I really disliked the First Episode, but I stuck with it because I assumed that it had to get better. Not only did not improve, but it actually got worse. Much, much worse. I cannot recall the last time that an episode of television made me this mad. Mad at the writers, the actors, the producers and most of all, at myself for sticking with this through the entire hour. It's the middle of 2023 and I thought that we would be beyond the level of misogyny displayed here. Out right verbal and physical torture and sexual belittlement of young women (girls in some instances) without consequence. There is nothing sexy about the way "The Weeknd" (soon to be know as "Career-End") treats his harem, and the "erotic" scenes in which he appears are mind-numbingly horrid. I am not sure who is being tortured here, Jocelyn or the audience.
And then there is the cavalier treatment of mental illness, all for the personal gain of the agents, managers, music producers and hangers-on. This is Brittany Spears/Lindsay Lohan stuff of 10 years ago. Again, we are way past that. Or at least, should be. The writing is vile, the acting horrific, and the subject matter cringeworthy. One more hour of this and the career suicide of everyone associated with this project will be complete. I already have an indelibly bad opinion of Abel Tesfaye and cannot imagine supporting anything that he does for the rest of his "career." Hank Azaria must have lost a very large sum of money at the track or casino to agree to participate in this mess. And I have usually enjoyed the quirky characters played by Jane Adams (loved her in "Hung") but here, I can't get past the vileness of character. Maybe it is a "blessing" for an actor to be able to stretch in a role like this, but at some point, good judgment must prevail. Lots of actors turned down roles in the "50 Shades" movies and probably "Caligula" too. Jane should have known better. I cannot imagine a more uncomfortable hour of TV being produced in the remainder of my lifetime. I'm Out!