'The Idol' Episode 4 Recap: A Shocking Treatment (2024)

Nobody joins a cult because they enjoy being deceived, manipulated, and stripped of their most basic humanity. People join cults because they are vulnerable and find solace in participating in a group of like-minded individuals. But, more often than not, the warm embrace of a cultish community eventually dissolves into something much more sinister. And, in "Stars Belong to the World," the fourth episode of HBO’s The Idol, the real price of joining Tedros’ (Abel Tesfaye) family of talented musicians becomes clearer than ever. Viewers have already known since Episode 2 that Tedros is a big fan of electrocuting his followers to get what he wants out of them, but, for the first time, The Idol shows us how he can use this tool to break someone and force them into submission. The victim, this time, is Xander (Troye Sivan), tortured to the brink of losing consciousness for a perceived lack of devotion to Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp). The full extent of the results remains to be seen.

Xander’s ordeal takes place in between awkward recording sessions, drug-fueled parties, and mandatory sex scenes. This neverending festival of debauchery is witnessed by Dee (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). After her plan to have Tedros killed is shot down by Chaim (Hank Azaria), Jocelyn’s manager decides to infiltrate the improvised cult compound that the pop star’s mansion has become. Always observant and ready to listen to anyone willing to talk, Dee finds out a number of interesting things about the operation that Tedros is running. However, the most important thing that she discovers is that Jocelyn is willing to look past a lot when it comes to her new lover and mentor. The only thing that may be able to shatter Jocelyn's golden image of Tedros is jealousy, but it turns out that he has a way of dealing with that as well.

Related: 'The Idol' Has a Tedros Problem

Dee Investigates Tedros' True Intentions

One thing that we definitely have to give Tedros is that he is indeed getting some serious hits out of Jocelyn. Though Tesfaye might not be at the top of his game when it comes to acting, his musical persona, The Weeknd, is far from untalented, and his skills are very much present in the new songs that Jocelyn and Tedros show Dee and the rest of their entourage in “Stars Belong to the World”. But even though Jocelyn’s new songs might be a lot more interesting than her old material — “World Class Sinner” really wasn’t that great — there is still something very wrong with how Tedros is managing to get these tunes out of her. In Episode 3, he resorted to beating her with a hairbrush, mimicking the abuse that she suffered for years at the hands of her mother. Now, his methods involve groping and masturbating her in front of a packed studio to get her voice to reach the right notes. It’s all consensual, but that doesn’t make anything less weird.

Leia (Rachel Sennott) is, as usual, horrified. So is Dee, who, despite her apparent nonchalance, immediately calls Chaim to inform him that there is some “kinky sh*t” going on at the house. It’s not just Jocelyn and Tedros' relationship that she’s talking about. While at Jocelyn’s place, Dee also learns a lot about Chloe (Suzanna Son), the happy-go-lucky, talented pianist “managed” by Tedros. Most importantly, she learns that Chloe is a former heroin addict of merely 17 years old, something that shines a whole new light on Tedros’ aforementioned kinkiness. It turns out that his actions aren’t just bizarre; they are downright criminal.

But Dee already suspected that. In a conversation with Chaim, she reveals that she has learned Tedros’ real name, which is apparently Mauricio Costello Jackson, and that she also found out that he was imprisoned for torturing an ex-girlfriend. She tries to warn Jocelyn about these things, but it turns out that Jocelyn already knows all of it — or, at least, she knows Tedros’ version. According to Jocelyn, Tedros was arrested for hitting his girlfriend out of self-defense and then went back to prison because some grifters falsely accused him of being a pimp. From the moment the words come out of her mouth, it becomes pretty clear to Dee and to the audience that Jocelyn is willing to overlook a lot when it comes to Tedros.

Jocelyn Finds Out The Truth About Dyanne

But the next few scenes show us that there are some things that Jocelyn is more willing to tolerate than others. After Tedros convinces Jocelyn to come out to her fans about the abuse her mother subjected her to, they all decide to have yet another party at the house. When Dyanne (Jennie Ruby Jane) shows up, Chloe lets it slip to Jocelyn that she and Tedros were sort of in a relationship for a while. She also reveals that it was by Tedros’ request that Dyanne took her to the club on that fateful night.

Jocelyn isn’t thrilled to find any of this out, and the fact that Dyanne showed up at her house to tell Jocelyn that Nikki (Jane Adams) is giving her “World Class Sinner” probably doesn’t do much to help. Pretending to be chill, Jocelyn texts her ex, Rob (Karl Glusman), asking him to come over. It is obviously a ploy to make Tedros jealous, and it works perfectly. As soon as Tedros lays eyes on Rob, he tries to engage him in a pissing contest, making homophobic remarks about his career as an actor and challenging him to a physical fight. Seemingly much more level-headed than Jocelyn's current affair, Rob doesn’t fall for it. Neither does he bite the bait when Tedros begins knocking at the door of Jocelyn’s bedroom, trying to put a stop to her and Rob’s obligatory HBO sex scene. As Rob is leaving the house, however, Tedros has a little surprise for him. Pretending to be just snapping a picture for a fan, Xander manages to take a photo of Rob with a half-naked Tedros follower perched on his lap. This picture will certainly be used to undermine his relationship with Jocelyn in the upcoming episode — or possibly even sabotage Rob's growing career as an actor — further cutting her off from anyone that might help her escape Tedros.

Xander Is Tortured for His Lack of Devotion to Jocelyn

Speaking of Xander and undermined relationships with Jocelyn, let’s rewind a little bit to focus on the main event of “Stars Belong to the World”: Xander’s perceived betrayal and punishment. At one point during the episode, Tedros catches Xander singing in the shower. Noticing that he has a beautiful voice, Tedros insists on knowing why he stopped singing professionally. Initially, Xander says that he sustained a vocal injury when he was young, but Tedros doesn’t believe him. Stating that he is either fully healed or lying through his teeth, he pushes Xander to tell him the whole story.

And here’s what Xander’s story looks like: when he was 13, Jocelyn’s mom, Julianne, outed him. At 14, not knowing that Julianne was responsible for what happened to him, he moved into Jocelyn’s place. However, in order to be accepted into her dysfunctional family, he was forced to sign a contract that forbade him from ever singing again. Apparently, Julianne was afraid that his talent would outshine her daughter. For years, then, he lived under the same roof as his tormentor, keeping the abuse that Jocelyn endured secret out of her own volition.

Jocelyn doesn’t like this version of the story — and, knowing full well that she won’t like it, Tedros has Xander tell her and all the others the whole thing with an electric collar strapped to his neck. Whenever Tedros or Jocelyn feel that Xander is lying, he receives a shock. Xander tries to escape, but Izaak (Moses Sumney) and one of Tedros’ goons tie him down. The torture goes on for minutes on end until Xander loses control of his bodily functions and pisses his pants. He’s left bound and soiled for hours, and when Izaak finally comes back to help him, he looks on the verge of losing his mind.

It’s still early to say what will come out of Xander’s torture. The plan seems to have been to both break him into submission and create a rift between Jocelyn and one of her oldest friends. It sure is working, at least in part, since Xander is already doing shady favors for Tedros to get back on his good side. The other strong bond that Jocelyn has in her household is with Leia, who has been on the receiving end of Tedros’ abuse ever since he entered the mansion. After what happened to Xander, it’s quite possible that the show has something even more disturbing in store for her.