This The Idol Fan Theory Will Have You Rethinking The Show's Power Structure

Tedros may not be as powerful as he seems. Or, at least, that’s what some The Idol fans are theorizing after the show’s twisted dinner party. A growing fan theory is making the case that the power structure isn’t at all what it seems, and predicting that the big reveal at the end of the season will flip everything on its head. So, let’s dive into this theory that Jocelyn is actually controlling Tedros on The Idol, because it’s pretty convincing.

Spoiler alert: This post covers details from the first three episodes of The Idol. Tedros’ frightening control over Jocelyn reached new levels in the final moments of Episode 3, when the rat-tailed cult leader told the abused pop star to bring him the hairbrush her mother used to beat her with. He claimed to be hurting her as a way to inspire groundbreaking music through her pain, and as twisted as it sounds, some fans think Jocelyn may actually be puppeteering the whole experience herself as a way to reach new levels of stardom.

Fans have pointed to a few moments that suggest Jocelyn has more power in her relationship with Tedros than it may seem. One scene that’s been highlighted a lot is when Jocelyn abruptly ended her hookup with Tedros at the Valentino store, along with the importance the show placed on Jocelyn being able to manipulate her emotions in her first scene, and the fact that a Basic Instinct scene about a woman turning on her man in the first episode. It all comes together to form a theory that Jocelyn is the one who’s actually in control.

So, then if Jocelyn has all the power, why is she letting Tedros treat her so terribly? The predominant theory is that she’s only toying with him now and will eventually end him in a twist finale. One guess goes so far as to predict that Jocelyn will expose Tedros’ abuse to get him locked up, or even to justify murdering him, launching herself to new heights of fame in the process. TBH, the theory that a victim of abuse would manipulate such a traumatic experience like that feels pretty gross, but so does the rest of The Idol. So while it may be an irresponsible direction for the series to go in, the theory does seem to align with the creators’ past plot choices.

Find out who ends up on top as new episodes of The Idol air Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and streaming on Max.