The Idol Episode 3 Recap & Ending Explained: In Episode 3, the plot takes intense and controversial turns as Tedros establishes his overpowering presence in Jocelyn’s life. Leia expresses her fears and concerns about Tedros’ influence over Jocelyn to Chaim. We also learn Jocelyn’s deep dark secrets from her life as an artist and how she got inspired to stick to the business in the last ten years. Will Jocelyn overcome her trauma from her past, or will she get sucked into the dark loophole of abuse to reinvent her public image?
The Idol Episode 3 Recap:
“Daybreak”
Episode 3 opens with Tedros having moved in, asking Jocelyn to go shopping. On their way to the stores, Tedros eats Jocelyn out in the back of the car as Leia drives through the streets of LA. They reach the Valentino store, and Tedros picks up things for Jocelyn. He is very particular about what she buys and how she will look thereafter. We see another side of him as an overbearing, overpowering, and overwhelming alpha male figure that runs the show. As Jocelyn and Tedros pick up dresses, Leia calls Chaim and freaks out about how Tedros has basically taken over everything and brainwashed Jocelyn. She tells him he had earlier fired Andres (Jocelyn’s personal chef), who has been with her for a long time. He makes sure that Jocelyn fires him just because he touched her body.
Meanwhile, Chaim receives a call from Fink, who is worried about Jocelyn dropping ‘World Class Sinner’ from her upcoming concert list as it is the only single that can bring them money. To avoid confrontation, Chaim tells Fink he is busy with Jocelyn in the studio with two new singles she is working on. It piques Fink’s interest, but Chaim soon cuts his call off. Back at the store, Tedros and Jocelyn have another round of raunchy-dominant sex in the changing room. But before Tedros can cum, Jocelyn takes charge and leaves the room, leaving Tedros to relieve himself alone.
When Tedros, Jocelyn, and Leia return home, Chaim and Destiny are already there to confront Tedros for the first time. The Idol sets the scene up as some battle between the managers. Still, instead of dominating in front of Chaim and Destiny, Tedros presents himself as a guardian angel for Jocelyn. He tells them he has arranged for Mike Dean, Kanye West’s producer, to work on Jocelyn’s new music. Chaim is both surprised and impressed by this news, as he has no way out of their mess. He tells Tedros and Jocelyn to get to work and produce “three hit songs,” or else they are in trouble. However, before Destiny and Chaim leave, we can see that they can smell trouble on Tedros.
Throughout the day, we see Tedros and Jocelyn vibing together, and Jocelyn opens up to Chloe about her mother. She becomes emotional when Chloe asks her why she hasn’t written about her mom, and Jocelyn confesses that she has never written anything in her life with complete honesty. She expresses how much she misses her mother more than anything.
Meanwhile, we witness Dayne replacing Jocelyn in the ‘I’m a Freak’ music video, and a delighted Nikki congratulates her on doing a great job. Tedros briefly discusses the creative direction he has taken with Jocelyn’s career with Xander. Xander is straightforward about the music industry’s tendency to indulge in anyone’s vision. He suggests putting the photo of Jocelyn with cum on her face (from episode 1) on the album cover, reinventing her image as a “filthy, bad, nasty pop star.”
Next, we see Jocelyn hanging out with Tedros’s entourage and come to understand his philosophy of not saying no to anything. A brief discussion occurs about Robert Plant losing his son and creating the song ‘All My Love’ for the world. Although Jocelyn disagrees with glorifying personal loss as artistic expression, she finds it amusing.
Jocelyn then raises her glass in a toast to Tedros and all his friends, expressing her gratitude for allowing her to feel happy and like herself again. She thanks them for the music they have brought into her life and the inspiration they have provided. However, Tedros cuts her off midway and begins confronting her about topics she finds uncomfortable. He proposes Xander’s idea about the album’s cover art. Although Jocelyn is not entirely defensive about it, she gives a diplomatic answer and tries to divert the conversation, stating that it would humiliate her. Xander and Tedros dismiss her concerns, arguing that the world already has a preconceived image of her and changing that perspective might benefit her. Jocelyn feels apprehensive about this and worries that people will not take her seriously and view her as a joke.
The Idol Episode 3 Ending, Explained:
What did Jocelyn’s mother do to her?
The discussion takes a darker turn when Tedros starts discussing Jocelyn’s mother. She reveals some dark experiences in her past that she is not ready to talk about. However, in a confrontational and demeaning manner, Tedros begins to gaslight her and pressures her to share her mother’s story with everyone at the table.
Reluctantly, Jocelyn tells them that her mother was an overprotective, controlling, and abusive parent who made sure Jocelyn obeyed her every command. She describes instances where her mother would hit her with a hairbrush so forcefully that her skin would break if she didn’t complete tasks to her mother’s satisfaction. In a twisted way, the physical abuse and manipulation drove Jocelyn to pursue singing. Since her mother’s death, however, Jocelyn has felt stuck and has struggled to find the same motivation.
The episode takes a problematic turn as Tedros slowly takes control of Jocelyn’s psyche, exploiting her trauma of being hit to create pain, which he believes will help her with her music. The episode ends with Tedros using Jocelyn’s mother’s hairbrush to hit Jocelyn on the butt, and the next scene shows her taking an ice bath. These final moments hint at a potential reinvention or the possibility of another cycle of abuse as Jocelyn thanks Tedros for taking care of her.
