"The Idol" Episode 4 Recap: "Stars Belong To The World"

The Idol has been one of the most provocative shows released in quite some time. Overall, it is also extremely polarizing. The themes of this show are quite disturbing at times. Moreover, there seems to be no filter as it pertains to showing off these themes. Not to mention, The Weeknd's acting has received much scrutiny. Throughout the first three episodes, fans have progressively been turned off by the show's direction. This is especially true after it was revealed that Tedros would begin to abuse Jocelyn as a means of getting better songs out of her. In Episode 4, titled "Stars Belong To The World," the show continues down its troubling trajectory.

Episode 4 begins with Mike Dean's arrival at Jocelyn's house. It is here where Tedros is able to attempt to deliver on his promise of some mega hits. In the last episode, Chaim made it clear that time is of the essence, and subsequently, Tedros is making an effort to deliver. However, while all this takes place, Destiny tells Chaim that she has found some information on the mysterious nightclub owner. Essentially, he has been to prison for kidnapping and torturing his ex-girlfriend. These details are provided to us as Joss continues to record a new song that speaks about her and Tedros' relationship dynamics.

From there, Chaim asks Destiny to watch over the house over the coming days. There is a real sense that Tedros is spelling trouble for their star, and they want to grasp what's happening. As soon as Destiny gets in the house, she becomes acquainted with Chloe, who lets it slip that she is underage. Furthermore, Destiny reveals that she is an incredible singer and even a vocal coach of sorts. This eventually leads her to give Joss some pointers on her latest song. Subsequently, we get the cringiest scene in the whole series thus far. Once again, this is another instance of us telling you to watch the show, as any description of these actions is NSFW. Amid all this, we find out that Dyanne got signed to Joss' record label and is now being given World Class Sinner.

During these next few scenes, we get some truly ridiculous settings that are meant to shock the audience and really nothing else. While showering, Jocelyn's creative director Xander begins to sing. Tedros was watching him the whole time and eventually asks why he never told anyone about his talent. We are subsequently told that Xander had a vocal chord injury and gave up singing. Tedros then convinces the young man to join Joss' team of singers. Although due to Tedros' suspicions that he is a liar, he forces Xander to wear a shock collar. Xander tries to escape, but Izaak and others pin Xander down. This then leads to an argument between Joss and Xander, who claims that the pop star's mom made him sign a contract vowing never to sing again.

Of course, Jocelyn tells Tedros that Xander is lying and forces her new beau to shock her longtime friend. Eventually, Xander can't take it anymore and says he won't "lie" anymore. This entire passage just feels like the show becoming a parody of itself and does very little to advance the plot. The same can be said of the following scene in which Joss admits to Destiny that she knows Tedros has been to prison. However, she naively claims that it is because many women lied about him being their pimp. As you can imagine, Destiny is less than enthused by all of this.

In the last third of Episode 4 of The Idol, Tedros gets Jocelyn to go public with the abuse she faced. Joss does just that through an Instagram Live video in which she gets very emotional. However, that same night, she hosts a huge party at her mansion that eventually devolves into a complete mess. For instance, Tedros yells at Leia and embarrasses her. This finally gets Jocelyn to speak up, much to Tedros's dismay. Things get worse for Tedros as Dyanne shows up to the party, and Jocelyn learns about her and Tedros's history.

Jocelyn is clearly hurt by this information and texts her ex-boyfriend Rob, who is a famous actor. He shows up at the house, and Tedros confronts him with a "drink-off." Rob wins the competition as Tedros becomes a jealous and pathetic mess. Joss then takes Rob up to her room, where they have sex. Tedros is standing outside the bedroom door, listening to it all occur. He has tears in his eyes, and it is the first time in the show that he genuinely cracks.

Finally, the episode ends with Xander and a woman trapping Rob in a compromising position. The woman asks to take a photo with Rob and makes the picture sexual against his wishes. He leaves the house, and Xander makes it clear to the woman that they will use the photo against him. Effectively making The Idol just Euphoria with grown adults.