The sophomore episode of The Idol has arrived, and following last week’s series premiere, the stakes have been raised.

Troubled pop phenom Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) has a tortured video shoot, and then later invites her love interest, cult leader Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) and some of his followers to her house for a night of debauchery. The sex, drugs and industry drama is amped up compared to the first episode in an hour of television sure to start online discourse.

Director Amy Seimetz left the series in April 2022 amid reshoots and shifts in creative direction, including report that Tesfaye believed that the series was focusing too much on “female perspective.”

After that, the episode documents the music video shoot for “Freak,” with Jocelyn sporting a look that recalls Britney Spears at her creative peak. The shoot is brutal, and shows a nervous Jocelyn working hard but breaking down with every run-through her team demands, as well as her own dissatisfaction with the creative vision and disagreements with the video’s director (Kimberly Hunt). Her mental state decays every time she’s yelled at, and her energy is further dampened by the memory of her late mother, who was at her previous work engagements.

Jocelyn begs to delay the shoot to revise the concept, saying that she’ll pay for it out of her own pocket, but Jocelyn’s co-manager Chaim (Hank Azaria) convinces her to stay, otherwise the team might consider her too erratic to tour.

She winds up crying and in pain, despite other manager Destiny (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) trying to amp her up and keep her going. Meanwhile, Nikki approaches standout backup dancer Dyanne (Blackpink star Jennie Ruby Jane) during one of Jocelyn’s breakdowns and asks her whether she can sing, trying to foster Dyanne’s talent on the side in case Jocelyn flames out.

Elsewhere, Tedros is in the club, and it becomes increasingly clear that not only is he a business owner, but he’s also the leader of a pain-forward, orgy-focused cult. Jocelyn calls Tedros post-video shoot and invites him over to her house. He asks if he can bring a few friends, and soon a sex and drugs-fueled party is taking place at her mansion.

The scene is filled with explicit nudity, sexual dialogue and some X-rated foley work when Jocelyn audibly gags while performing oral sex on Tedros. Meanwhile, there’s also an element of voyeurism when one of the cult followers, the nude pianist Chloe (Suzanna Son), gets stuck in the closet and watches Jocelyn and Tedros’ activities.

The sexual activity in the latter half of the episode revolves around Jocelyn performing for Tesfaye’s Tedros, focusing on his pleasure. It’s entirely believable that the real-life singing superstar got his way on set, even if it was a choice that cost the show acclaim.

When they wake up the next morning, Tedros tells Jocelyn it would be better if he moves in, and she readily agrees. As Chloe plays piano downstairs, she sings a song in which the refrain is “That’s my family/We don’t like each other much,” as they all gather around her, and join in. Only Leia looks worried about what’s to come.