Rose Depp’s Butt in Various Outfits While The Weeknd Gets Increasingly Sweaty and Coked Up.
Not only is this title catchier, it properly reflects what we see for most of the series. There’s indeed a ridiculous amount of close-up shots of Lily-Rose Depp’s barely covered butt during the series, to the point that it becomes just absurd. The analytical part of me wondered: Is there a comment about the music industry in these shots or is it just director Sam Levinson just being the perv that he is?
It’s most likely both. The Idol is about industry slavery as seen by people who actually exploit industry slaves.
Interesting fact: The Idol was originally directed by Amy Seimetz who had already completed about 80% of filming. Judging by various reports, the original version had a much different tone and perspective. However, she was fired and replaced with Sam Levinson who rewrote and refilmed the entire thing. The result: Lily-Rose Depp’s Butt in Various Outfits While TheWeeknd Gets Increasingly Sweaty and Coked Up.
Those who hired Sam Levinson knew exactly what they were getting. The director is mostly known for creating Euphoria, a teen drama that’s just, like, terrible, for so many reasons. In my article about Euphoria, I wondered why a 37-year-old man would dream up and put on film so many extreme sex scenes involving minors. Some commentators answered that Levinson had no ill motives and that he was simply reflecting youth culture.
Read more: Music Business The Hidden Messages in “The Idol” About the Music Industry
