What happened with the hairbrush in episode 5 of “The Idol?”

The last episode of HBO’s The Idol is a rollercoaster of revelations, unexpected turns, and stirring performances, particularly from Lily-Rose Depp’s captivating pop star character, Jocelyn. The climax, an unsettling yet brilliant twist involving a hairbrush, unveils that Jocelyn was not only aware of Tedros' manipulations but was, in fact, manipulating him to her own ends.

In the hairbrush scene, we see Jocelyn and Tedros, the latter played by The Weeknd, engage in a terse conversation. The hairbrush in question is purportedly the instrument Jocelyn’s late mother used to abuse her with, and which Tedros later used in a sickening bid to trigger past traumas and supposedly spark new music inspiration. When Tedros scrutinizes the brush, he notices it's brand new, and Jocelyn doesn't deny it. The realization dawns that Jocelyn's supposed backstory of abuse was nothing more than a fabricate, an elaborate ruse designed to make Tedros believe he was in control. It's a shocking revelation that turns the power dynamic on its head.

This revelation of Jocelyn’s manipulation of Tedros subverts typical narratives about pop stars. Pop culture often presents us with narratives of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, and Taylor Swift, women often thought to be controlled by their managers, labels, or media. Yet, the show upends these preconceived notions, presenting Jocelyn as a mastermind orchestrating her public image and private life to suit her ends.

The show doesn't merely stop at subverting power dynamics; it also adds a refreshing layer of agency to Jocelyn's character, not common in popular depictions of pop stars. Britney Spears’ journey, for instance, is an exemplar of the manipulation and control that pop stars can be subjected to. Her highly publicized breakdown and the subsequent conservatorship controverted the image of the 'pop princess' and pointed out the lack of agency many stars possess in their careers.

In Madonna's case, she is often seen as someone who took control of her image and career despite the patriarchal constraints of the music industry. Yet, the criticism she faced for her overtly sexual image and independent attitude suggests that society often finds it challenging to accept a female pop star who's truly in charge of her career.

Taylor Swift’s ongoing battle with Scooter Braun over her masters underscores the predatory nature of music industry contracts, which often leaves artists without control over their own music. However, Swift's fight back and re-recording of her old albums to regain control is testament to her tenacity and determination to control her narrative, similar to Jocelyn's character.

But unlike Madonna and Swift, who faced harsh criticism and legal battles, respectively, for their attempts at gaining control, Jocelyn navigates her way through the music industry via deceit, manipulation, and strategy. She crafts an image of herself as the victim of manipulation by the cunning nightclub owner Tedros while silently pulling his strings from behind the scenes.

This strategic control of her narrative allows Jocelyn to reframe the prevailing perception of female pop stars as mere pawns in the hands of their managers or record labels. In doing so, Jocelyn not only maintains her status as America's sexiest pop princess but also demonstrates a level of shrewd intelligence and strategic thinking often denied to pop stars in mainstream media narratives. This manipulative mastermind image is a significant shift from the usual vulnerable, exploited portrayal we've come to expect.

The Idol's twisty narrative and revelation of Jocelyn's control disrupt the usual storylines we see in the music industry. It upends the trope of the puppet and puppeteer, traditionally inhabited by the pop star and manager, respectively, and instead suggests that the strings can be pulled both ways. It brings to the forefront the possibility of pop stars, especially women, as more than victims or mere objects of public consumption; they can also be the strategists and master manipulators who take control of their own narrative. It's a fascinating exploration of agency, manipulation, and control in the music industry, and one that is both unsettling and compelling.