He didn’t figure out a cheat, he was born with a cheat code called “my dad is Barry Levinson”.

Levinson suffers from kill the cheerleader syndrome. A guy who never got over his high school years being dumped and overlooked by pretty girls. So he grows up exploiting the cheerleader over and over again through his filmography.

Tedros being a Sam self insert makes sense. The “poor him. Yeah he was creepy and unnervingly horny but he’s a victim!”

I completely agree that all of Levinson's works are collaborative projects, but seeing as he's been the sole writer and director of almost everything he's been a part of recently, it's difficult to ignore his voice seeping through the screen. It's okay to have a message that you want to convey through your art, but Levinson either does it in the clunkiest way possible, or his work becomes so muddled that it's nearly impossible to decipher what he's trying to say.

I think Tendros was supposed to be like a Patrick Bateman character. A psychopath you can laugh at. But the Weekend’s acting was cringe. To see Sam say he was the victim in the end was 🙄 he’s a criminal (allegedly kidnapped his ex girlfriend, tortured her). Somehow that’s equal to Jocelyn being manipulative? Weird.

Succession is a great example of how to do a modern show that looks at a toxic and seedy world without being contrived and hollow.

Honestly, I think HBO should cancel Euphoria's 3rd season OR hire a new team for 1.) Levinson scrapping Amy Seimetz's nearly completed work on The Idol/ wasting so much money and for 2.) Levinson sexualizing minor characters who could've been written as college students, working adults, etc.

Sam Levinson has no original ideas. Euphoria is an adaptation of an Israeli teen drama - and look what happened to Season 2 when he had no more material to adapt. The man just keeps failing upwards when he has created nothing of substance unless he stole it.

Sam Levinson has the writing and directing sensibilities of a 16 year old film bro

I kept getting the vibe that Levinson pushed the mostly female cast members (some in the biggest roles of their career thus far) to make public statements about how “professional” and comfortable he made them feel during filming scenes with nudity. Especially after Levinson seemingly used characters in Malcolm and Marie and The Idol to obviously vent his own frustration and respond to the valid criticisms he has recieved about Euphoria.

I feel like Sam Levinson and the Weeknd's collective creepiness and disconnect from their audience can be summed up in the fact that they tried to convince us to have sympathy for a PIMP CULT LEADER, and even went so far as to try to turn him into a victim by the end. I mean, WT ACTUAL F.

Sam Levinson is the type of guy to make a guy in his head to get mad at

Crazy that he tried to pull of this "violent male rapists/torturers are actually victims" in the current year. GL with ever finding a partner Sam

I can't believe that Sam Levinson sexualises teenagers, even if they're played by adult actors. I was appalled when they revealed that Chloe was only 17, right after showing her naked. She could have been in her early 20s, as that revelation had no bearing on the plot.

Levinson is full of poo. Whenever it’s vulgar and banal, he acts like it’s gritty, when it’s boring, he acts like it’s deep, when it lacks pacing he acts like it’s experimental. People’s dislike for the show will be read as them doing avant-garde work and being ahead of their time. It’s so sad they couldnt even make it charming and entertaining enough to be camp.

The intimacy coordination thing was 200% Sam hating on them. Season 1 of Euphoria was filled with the female characters not feeling happy or safe with how often they had to be naked? They had to wait until season 2 because they had more power then. He did actually exploit the euphoria cast. It’s gross and he’s a creep. We know that Sam rarely allows other people to be a part of the creative process, it’s why season 2 was such a mess. I don’t think he’s particularly self conscious, he’s using these shows to play out creepy fantasies, over sexualising children characters. He has been doing this since day one.

Ever since euphoria season 1 i've been saying that the real creative force that made that show great was its DP. (Marcell rev)

He can’t keep getting away with this. HECANTKEEPGETTINGAWAYWITHTHIS!!

I think The Bear season 2 is probably the show of the summer

I wish we could see The Idol (Amy's Version)

Hideaki Anno delt with his crumbling ego wayyy better in his work because he stuck to the lore until the last second of Evangelion to make the 4th wall break be profound

In fairness, I think “exploitation” is purposefully a much looser word than you might think it is, purely by virtue of it being an umbrella term. By that logic, I would consider overworking crew members and setting the original director up to fail from the beginning at least a little exploitative. Or at the very least, just plain horrendous and unnecessary.

the idols biggest flaw is that it's boring as hell. i wish it was a showgirls situation in that it's entertainingly bad, but it's just a 5 hour or so slog of nothingness

I really wanted to like "Malcolm and Marie." It had all the markings of a great indie/art house film: everything set in one location, an exploration into relationships (particularly between Black men and women), black and white cinematography, etc. Yet more than once I almost fell asleep while watching it.

The Bear S2. Black Mirror S6. The Crowded Room. Those are a couple of shows that I remember.

someone get Sam Levinson and E L James together. They're truly a match made in hell.

The bear is 100% the show of the summer though. It has 99% on rotten tomatoes, the viewership spiked 70% making the first episode the most watched Hulu premier. People are watching it because they want to not because they hate it. Plus tbh I don’t know a single person who actually watched the idol, their numbers were incredibly bad and most people just watched KZfaqrs review it instead.

it is so facetious to me to call the idol the show of the summer when every other noteworthy show either has had awful marketing (i.e. the bear s2) or doesn't premiere until mid july

dude needs to do adaptations or music videos. no more writers room for baby levy

Oh hey, a fellow member of the "What Do I Do With My Hands Club." I'd wave, but uh...

He’s nothing but a nepo baby, I hope he doesn’t take on any more collaborative work

You release consistently nuanced and eloquent takes man, imo you're one of the best film/tv commentators on the platform. Glad we get to hear your perspective on this!

He’s the literal embodiment of a quirked up white boy with a lil bit of swagger, tho not goated with the sauce.

You went in on this way too light honestly. The intersection of Levinson and Gender, Motherhood and Nepotism comes to mind. There is really no "mystery" to his success whem you pull back the curtain and he is clearly unwell.

And a nepo baby*

The sam levinson stans in the comments are Brain broken

In regards to what you said about no shows have come out this summer: What We Do in the Shadows, Miracle Workers just started new seasons and Reservation Dogs is coming back in the beginning of August. I wish any one of these shows got a small percentage of the coverage that this dumster fire is getting.

I will forever see Tedros in The Weeknd moving forward.

The Bear is the show of the summer 👍

he's like a lot of media these days a mood board filled with classics just for the "vibe" but without any meaning

All his young female characters getting with clearly much older men makes me think Sam is a pervert. So does his haircut

I don’t watch many video essays, but you put your points in such an intelligent manner it makes the essay compelling.

The Idol felt like they had certain scenes they really wanted to film, or maybe sequences but they didn't really tie it together, there wasn't a real sense of time or how long it lasted, certain plot elements just happened with no explanation why

The self-sabotage concept ties in well with something else I've seen about Levinson's work, which is how fans tend to ascribe more meaning and depth to the source material than it ends up containing, which idealizes and compensates for mediocre writing -- it reminds me of your line at 10:10 "leaving it up to our imagination what it would look like if there were no [complicating] circumstances). As an outside observer, I feel like Levinson's obvious self-consciousness -- as well as his lack of vulnerability/honesty about that self-consciousness -- makes it difficult for the viewer to trust him. His tendancy to self-sabotage, lowering viewer expectations for himself from the start in order to seem more competent/impressive "considering the circumstances," both hits home and rings hollow to me. When I consider the guy's circumstances: his parents, the resources that are and have been available to him, his proximity and access to the movie industry... the idea that he seems to prefer making lackluster projects within extenuating cirmustance to collaborating with/learning from others in order to grow in the areas he's self-conscious in... leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. And maybe my understanding of his public persona is wrong in this case; but as long as he's presenting himself as a traditional sort of auter, there's not much room left for public collaboration and honesty about his short-comings and self-consciousness.

God, you’re rant about finding something to occupy your hands resonated so hard. Such a good example. Anxiety/insecurity is such a crazy thing

Sometimes I feel like I can never disconnect the Weekend and Tedros in my mind. It feels like a genuine part of himself was reflected in the character that perhaps he and Sam bonded over, idk.

this is one of my favorite channels. ty for posting!! and if you live in nyc...lemme take you for coffee lol

Hey, Succession is the biggest show of the Summer! Harumph!

Euphoria is so full of gratuitous “teen” sex scenes that it made me wary of Levinson’s work in general. The Idol is just as odd.

why does he keep getting jobs

A great summer show that came back was cruel summer, it won't be huge but ive been waiting!!!

Or letting Eli Roth say whatever he wants...

Amazing vid

It wasn’t the biggest show of the summer tbh lol. It only received 183,000 views for the season finale.

I thought maybe the twist ending that the girl is in control and has been manipulative the entire time was supposed to be a feminist ending. Like she suffered hit got through. But then she calls him on stage and ruins her career undermining what ever they tried to foreshadow. The thing about Sam is that it’ll look pretty but there isn’t much to say with this.

Great video. Also, on a side note, glad to see Cafe Bustelo. If it was La Llave, I would've judged. ;) Lmao.

Second season of Almost Paradise dropped as well as Good Omens. And there will be Heartstopper and Only murders in the building. and What we do in the shadows.

He didn't find a cheat code, he's just a nepo baby.

exploitation doesn’t mean the actors aren’t consenting to what they’re doing. exploitation is about showing audiences something for the sake of shock.

Great breakdown. The Crimson Idol by Wasp did this better, and a lot of older rocker films did this concept better. It kind of makes me think of another film, Lonely Lady, where it tries to make a statement about how awful women are treated in the industry while being more like an exploration film.

Yo that decade bar got me fr. My man called it a whisper.

the way that NT1 A is completely unprotected had me hella nervous but go off

I would love for you to do a collaboration with Deep Focus Lens. I would love to be a fly on the wall listening to you two talk about movies/shows.

The Bear S2 is the show of the summer

very good 👍

Well said

El tipo tiene una jarra de Bustelo showing it off like an expensive lq bottle. I love it 🤣

Omg somebody threw away my cafe bustelo, thanks for reminding me I need to get another 😂

Did you do a video about The Idol. I would LOVE if you could suffer through that shit for "us" :) I feel like the video (and disdain) could be right up there with your 13 Reasons videos.. XD XD

Constraint led creativity it seems

First sam Levinson writes RIVERDALE level garbage Then GEGE AKUTAMI KEEPS TAKING BREAKS RIGHT WHEN SUKUNA VS GOJO GETS GOOD. Then DVORRAH KEEPS KILLING KOMBATANTS I LIKE. THEY CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIIIS!!!!!

cafe bustello is my coffee too

Ah yes the age ol balance of "do i want challange" vs "what could i really do if i didnt tie my hands"

I can't believe he made assassination nation, I liked that movie before I found this out

“Sometimes a car crash can actually be very boring.”

The thing with Sam Levinson is what he should be doing is working on tv as a director for hire/ guest director like Hiro Murai, David Slade or Vincenzo Natali, and needs to give up his pretensions of being an auteur storyteller.

2:25 Speak more of that! 👏🏻

The anime Oshi No Ko does a better job at exploring the dark side of the entertainment industry.

YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT TO BE WATCHED TALKING ABOUT IT BEING WATCHED. modernism in a nutshell; a kaleidoscope of being seen

Man if you drunk a cup of that Cafe Bustelo before this, I know you were up lol. That shit gets you hype 😅

The Idol is my favorite series of the past couple years

I've only seen clips and the first episode of Euphoria and the first five minutes of Assassination Nation. Sam Levinson absolutely disgusts me with how he glamorizes serious topics like sexuality, drug abuse, depression and mental illness. The scene in Assassination Nation where a girl gets in trouble and she's got a drawing of a naked girl, bush and all, perfectly sums up the type of "artist," Levinson is. He's not an artist but he falls under the subject of joker. Even how nearly every female character in the second season of Euphoria is written (the only one who actually has a mite of character development is Lexie who actually gets to come out of her shell a bit more. Even the mom was supportive of her daughter's play!). Not to mention it's borderline predatory with how most of the characters dress. And don't get me started on that disgusting episode where they actually have backstory where they say Nate's dad was gay and that explains that's why he makes kiddie porn. That personally pissed me off because I hate how people, and this rings true in today's society, make up stupid shit in order to get away with disgusting acts of perversion! I haven't watched the Idol nor do I plan on to out of sake for my sanity and personal taste in good television. Thank you for reading Levinson to filth and stay excellent Sam. You've earned yourself a subscriber!

God, I miss “Assassination Nation” era Sam Levinson

I wholeheartedly agree, yet I believe his worst show is *Euphoria,* it's as bad as *13 Reasons Why.* But I got to say - I nearly lost it when I heard _"such a boring person"_ coming from a talking-head KZfaqr. I know-I know, but the irony is just too damn funny!

I think The Idol is talked about because so many people dislike it. (Me, scared to watch it 😂😅)

I like to the think the "show of the summer" is going to be Good Omens season 2

*HE CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!!!!!!!*

abel wont show his belly on screen lol

Okay I've watched a lot of very shallow analysis of the idol, which is fine I appreciate it it's funny but also I really appreciate this deeper analysis of why it's truly a flawed piece of art

The picture of Sam in the thumbnail looks like if Chris Pratt finally snapped.

Please refrigerate your chocolate syrup.

I'm not saying they're the same because he's much better but Terry Gilliam has always had insane issues with film making. Brazil was held back for a year because the studio wanted to change the ending, so Gilliam did screenings of the film, took out a page ad asking why the studio won't release the film and when the film got an award for best film of 85 they finally released his version. But many people he's worked with believe that he thrives when he has an enemy.

Euphoria excuses in 3..2..

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE He's absolutely BRILLIANT... He legit has QUALITY content... I'm glad he did the series Euphoria... It's DEFINITELY a subject that NEEDS addressing...

If you want to watch a summer series, "I'm a Virgo" is binge worthy and worth the sex scene alone

So nobody seems to mention this, The Weeknd helped write this! Dudes fucking weird,

The ending of CHINATOWN would argue that yes, yes he can.

3:52 I’m feeling certain the attitude he wrote for the manager toward the intimacy coordinator accurately represents his own attitude toward them. It made it seem very clear that he had little good to say about them. I like euphoria, mostly, but this show was so, damn bad. It was written with the male gaze front and center. Watching jocelyn have to masturbate so weirdly and so often was a complete second hand embarrassment experience and I ultimately tapped out after episode 2.

Nepo baby Sam Levinson also plagiarized the visuals of the show from the photographer Petra S. Collins.

Is the problem Levinson or his audience? Yall made Euphoria must-see tv...