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The Weeknd
Early reviews of HBO’s The Idol called the controversial and sexually graphic series a “sordid male fantasy” and referred to it as “50 Shades of Tesfaye,” referring to the show’s star and producer, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye.
The show’s second episode, which aired last night (June 11) is starting to illustrate just what those early reviews meant, as the show features one particular sex scene between Tesfaye’s character, Tedros Tedros, and Lily-Rose Depp‘s pop star Jocelyn, that is the definition of the male gaze, and it was so graphic that some fans are bowing out as a result.
In a scene near the end of the episode, Tedros blindfolds Jocelyn and describes to her his detailed sexual fantasy as she lies on a bed. Among some of the more explicit things he says to her are, “I want to grab you by the ass while I suffocate you with my c—k,” and “stretch that tiny, little p—y,” describing his desires as she lies there writhing around.
Eventually she performs oral sex on him, which viewers can hear while the act itself is not shown onscreen.
This isn’t the only sex scene in the episode, but it’s certainly the one that most fans have called out as gratuitous and, in the words of one viewer, “ick.”
When an article published in Rolling Stone earlier this year referred to the show as “torture porn,” Tesfaye said he felt the implication was that he and creator Sam Levinson were “rapists trying to make a rape fantasy,” and it felt like “indictment of his character.”
Despite his defense of the show, fans seem turned off by just how graphic his character is.
The Idol airs Sunday nights at 9PM on HBO and is available to stream on Max.
