Salva Mubarak Senior Features Writer

Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore the viral clip from HBO’s latest The Idol where Abel ‘the Weeknd’ Tesfaye’s Tedros can be seen narrating, quite possibly, the worst sex scene in the history of sex scenes on television. While that’s a good warning disclaimer for anyone who is about to start watching the show, there’s a little bit more to it. And that ‘more’ is Blackpink’s Jennie.

Sam Levinson’s The Idol has been surrounded by controversy much before its June 4 premiere. The story revolving around a vulnerable pop star Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp, who gets involved with a shady club-owner who might have hidden motives of his own looked promising but the treatment has been nothing short of problematic.

Tesfaye and Levinson, who have been credited as creators of the show, have been accused of focusing on gratuitous nudity and sex scenes that feel more exploitative than empowering. Amidst the sleazy and problematic mess, the only shining beam of light is Blackpink’s Jennie, who made her acting debut with the show.

Jennie Ruby Jane, as she’s credited on the show, plays Dyanne, Jocelyn’s BFF and back-up dancer who has all the killer moves and vocals to topple Jocelyn’s position on the top.

The K-pop idol’s sexy dance moves in the first episode went viral and the numbers on the clip of Jennie’s dance eclipsed the show’s total viewership. The second episode also proved that the show’s saving grace can only be Jennie and her electric screen presence.

In the second episode, we see another layer to her character when *SPOILER ALERT* it’s hinted that Jennie might be the bad guy who is out to take Jocelyn’s position as the top reigning pop star in the world. However, we don’t know if she’s an all-out villain yet or not.

We can’t wait to see more of Jennie in the show next week!

The Idol is currently streaming on Jio Cinemas.