The Idol: An Autopsy

[@MertKayKay]

Like what you see? Go to shirtz.cool/mert and use the code COOLMERTS for 10% off at checkout if you want to look just like me (your favourite small British fool). Thank you to CoolShirtz for sponsoring today's video!

[@tanman729]

i really hope no one from youtube is watching but at 32:48 the girl is topless playing the piano and it's uncensored. this comment i'm not reporting you or anything (i hope), just don't want' you to get in trouble for it.

[@Ubermensch9240]

The worst part is that I'm actually a fan of the Weeknd. I mean his guest appearance in a sub par song K-POP is honestly the reason that song got as high on the charts as it did. The guy has a sound that just adds to a beat. Not a lot of people can do that. I can only think of two off the top of my head: Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.

[@od3910]

Man bun is an "intimacy coordinator". Someone on a set/photoshoot that ensures all sex related scenes go by safely and consentually. Which makes that entire scene even worse

[@GrainneMhaol]

What makes it even worser is that the intimacy clause is stated to be in her contract. SHE SIGNED OFF ON IT. So either she can't read or she didn't read her contract. Either way, she's in violation of the terms of her contact AND her flunky assaulted and abducted the intimacy coordinator.

[@xxromanovaxx6682]

@@GrainneMhaol probably to drive home that point how unstable and cray cray she is

[@Waspinmymind]

@@xxromanovaxx6682Too bad that’s not how the show frames this at all.

[@baaron7]

I'm surprised you didn't bring up how when Leia says he's rapey, Jocelyn replies, "yeah but I kinda like that about him". Like who the fuck writes dialogue like that? Predators, that's who..

[@snestendo]

That dialogue is wild. I've never heard a woman say that in response.

[@baaron7]

@@snestendo because no woman would. A male predator probably would though

[@Tw0Dots]

Hollywood men

[@baaron7]

@@Tw0Dots I'm not going to generalise a whole group of men. Sam, however, gives off those vibes.

[@GenesisBoi]

​@@baaron7ive had friends say that when it comes to those wet fantasies maybe in novels its fine. However when it comes to movies when we hear and see it in person yeah super creepy

[@jp-wc4ce]

the whole intimacy-coordinator-gets-locked-in-a-bathroom scene is already bad but gets even worse when you consider that surely. SURELY. there was an actual intimacy coordinator on set. and they had to watch this scene being filmed. like what on earth must that have been like? seeing a caricature of your VERY IMPORTANT job being portrayed that way? I would've been furious and probably quite frightened, it reads almost like a threat. and if there wasn't an intimacy coordinator then um. what the fuck Sam.

[@immkk1125]

it wouldn’t surprise had there been none at all…

[@baaron7]

I wouldn't be surprised if creepy Sam was the intimacy coordinator himself...

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

Levinson allegedly has had conflicts wiht intimacy coordinators before! With makes the scene grosser and dumber imho

[@itsallwayspouringo]

I can actually see where the people saying this is a rape fantasy are coming from. There was study where two sociologists interviewed convicted rapists, and many were under the impression that the victim wanted it. Or at least if they didn’t want it, got into it after it started. So while The Idol doesn’t explicitly have any rape, it does showcase the attitude a lot of rapists have towards women’s sexuality. Jocelyn’s consent is not really treated with respect by other characters or even herself. When the intimacy coordinator (man-bun guy) raises concerns about the nudity in the photo shoot, even if he’s very clear and open about being fine with it once they rewrite the contract, he’s treated like a prude who can’t let loose, even my Jocelyn. This also is really gross when this sort of rhetoric is used to try and coerce people into having sex.

[@MertKayKay]

That's true! And it's a really good point. Thank you

[@jupiterzombies]

and let's remember that the nudity was umprompted. everyone there didnt sign up to see her tits. exposing yourself isnt okay just bc youre sexy. the whole scene is crazy from every angle

[@serpenking]

Fascinated by the concept of writing a drama about a woman in the entertainment industry, and then maming the decision that they needed to pull back on the "female perspective"

[@baaron7]

And then making the woman the main villain 💀

[@haleywalker1640]

​@@baaron7Turning the whole story into a pornographic version of Gone Girl...without understanding why/how Gone Girl worked beyond, "Plot twist! The woman was bad all along!"

[@teslashark]

There's still Oshi no Ko instead I guess

[@baaron7]

@haleywalker1640 I'd never thought of that comparison, but it's apt! Gone Girl had nuance and social and interpersonal commentary. This was "look sex, look bad guy, but not too bad, but gotcha he victim and she bad, and look more sex!" It really does come across as though it's written by a teenager on a fanfic website.

[@serpenking]

@@baaron7 hey now, that's an insult to teenagers on fanfic writing websites. your average 15 y/o on ao3 is absolutely pumping out higher quality content than this💀

[@warlordofbritannia]

To offset how revolting this show was, here’s a fun fact: Henry Kissinger is still dead

[@thanatoast]

I wonder how this show would've been had the Weeknd never joined. He seems very self absorbed, and I legitimately can't imagine them doing the "The abused girl was the abuser, actually" twist without him meddling in the plot.

[@immkk1125]

@booperdooper2631probably a lot less fetishy…this guy really needs to stop making his « humiliated blonde white woman » kink known, no one agreed to be involved in his shit yet here we are. sometimes i wonder how no one ever told him that some of the scenes were extremely unnecessary oh and there’s nothing inherently wrong with intimate scenes, as long as they actually serve a purpose other than broadcasting the writer’s kinks

[@ard4461]

I mead the Weekend does have that lyric about lesbians and his desire to "fuck them straight"

[@Killgore-ip2yq]

I still remember seeing a video of someone carrying a sign during the writers strikes that said: "What happens when you don't have a writers room...The Idol." 😂

[@serahne]

I'm pretty sure Chloe ISN'T meant to be 18. She is 17 but she remembers that she needs to lie in order to avoid trouble.

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

Yes, she starts to say seventeen and then goes ‘uhhh eighteen’ clearly signaling she’s been coached

[@Cobalt360Degrees]

I feel so bad for Lily Rose Depp. She signed up for this project back when it was still about the struggles of a young idol in the 2000s from her perspective. I can't imagine basically going through a contractually-obligated fever dream of a bunch of really stupid men coming in and tearing down all the actually good stuff they'd built and end up with *_this._* Like if it had been _just_ Tesfaye or _just_ Levinson, it would've been bad enough, but both of them together have created a show where there isn't enough shovels in the barn to deal with all this bullshit.

[@lc4822]

This is a popular take but I personally don't buy in. Levinson and Tesfaye are completely convinced that they've created a masterful subversive cutting edge cultural statement, and it's perfectly possible that Depp feels the same. She hasn't said anything to indicate that she doesn't. Until she herself states that she felt exploited by and trapped in the film, I'm not ready to strip an extremely rich actress of all her agency and lock her into the hapless victim role. It's perfectly possible that she starred in a boring male-fantasy porn because that's exactly what she wanted to do. To me this is an example of the parasocial relationship ppl have with famous people they find attractive - they're convinced they know the stars; their motivations and their faultless characters

[@athegrey]

i feel like it's probably somewhere in the middle she might not enjoy the end result and the way the project changed, but she also might not have had a bad time on set filming it. in the end we really can't know

[@Cobalt360Degrees]

@@lc4822 I'm not saying she's a faultless victim, but what I think is that I don't envy the amount of pressure that comes with being a young woman in the entertainment industry trying to make a name for herself. She's a rich actress who almost certainly benefitted from nepotism to get where she is, but like a lot of children of famous celebrities, they usually struggle with finding their own identities and there's quite a few stories of those kinds of people breaking either under the pressure or try to remove themselves from the spotlight. _Could_ she have said no and walked away? With her connections, almost certainly. But I don't feel like underselling the societal structures that could've made someone in even in a relatively advantageous position like her feel like she *had* to stay. I also think we're still in a time period where it would result in negative consequences for her, her career, or other people from the series' production to very publicly say she regretted or was uncomfortable with the project.

[@definitelyhooman7939]

Everyone's said it a thousand times, but I can't get over that a story about an up and coming young woman struggling to mantain control over her own image was literally overwritten by executives so horredously, that it became a crude mockery of the original vision

[@xeplag]

Man-Bun immediately jumps out to me as a parody of an intimacy coordinator - their job is to coordinate the safety, consent and comfort of everyone on set, and also to figure out ways to shoot sex scenes and nudity without betraying that comfort or overstepping the boundaries of their contracts. (for example, using body doubles or prosthetics for actors whose contracts specifically state they can't have their actual bodies shown, or shooting with minimal crew for actors who are shy about being stared at while naked). They're not just for the actors, they also don't want the crew to see anything they didn't sign up for. He seems like he's written by someone who doesn't understand the job or why it exists, and sees it as being a 'spoil sport'.

[@jupiterzombies]

no but you see, everyone should be glad she exposed herself because shes hot. its not a crime to flash your coworkers if youre sexy! (sarcasm)

[@ymtwtmliz]

I question Sydney Seweeny calling Levison “respectful” because of the power dynamic and the number of sex scenes he writes… there’s only so many times you can tell your boss “I’m uncomfortable with that” before you feel obligated to give in on something

[@baaron7]

What the fuck was anyone thinking when they picked Weeknd's haircut and said "yep, that's the hair of an intimidating cult leader"? 😂

[@sociallyineptsnapper]

Tbf a cult leader doesn’t exactly have one look, and a lot of the worst ones aren’t the ones who look intimidating.

[@baaron7]

@@sociallyineptsnapper you're right, but let's face it. Nobody is taking him seriously with that haircut...

[@GavsterGaime]

​@@baaron7Let's face it. Nobody is taking him seriously. Period. 😂

[@kaialexander6806]

As an actual abuse victim, I have nothing but contempt for The Idol. I've come across so many different awful takes on child abuse to the point where it's sometimes just tiring rather than maddening. Turns out there's a lot of different ways to mess it up and so many creators are not at all scared to throw their hat in the ring. And honestly, The Idol's take originally seemed to be just a mildly insulting take that's close to exploring an actual avenue of experience, but takes a left turn off a cliff instead. If someone ever asked me "why didn't you fight back?", I think I'd end up having to have a rabies vaccinations because I would go feral and bite them. It's just a horrendous question to ask and if you get an answer, you're not gonna like it. Then The Idol goes into the whole "you need the abuse to be able to do x" thing which is an insulting and tiresome trope, but I wasn't not expecting it. However, there is something there to analyse because recovering from child abuse is so damn difficult and often, you do seek out people who will abuse you because you don't know life without it. You let friends, partners, relatives treat you horribly because it's familiar, and you seek out ways to be useful to people so they'll care about you. You do often feel like you need the abuse or just the hurt to function, and that can lead to things like feeling as if you don't know how to make music unless you're being abused. Obviously, you don't, but realising that can be very difficult and take a long time. So The Idol isn't that off-base to explore that. It's an area that people often don't want to touch on because it is a tightrope of a topic because you can easily make something that justifies child abuse or sides with the abuser. With a skilled, experienced writer, it can be done. Unfortunately, the first step of that is not writing a character flimsier than a cardboard cutout so The Idol is automatically unable to do it. And then they decided that actually no, Jocelyn wasn't abused at all and was just manipulating everyone in her life since she was a child which is just so much. It's an airport conveyor belt of nonsense and clownery to unpack, and I have set fire to the airport. Every implication of it is just stupid, insane or insulting, and all it does is acquit Tedros of well, all of his actions in the show. It's a pathetic plot twist and just embarrassing. If they'd just stuck with their bored insult of a portrayal of abuse, it would honestly fit with how boring most of the show is. But that plot twist just makes me want to punch Sam Levinson in the face.

[@mirandawhittaker8481]

"an airport conveyor belt of nonsense and clownery" is absolutely my new favorite phrase. I am so sorry for your pain but please know that you are a magician with words

[@kaialexander6806]

@@mirandawhittaker8481 thank you

[@pariahred13]

I think if someone asked me why I didn't fight back during my abuse experiences there might be a murder

[@immkk1125]

this!! the « feeling like you need to be abused in order to function » thing is very real, and i believe that many people who have been abused undergo it, but whatever the idol did was everything BUT an accurate portrayal of that damn feeling. this is why i feel like there should be some stricter « rules » on how to depict certain situations, like how there are rules in order to write a certain genre. the amount of ppl who misrepresent this or take advantage of this very complex thing in order to justify, glorify or fetishize abuse is gross.

[@natatatm]

I love that you said "I'll probably shit on this show for more than an hour" and then made the video exactly 1:00:00

[@MertKayKay]

If only I'd managed one more second!

[@nont18411]

@@MertKayKay Betrayal!

[@NgaMarsters]

Female Writer: "I'm gonna explore the complex issues of feminism as well as the entertainment industry through the eyes of a woman." Toxic Male Writer: "I'm gonna do what's called a pro-gamer move-"

[@KirbyIsCute]

The scene where the friend mentions to Jocelyn about Tedros, "He's rather rapey." and she replies, "That's what i like about him." make me wonder if that line is just there because the Tedros actor had been told that he seems rapey in real life when trying to flirt with women and he responded, "O-oh yeah! W-well, some women like that about me, so there!"

[@jasonrhome710]

After the recent BS the unions had to go through in the recent negotiations, the bit about the lawyer type duded actively trying to PROTECT the character by initiating a contract amendment and getting ridiculed for it is extra skeezy.

[@MertKayKay]

Absolutely! Especially as our introductory scene. It's a huge "fuck you"

[@Hazeljv3]

No offence to the ~adult film~ industry, but why is Sam Levinson writing and directing these multi-million dollar shows instead of adult films? He clearly just wants to be making straight-up p0rn. It would be the perfect gig for him - you can't fuck up the plot and characters if that's all just a means to a... climax. Okay, I'll see myself out now.

[@GenesisBoi]

Im assuming brazzers dont want that attention

[@nont18411]

The more I know about Sam Levinson, the more I think that Nate Jacobs is Sam Levinson’s self-insert character.

[@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168]

I hope not, though I feel like as his shows/films have gone on, more and more of the characters are becoming self inserts. Rue started out as one, then Lexi became one. Malcom and Marie both felt like them. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Nate was too 😮

[@serhii_himself]

From what little I know about the show (from other YT essays) I don't think it spits in the face of Hollywood feminism... It spits in the face of the real feminism

[@niloofarrafatpanah2]

Having a female director destined to fall, just to be replaced by a male counterparts who is not under any similar kind of pressure is eerily familiar to the first topic of the video: femininity is horror part 2 by Vv Chadain which discusses the issue much further, I highly recommend both parts

[@StephenYuan]

This case sounds like a textbook example of the weird results you get from collective authorship. You get one creator who maybe wants to critique toxic masculinity and exploitative patriarchal structures. Meanwhile another wants a power fantasy about being a super seductive svengali figure who drives a beautiful Pop star to unparalleled artistic heights with mind-blowing sex and his brilliant mind. You get multiple perspectives fighting in the text. In some cases a strong, dominant personality like a star can turn the production in his desired direction.

[@threebirdsinatrenchcoat]

"it's like watching a woman wrap her legs around a cereal box" caught me so off guard i had to pause the video to laugh

[@frando3886]

Always a delight to see another video from you! I saw AmandaTheJedi's video on this series recently, and it really amuses me that the mispronunciation of "carte blanche" got brought up in both your videos!

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Frando! I also saw and loved Amanda's video, she is so easy to listen to

[@thiccrat]

how funny given the weekend is from montreal!

[@brokengirlsrus]

My best friend and I live in different states, and he told me that he started watching it and I should too. I watched the first episode on my own and we watched the second one at the same time. We were just texting each other the whole time commenting on the other buffoonery we were witnessing. He couldn't make it past episode 2. I got to half of 3 and gave up

[@clown-cult96]

The Weeknd’s sexy lines “falling out of him like shoes fall out of a loft” is my new favourite comparison.

[@valx7586]

Such a strange show, it seems to be going for a "trauma can improve you" message but instead of growth coming from survivng abuse it goes with "your abuser improves you" and now ill forever look at the writers and show runners as rapey weirdos

[@kirax7293]

The store clerk scene in episode 3 actually makes me laught out LOUD. Like the weeknd just has ZERO idea of what he looks like in the scene - a chihuahua barking incessantly coupled with delusional writing in a situation where he would get carried out by security or straight up get his asscheeks clapped to the hospital. What makes this show horrible is almost entirely coming from the lack of self awareness that he is not qualified in every single direction to act as a playboy. He's not masculine, he's not attractive, he's not charismatic. He's a nerd pretending to be a jock and getting laughed at by millions of people.

[@nikoguarro]

27:57 also: singles exist... you can add additional remixes of your song when you release your single... like... what?

[@CalvinChikelue]

Thank you for bringing up the baffling Intimacy Coordinator scene. I feel that that moment alone is emblematic of the shows warped mindset. It’s especially strange in contrast with the following blowup over the leaked photo. Nearly everyone is rightfully miffed about such a blatant violation of privacy & exploitation of the MC’s bodily autonomy but it rings as so hypocritical & contradictory when moments ago the characters & the show unjustly vilified the person whose sole job it is is to make sure no such sexual violation or exploitation even accidentally occurs on their set & under their watch. It’s a job that became critically necessary due to the documented pattern in Hollywood’s history of on & off set incidents of sexual violence, abuse & harassment. And like you pointed out, the Intimacy Coordinator is so extremely cordial & professional that the response by the characters can’t be red as anything other than overwhelmingly mean-spirited & toxic & I hesitate to even call it purposeful because the framing of the scene makes of feel like everyone in the cast is justified in being frustrated & annoyed by him & that he is in the wrong for trying to “stifle” the MC’s sexuality & bodily autonomy. Honestly, to me personally at least it says nothing but bad things about the person who chose to demean & belittle that job & the people who perform those duties. It reeks of the type of person who would say “everyone is so sensitive these days” or “PC culture is out of control” or “you can’t even compliment a woman without being cancelled/called a harasser” etc.

[@woon6ah]

mother has arrived IM SO EXCITED TO SEE UR TAKE ON THIS!! THANK U FOR THE VIDEO MERT

[@xRabbitxHeartx]

You’re really telling me in the whole time he was using that hairbrush he didn’t once notice it was brand-new, but does within 5 seconds of picking it up later?

[@eileenscat]

I wonder if what Tesfaye really meant by saying it needed a male perspective was that he wasn’t getting enough sex scenes to satisfy his ego

[@spookypaladin4667]

This series, just like Euphoria, is utterly revolting. This one got canceled real quick after release but Euphoria went on for way too long, especially considering it was centered around VERY similar themes only with teenagers - Underage people. Whoever actively defends a creep like Sam Levinson deserves no respect. He might be pleasant to work with or respectful on set, but what he makes is more than enough damage to make up for all of the goodness he might exhibit.

[@LilyoftheLake14]

21:29-22:59 About that scene between the main character and the Vanity Fair reporter about revenge, where you were wondering why the main character said "revenge bad" but then she gets revenge several times throughout the show. That scene could be establishing that the main character is well-versed and aware how to properly navigate an interview with a journalist in an intelligent way, making sure not to put her foot in her mouth and give the press any ammunition to make her look bad. Sure, the main character liked to get revenge, but if she'd actually admitted that to the reporter, the MC knew that the reporter and/or the magazine and its editors, could easily spin her words and make her look like a super vindictive bitch who holds grudges and blah, blah, blah... and the last thing she'd want during a career comeback is a scandal. I'm basically saying that the scene in question could be read as the MC knowing that admitting the truth and saying she likes to get revenge could end up making her look bad and bite her in the ass later. She's very much aware that her career is in a vulnerable place after her mental breakdown in public when her mom passed. So, she would know that any sort of scandal could damage her career which is on shaky ground as is. In a way, it's almost like the reporter was trying to trip up the MC by attempting to manipulate her emotions so the MC would trust them enough so the reporter could take advantage of their trust and get some "dirt" on the MC , to get ahead as a journalist. Idk if that was intentional or not, I mean the scene could very well just be surface level and she's actually saying what she thinks is true about herself in that interview. Though I find the scene more interesting with the subtext of the MC lying to protect her image & career, while the reporter tries everything to trip the MC up so she can advance in her own career.

[@MertKayKay]

That's a really good point! The journalist seemed to be super pro-Joss throughout the series, but maybe she was trying to get her to lower her guard

[@mmplayer88]

I stumbled upon this channel and am so glad I did! Even when I don’t watch/play the subject of the video, the commentary is great.

[@MertKayKay]

Thanks MM! :D Welcome to the channel!

[@felisazure1820]

This seems like another case of a cis dude being uncomfortably out of touch with what actually makes guys "cool" and "smart", equating both with just guys getting away with horrific behavior. I agree that it feels like a lot of the main character's manipulative nature is just used to justify the abusive dude for being abusive/women being exploited as if it's just a part of the artistic process, or because "women are just crazy, am I right?". I especially find the implication the main character lied about the abuse even as a child disgusting. What a crap show.

[@Demi_Purple]

the closest I will ever get to interacting with this series in any way is watching the parade of people roasting it.

[@AngelofGrace96]

Oh man I laughed so hard at 'cold dark void of shaglessness' that I started wheezing. You've got such a wonderful way with words 😂😂

[@nont18411]

I would love to ask you something. Will you make a video about “the abuser is right in the end” trope? It’s a trope that’s so insidious in media and it’s mostly founded in critically acclaimed movies/ shows which I found it very very harmful. Prime examples - Succession (Logan and his kids) - Better Call Saul (Chuck and Jimmy) - Whiplash (Fletcher and Andrew)

[@randomnerd3402]

With Whiplash I think the ending is more so misleading, as the director has said that he thinks Andrew would've ended up dead by his mid-20s. I still get why people interpret it as supporting Fletcher's abuse

[@joshraid1550]

Fletcher is strange because it seems to be clearly condemning him throughout and showing how his methods hurt people, but stumbles by making his methods work in the end and having the protagonist prove himself to fletcher. It’s a common trope, a character we’re meant to hate and think is wrong and yet their obviously stupid ideas end up successful anyway. I think writers think that it’s deep or something but instead it’s almost apologia for them. It’s why people think Tyler Durden is the hero of fight club because they made him cool and successful. The same for Scott Pilgrim.

[@faithlindbom1177]

Don't forget that God awful Rachel Foster game. Which KayKay rightfully ripped to shreds

[@hellowhatsup2523]

Can you explain the Better Call Saul one? I don’t really understand what you’re saying, just curious.

[@warlordofbritannia]

You are absolutely not supposed to think Chuck was right. The whole point is that Chuck was a main contributor to Jimmy’s slippin’, second only to Jimmy himself

[@CodeNameX001]

Is it strange that opening the video talking about "the weird sex niche" immediately made me think of David Cronenberg's "Crash". I mean, technically ALL of Cronenberg's library could count, but Crash is where my mind went.

[@MertKayKay]

Omg I love the book, not seen the film. Defo want to cover them one day

[@SemicolonExpected]

I cant believe a dude wrote a 5 episode show telling on himself

[@jp-wc4ce]

side note but I love that you use a pic of your face as a censor it's very funny 😂

[@reinamorgana]

It is a r4pe fantasy by COERTION. It's not extreme at all to say it is like that. Obviously the plot twist is that THAT COERTION is enjoyed or played by the not-really-a-victim. But seen from the male character in this story, IT IS.

[@reinamorgana]

@@kenzor4953 😂😂😂

[@jessjohnson998]

OMG the algorithm actually showed me your content before I checked my notifs! It's LEARNING.

[@MacabreStorytelling]

lEt mE cAtCh yOu lOoKiN aT hEr aGaIn

[@warlordofbritannia]

Ah, somehow I’m not surprised to see you here.

[@vapiddreamscape]

excited to see you take this on! everyone who has covered it has a slightly different perspective and I'm hype for yours in particular 💛

[@Jackieeeisvibing]

The way they could have saved time and promoted perfect blue to be watched again

[@izznt]

A few weeks ago I got the microplastics shirt and one of the white-blue-red-and-yellow colour blocked shirts , and the mask that looks like a Gameboy 💜 honestly the discount code name was too funny and that won me over officially

[@SuperPal-tr3go]

Yeah this feels like a show that might be trying to say something but ultimately can't help but jack off to the exploitative shit they're supposed to be criticizing. Like... either just be porn and have fun with yourself or actually do the work of being a somber critique of Hollywood. You can't serve both heads, you know.

[@JordanLittle-bb3yq]

I could be wrong about this, but I feel like Jocelyn was supposed to be portrayed as this weak-minded girl who was getting played by Tedros, only to learn that she's actually the one pulling the strings. Personally I didn't look at Tedros as a sympathetic victim. Just someone who thought he had everything under control only to learn that he didn't have any control to begin with. A player being played. Still the show sucks.

[@NatBKyiv]

But they ruined it with that hairbrush twist. They made her a cartoon villian with vague motives

[@JordanLittle-bb3yq]

@@NatBKyiv I do agree with that. Playing the long game is sometimes really interesting, but considering she's supposedly been doing this since she was a little kid. Just doesn't add up to me.

[@justinkroboth360]

Wait, did Blooberteam write this? Fantastic work, as always, Mert. I had no desire to watch this show on my own, especially after hearing about all the pre-release garbage and what happened to both Amy and the original idea, but I'm gladly watching through your filter. I'm so sorry you had to watch this fucker TWICE, woof. PS - Congrats on the shirt haul/sponsor deal! That's rad as hell.

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Justin! This show was an absolute bundle of drama and I loved every second of it. It was somehow also terrible. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@paperl9328]

Best analysis of this series I’ve seen so far

[@MertKayKay]

I am so flattered, thank you ; - ;

[@SmoughTown]

Been waiting for your take on this! Thanks Mert

[@kphoria1009]

jocelyn was beaten by her mother, it was referenced by heim and troye sivan’s character. i think the last scene with the new hairbrush was to demonstrate that she was now in control and she wanted to continue to cycle of abuse, and didn’t need the old hairbrush to do it

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

That makes more sense, but it’s directly contradicted by Levinson, Tesfaye and LRD’s commentary.

[@jupiterzombies]

man-bun is an intimacy coordinator, and what's even bigger irony is that he's not just there for her sake but for the whole crew. you cant randomly expose yourself to your coworkers. thats a crime lmao. hes there for everyones safety and to uphold their contracts, its not just about her, though shes definitely in the most vulnerable position. the misunderstanding of the entire scenario is baffling and hilarious in the worst way. especially because he was totally okay to just redo the shoot how she wanted it.

[@ItsME-ck7zg]

Another mertkaykay video we are eating good tonight brothers and sisters

[@TehZombiiCorporation]

Was so excited when I got the notification for this upload! I put your videos on while I work and they always make my day better. Thanks for your analysis of The Idol!

[@zoc.6922]

I had a bias against the show before it even came out due to The Weeknd's comments and just knowing Sam Levinson's work prior like Euphoria and Assassination Nation. I watched other youtubers such as FriendlySpaceNinja, AmandaTheJedi, KennieJD & FilmCooper videos on this show. One thing Sam likes doing is almost masquerading as satire and commentary to justify himself and use the excuse of being "too real" when his work gets called out for being crass and exploitative.

[@sleenie]

walks in like a fucking sith lord

[@Tubemansi]

Thanks for suffering through this for us. I've been fascinated by this train wreck for a while, and this particular postmortem on it was as thorough as it was entertaining. 👍🏽

[@lukekebell3146]

I remeber seeing a review of this a while back (wanna say CynicalReviews) & 1 of my work friends was following the drama fantatically, often dropping updates on us when we went for work pints. Ngl I forgot about it after she stopped updating us. It's a shame that this turned into exactly what it was originally supposed to shine a light on. It's almost like the people in charge didnt want a show that made them look bad, so it's like "here! EXPLOTATION BAD! But also t1ts" 🤔. Great review as always. So many coming, feels like 1 every 2-3 weaks now 😁. Keep up the great work!

[@kphoria1009]

chloe was addicted to drugs and groomed by tedros at a young age which most likely stunted her growth mentally and contributes to her acting so childish. and she’s actually supposed to be 17, she just says she’s 18 because that’s what she’s trained to say

[@tattoo6862]

The stuff that happened in this production seem is way more common than people ususally think. There are a lot of shows that go into development hell. And everybody suffers.

[@jekyll4251]

early christmas present omg i’m beyond excited to watch this

[@Lili-ib2rh]

Oh, I'm so glad you're making a video about it! :D Ps I never wanted to watch the series but I loved seeing a series about the drama behind the show.

[@hanamaas6130]

I can't get enough of people shitting on this show

[@HappyLarry.]

I think my favourite part of the video is your more monotone British voice tutting at the hyper-sexual American moments, very fun contrast. I also think it's interesting that if The Weeknd hadn't done a Drake and used the show as a way to prove that he's actually a very serious and very masculine man, there are so many ways this concept could've been done. You could go the "meek and reserved woman is given support she never had and is revealed to be toxic and malicious when given the opportunity" route, the "self-conscious woman finds a partner and is pushed into increasingly more depraved sexual acts and displays in a toxic attempt to love herself" route, the "woman who has never felt love hides under the wing of a domineering and controlling force" route, but it's as if they went "lets just combine all 3 and hope no one notices". She's already sexual, so there's no where else for her to go. She's repeatedly shown as a confident woman (despite the narrative dot points attempting to characterise her as otherwise), so her fawning over this dude makes no sense. She already has everything most people could arguably want, so there's no way any audience member can see The Weeknd's Kanye West LARPing as the buoy they pretend he is.

[@Jackieeeisvibing]

12:10 God I already know it’s gunna be trash because look what he did to euphoria😭 like Sam can’t write at all other then naked woman SA adults who are portraying minors being sexualized and the whole time I’m like what would this added to a script what’s the meaning behind it? And there is none he probably didn’t think of one in the first place😭 and didn’t like the lady working on this die?? I know some woman had a whole different story written and then Sam and the weekend got there and it was entirely thrown away for whatever the idol is now

[@Penfolduk001]

Very interesting video. Not seen the series. And after seeing this probably never will. Also amazed how much smoking is in this show. And in a number of recent shows and films. I'm somewhat dubious about the disclaimers about no agreements with tobacco companies in the end credits...

[@La-PetitMort]

Yessss. Was hoping you'd cover this dumpster fire 😍

[@j-for-jaded6322]

I feel the need to say this as someone hoping to work in media production. Film sets are not sexy. At all. Between the noise, lights, cables & crew. It is very hard to get off properly. As well as the layers of protection that hopefully actually on set Intaminicy Coordinater has them put on. This show if baffling. & it's mostly the Cringe Weekends fault I think.

[@KatKit52]

The thing about the intimacy coordinator scene (where Man-Bun puts a stop to Josslyn's nude photo shoot) is that intimacy coordinators are there for everyone on set. Sure, most of the time, their job is based around the nude person on camera, but they're also there to enforce the boundaries of the people behind the camera. Jocelyn being like "but it's my body" misses the point. It's great that she's not uncomfortable doing nude photos. But she didn't know if the photographer was ok with shooting topless photos. She didn't know if the lighting people were okay with seeing nipples or if her managers etc. who are standing off to the side were okay to see her nude. Clearly, they all were in this scene, but a real life intimacy coordinator would put a stop to it, because flashing people without their consent is messed up. Yes, even if the girl is hot. It just reeks of someone who has been told off by an intimacy coordinator before and is butthurt that they're not allowed to flash their co-workers anymore. Also, it doesn't make me confident that creators of The Idol people listened to the real life intimacy coordinator or treated them seriously. ETA: Making Jocelyn into the villain was a shitty twist, but I prefer Jocelyn as a villains more than Tedros. Further, I think you could still argue that Jocelyn became a manipulator for revenge after episode 4, rather than her being the manipulator for the whole time. We only have Jocelyn's word that the hairbrush story was fake. And why would she tell the truth to the man she hates? Chaim and Xander support her abuse story. I think you could argue that Jocelyn was actually beaten by her mother but she wanted to make Tedros think she's been playing him the way he's been playing her. He had all these machinations to make her love him, but by telling him that she lied about the hairbrush story, it emasculates Tedros in the deepest way possible for him. Tedros takes pride in his ability to manipulate women; but Jocelyn takes that away from him by "revealing" that he was actually the puppet dancing to her tune. Again, I don't think she was lying when she said her mom abused her, but she said she was to take away Tedros' pride. It's gaslighting of the girlbossiest degree. I don't think it was written well. But I prefer that interpretation, because I support women's wrongs.

[@thesleepydot]

I definitely agree with your take on this!! Awesome video as always

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Dot!

[@SanktaLo]

Tedros is *supposed* to be a creep, but Abel’s ego is too fragile to let that happen. He *needs* to be sexy, suave, and charismatic *and* the victim of this evil woman. I love The Weeknd but Abel is 😬

[@JoseDorda]

You forgot to censor 51:04, I know the already got demonetized but just making you aware in case you aren't.

[@tyl3rburns]

Was just looking to see if anyone else noticed that one. Commenting to bump this one up.

[@mdragon12]

Thank you for your well thought out and entertaining content! 💜

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Dragon!

[@mirandawhittaker8481]

I'd have loved a show where Chaim and Destiny team up and do kill Tedros ngl. Two momma bears doing their damnedest to protect a grieving starlet who's been taken in by a culty pimp villain? Sign me up!

[@maddieb.4282]

Write a movie with that concept, it would be so fun

[@teslashark]

You're the greatest gamer-to-social-commentary video maker! Make way, Pyrocinical.

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Tesla!

[@kphoria1009]

i will always come back for The Idol commentary videos, probably even years from now. it’s just so bad i need to prolong the experience

[@mus7c]

i often wonder what levinson meant by that intimacy coordinator scene considering how much nude / sex scenes there are in euphoria. he must be working with at least one intimacy coordinator at least once a week for that show alone, he probably had them for the idol too. like, how do you make a scene basically arguing for your job being unnecessary and in fact regressive for talent on-screen, while you have an intimacy coordinator on the corner of the room? or does he just not have them? has hbo just let him work all this time without them? someone please answer these questions.

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

Allegedly he has had conflicts with them in the past!

[@xtina.]

MORE MEDIA ANALYSIS F*CK YEAHHHHHH ur so good at this

[@ChuggleDBuglGames]

Oh thank gods I need to hear more people talk about the insanity of this show.

[@KosOrSomeSayKosmo]

Jane Adams is an INCREDIBLE actor! I'd recommend the Todd Solondz movie Happiness for one of her best performances, but content warning: it contains extremely disturbing and uncomfortable material.

[@hooting-ton5215]

"So that our male lead can look cool, and hunt women." You know Criminal Minds Unsubs fits that niche perfectly! /s

[@vioectrolysis]

Maybe I've been watching too much fantasy, but that archetype of the creepy and greasy romeo is so cringe and outdated. It should have been left alone in those pink novelas of my mom.

[@notohdev]

24:50 This is so cursed yet so accurate 💀😂

[@saulitix]

Isn't weird that the creator a show like Euphoria, which has a lot of female nudity and young actresses doing sex scenes, made fun of a character that was insisting on the female protagonist having a safe and proper contract for nudity? Like, am I crazy or is that very suspicious?

[@AndAllTheWhileAnimalsSuffer]

I see Vanessa Paradis, not Johnny Depp. If I didn't know he is her father, I would never guess.

[@keystohellanddeath]

43:23 It amazes me how no one at that table has apparently heard of the song Cleanin' Out My Closet by Eminem

[@phaeton01]

24:50 why yes Johnny, yes I am

[@basicsimp8798]

It's weird that the Idol was supposed to be so different, a satire take on what Hollywood is like, but everything changed when the initial director left and it turned into, this mess where the literal abuser is the real victim. Like what!? 😂

[@symonewest5449]

I love the random girl whose name i don't think we even learn who just falsely accuses Jocelyn's ex of rape...for funsies, I guess? It's...an interesting implication to say the least.

[@leandroconti4435]

I love how she said "i will be shitting on this show probably for over an hour", and the vídeo has EXACTLY one hour, like if the editor (or her editing self) purposely did this as a joke

[@DollsBoredom]

Lily depps acting is phenomenal but I personally believe she shouldn't be in such sexual roles nothing wrong with it but I feel like she deserves a main role in something more respectable I just feel like she's treated like a piece of meat in the acting industry and ngl it feels more icky for some reason knowing its Johnny Depps daughter I just think she's always sexuals even on her Instagram profile again I don't know what future roles she's gonna be in this is all my opinion as someone who had a massive crush on Johnny Depp in first grade and still is crushing on young Johnny lmao 😂 I truly do respect Lily Depp she is really impressive and isn't just riding off her dads fame yes it does help but she does have a lot of talent I also have heard her music I'm amazingly impressed by her talent I do truly think she deserves a spotlight in Hollywood

[@Fennec333]

It will never get any less weird watching people talk about this show when my name is Jocelyn/Joss lol we don’t get many

[@KingAlbert420]

Great video! Really love your content - so glad the youtube algorithm sent your videos my way. Heads up you left some uncensored nipples in at about the 51 min mark x

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you King Albert! I saw this comment, went and added a blur to the video, then forgot to respond. I appreciate you!