The Idol finale reactions: Fans left confused by storyline, call it ‘worst ending ever’

The Idol aired its finale episode on Sunday and going by the reactions, many were left scratching their heads because of the surprise. Max’s controversial show came to an end a week earlier, as episode 5, titled Jocelyn Forever, raised eyebrows for throwing a narrative curveball which many fans found to be confusing and pretentious. Spoilers ahead. (Also read: ‘Should’ve spent less time on the sex scenes,’ fans express outrage as The Idol’s season 1 nears unexpected finale)

About the finale

The Sam Levinson-led show, starring Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, began on 4 June. The show focused on aspiring pop idol Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her complex relationship with Tedros (Tesfaye), a self-help guru and cult leader. The finale episode leads to the conclusion that Jocelyn had the reins the entire time, even when she led everyone to believe she was being manipulated by Tedros instead.

Mixed reactions

The finale left many fans confused and fuming with anger with the way the show goes on to paint Tedros as the victim in the long run, at the cost of all the mental health struggles that Jocelyn was subjected to. After the finale premiered, many took to Twitter to express their disappointment with the end, owing to which The Idol trended on the microblogging site.

One user wrote, “Ends up with an abusive pedophile, makes up abuse allegations about her DEAD MOTHER to gain sympathy points, all so she can write some mid music about daddy choking her? I’ve seen enough #THEIDOL” Another said, “so jocelyn was the villain this whole time #THEIDOL?” A user also compared Jocelyn with Amy Dunne from the book/movie Gone Girl and said, “Joss just went full Amy Dunne.”

Many were not satisfied by the end and expressed their reactions. “Overall i’m confused about this show and it’s storyline,” said one. A comment read, “This show really didn’t have a direction at all like no storyline, no character development, just torture porn all the way.” A second comment read, “Worst ending ever used jennie for views.” “Honestly, it’s a solid final episode until you get to the end and what might be the dumbest written ending in the history of recorded media,” said another.

The Idol controversy

The Idol has been mired in controversy ever since the beginning. Earlier, it was reported that there were a dozen anonymous members from the crew who labelled the set of The Idol to be exceedingly toxic. Director Amy Seimetz left the series with allegedly 80 per cent of the series filmed. After that, Sam came on board with multiple re-writes and reshoots, adding more nudity and sexual content. After its Cannes premiere, it also received dismal ratings. No details about a supposed next season has been revealed yet, although star Da’Vine Joy Randolph had said the show was never intended to be a limited series.