The Idol Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Stars Belong to the World
Denis Kimathi
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A lot of good art comes from pain. However, that is not meant to be interpreted in the literal sense, yet Tedros had been doing that for a long time to his "people."
Jocelyn tried to create a hit with Tedros and his bag of bizarre tricks on The Idol Season 1 Episode 4. After careful research, Destiny uncovered something about Tedros' past that made sense because of how he behaved.
A lot was happening in the episode, and as a result, most storylines felt rushed. If you tackle something as expansive as Hollywood or the life of a pop star and those surrounding them, five episodes are not enough to craft something worth following.
In an attempt to circumnavigate that glaring shortcoming, events in the episode felt like they couldn't wait to pass so that the next thing could happen.
A lot came up character-wise, especially with Tedros and Jocelyn.
Tedros was a proper sociopath. He exhibited all the classic signs, including his ability to relish others' pain, his lack of empathy, remorse, or any positive attribute a normal person would have.
Much of what came up was not a surprise. From the moment he shocked Izaak in the club while training him to be more sexual, it was clear something was up with the guy.
The calvary had moved from the club to Joss' house with all their talent and depravity. It was everyone's job to help Jocelyn make a hit.
The hits were laughable because apart from the lyrics being a juvenile love letter to a sadist, they were not catchy either. Maybe the final product will be better, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
The songs were all about Joss surrendering to Tedros like he was some supreme leader. I'm confident fans would eat that sh*t up because that's what fans do. They elevate mediocrity.
The Idol Season 1 had me wondering why Jocelyn tolerated Tedros' antics when she could kick him out of her house. Surely it couldn't have been about the sex.
But during that recording session, it seemed she enjoyed having him around. To her, he played multiple roles that her mother had played.
He was the decision-maker, absolving her of taking her own life into her hands and being the decider of her own fate. It was a massive weight off her shoulder for someone who had never had to deal with that.
And he basked in that. He liked feeling needed and wanted.
If there had been the time to dive into his past life, I'm confident we would have seen a little man who was nothing. He had been overlooked, unloved, unwanted, and talentless.
He had vowed never to let his circumstances define him, but he had lost all humanity along the way.
That was why he plucked people from obscurity, people who were like him but with talent. Someone like Chloe would have been lost if he hadn't found her. He viewed these people as his ticket out of a bad life.
For all his flaws, he could find really talented people. The caveat was that they had to be broken so that he could fix and break them again.
He stopped being this towering boogeyman and became a little man who was trying too much. Everything after that realization made Tedros appear comical.
Joss and Tedros went along so well because they were cut from the same cloth. In our The Idol Season 1 Episode 1 review, we interpreted her ability to shift between emotions as something worth looking at from a bird's eye view because it spoke to her ability to manipulate people.
She was every bit as sadistic as he was, if not more. It shouldn't have been expected to be different, considering the life she led and the woman who raised her.
When Tedros discovered that Xander was also a talented singer, he sought to break him -- and break him, he did -- but a truth Jocelyn didn't expect came out. It was evident on The Idol Season 1 Episode 3 that Xander felt some way about Jocelyn, but one couldn't have thought he detested her.
You're more fucking disgusting, fucked up, and depraved than your bitch cunt of a mother!
Xander
Even knowing that her mother was capable of everything Xander had accused her of, Jocelyn wanted to see him suffer because she enjoyed it. She loved being at the top of the world; nothing could keep her from it.
Destiny was on a mission to uncover what Tedros was up to. On her trips, she met Chloe, and their scene at the piano was the most wholesome thing in the show. She saw a young girl whose talent was exploding.
Destiny is quite hilarious, and because of some intense scenes the show featured, having her around was great, as it provided some much-needed comic relief.
I think we should kill this motherfucker.
Destiny
We also saw Dayanne get pitched and signed by a record label and then come clean to Joss in the same episode. That was one particular storyline that should have stretched out longer.
But like most others, it felt like it was supposed to usher in another one -- Jocelyn learning that Tedros used her and then hooking up with her ex-boyfriend to spite Tedros.
It was also unclear why someone who seemed unbothered by almost everything would get upset by Joss hooking up with someone else.
He literally had a room full of people he could have sex with. Maybe not all of them because some hated him and others were underage, but that didn't seem like it could stop him.
We had to fill in the gaps, and most of what I came up with sounded stupid. Was he truly in love with her? That's ridiculous; he cannot love anyone.
Destiny: How old are you, Chloe?
Chloe: Sev-- Er, 18.
It's always great when a show is aware of its content and how it should respond to the acts.
However, I don't know if it's a personal thing, but I hate whiners. People who notice what's wrong and instead of doing something about it, all they do is yap.
Honestly, I just think it's really fucked up that we're all just sitting around watching Jocelyn get assaulted. And no one is saying anything. Like, Destiny isn't saying anything. I don't know where Chaim is. Like, they're all letting this psychopath exploit her Just so that they can make money?
Leia
I can't stand Leia for this reason. She is in a position to do something as Tedros can't get to her like he does others, yet she'd rather talk about it.
It should have been literally any other character criticizing Tedros' actions.
Why do you think Joss and Rob having sex affected him so much?
"Stars Belong to the World" was not a good episode as it did nothing for the story. It bit too much, and ended up choking on it.
It could have benefitted from less is more: less shock value, fewer people, less eroticism, and less Tedros. I'm unsure what I want as the season finale comes up in a week.
What about you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
