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After the series finales of\u00a0Succession<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Barry<\/em><\/a> last week, those who aimlessly wandered into HBO\u2019s 9pm Sunday slot may not have known what to expect from\u00a0The Idol<\/em><\/a>\u2014a series branded \u201cthe sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood,\u201d from \u201cthe sick & twisted minds<\/a>\u201d of\u00a0Abel Tesfaye<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Reza Fahim<\/strong>,\u00a0and\u00a0Sam Levinson<\/strong>. But those familiar with Levinson\u2019s\u00a0often controversial<\/a> oeuvre couldn\u2019t have been shocked by the petri dish of sex, drugs, pop music, and toplessness that greeted them in the show\u2019s premiere.\u00a0<\/p>\n The man behind\u00a0Euphoria<\/em><\/a> doesn\u2019t seem bothered by his work\u2019s divisive nature\u2014both onscreen and off. In March,\u00a0Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a> published a damning article claiming that\u00a0The Idol<\/em> was \u201ca rape fantasy\u201d that had gone into disarray behind the scenes due to Levinson\u2019s shooting methods. His\u00a0rumored free-flowing approach<\/a> was even joked about in the current season of\u00a0Max\u2019s\u00a0The Other Two<\/em><\/a>: \u201cYou should also watch\u00a0Euphoria<\/em>. On that show, the camera never stops moving and there\u2019s no shot list. The actors and director just figure it out together\u00a0every day<\/em>,\u201d\u00a0Drew Tarver<\/strong>\u2019s Cary Dubek<\/a> tells a group of disillusioned actors on a courtroom procedural. One of them replies, \u201cThat sounds bad, actually.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Levinson has chosen to publicly revel in the attention.\u00a0\u201cWhen my wife read me the article,\u201d about\u00a0The Idol<\/em>, he told press at the\u00a0Cannes Film Festival<\/a>, \u201cI looked at her and I just said, \u2018I think that we\u2019re about to have the\u00a0biggest show of the summer<\/a>.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo from\u00a0Euphoria<\/em>\u2019s\u00a0Alexa Demie<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0The Idol<\/em>\u2019s series premiere, here\u2019s a foolproof guide to knowing you\u2019re watching something written by Sam Levinson\u2014from his HBO series to films like\u00a0Malcolm & Marie<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Assasination Nation<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Someone\u2019s social media gets hacked.<\/strong><\/p>\n Levinson, who has inspired both adoration and ire on the internet, is similarly preoccupied with what it means to be living in a digital age. Major plot points in three of his projects have hinged on the leaking of private photos or images. In\u00a0Assasination Nation<\/em>, his\u00a02018 directorial debut<\/a> about \u201cthe abuse and madness and craziness of being a young person today,\u201d phones in the fictional town of Salem are hacked, leading to mass violence and chaos. On\u00a0Euphoria<\/em>, Cassie\u2019s (Sydney Sweeney<\/strong>) intimate videos are passed around groups of sweaty high school men, and the release of Jules\u2019s (Hunter Schafer<\/strong>) sexual encounter with the parent (Eric Dane<\/strong>) of another student (Jacob Elordi<\/strong>) is used to blackmail both parties. (Assasination Nation<\/em>\u00a0also has an underage character\u00a0engage in an inappropriate virtual relationship with an older man referred to as \u201cDaddy.\u201d) And in\u00a0The Idol<\/em>\u2019s first episode, a sexually explicit photo of Jocelyn gets leaked in what appears to be a case of \u201crevenge porn.\u201d Naturally, Levinson\u2019s own Instagram is set to private.\u00a0<\/p>\n A propulsive soundtrack plays.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether it be the Emmy-winning original music from\u00a0Euphoria<\/em>\u00a0composer\u00a0Labrinth<\/strong>\u00a0or the thematically revealing needle drops in\u00a0The Idol<\/em>\u2019s first episode<\/a> from\u00a0Fiona Apple<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Madonna<\/strong>, Levinson never misses the opportunity to script a song\u2014or\u00a030-something of them<\/a>, the number included in\u00a0Euphoria<\/em>\u00a0season two\u2019s first episode alone. He\u2019s also been known to end his projects on a high note. Both the season one finale of\u00a0Euphoria<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Assasination Nation<\/em>\u00a0close out with a marching band musical number on a suburban neighborhood street.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s glitter galore.<\/strong><\/p>\n Glittery, ornate eye makeup has become\u00a0synonymous with\u00a0Euphoria<\/em><\/a> and its bejeweled teenage protagonists. \u201cThese looks don\u2019t need to be tethered to naturalism, as the stakes in high school feel so incredibly heightened and the makeup designs should mirror that,\u201d Levinson previously\u00a0told\u00a0Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a>\u00a0via email. There\u2019s plenty of shine in his other projects as well, from Zendaya\u2019s metallic shadow in 2021\u2019s\u00a0Malcolm & Marie<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0Rachel Sennott<\/strong>\u2019s rhinestone appliques on\u00a0The Idol<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cinematographer Marcell R\u00e9v shot it.<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the constants across Levinson\u2019s filmograph, is the presence of his Emmy-winning\u00a0Euphoria<\/em>\u00a0cinematographer, who also served as DP of\u00a0Assasination Nation<\/em>,\u00a0Malcolm & Marie<\/em>, and, now,\u00a0The Idol<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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