Sam Levinson (Euphoria) co-created this series, so raw emotions and edgy encounters are expected. Lily-Rose Depp plays a pop star who’s recovering from a breakdown, while facing pressure to repair her image and prep for a tour. Along comes an enigmatic character (played by The Weekend, who also co-created the series) and he disrupts everything in the most depraved ways. This includes intense, intimate sex scenes and lots of depraved actions, including torture. All this is supposed to give us insight into the star’s feelings, while creating an oppressive cult-like environment. This has gone much further in every direction than Euphoria, but it feels intentionally provocative and shamelessly prurient. Although Depp and the other actors handle the serious intent well, the whole enterprise feels sordid more for effect than for introspection. BTW, the final ep wraps things up in an absurdly happy ending. 
(1 / 5)
