Warning: The following article contains heavy spoilers for the entirety of You. The article is written from the perspectives of the writer.
We’ve followed Joe Goldberg through twisty, winding roads as he killed, lied and stalked all in the name of love. A string of missing people, all belonging to Joe Goldberg’s orbit, and an inescapable past that keeps haunting him no matter what identity or name he dons.
Season 4 leaves us with Joe being nearly invincible, engaged to the rich and powerful Kate Lockwood who’s more than willing to cover up his criminal past. Unrepentant, Joe has stopped pretending to be good, shedding the delusion of his own morality and embracing his dark side. All this is a formula for the perfect storm; Joe is free and dangerous, vowing to hurt anyone who threatens the wellbeing of Kate and his son, Henry.
Joe Goldberg and Kate Lockwood(portrayed by Charlotte Ritchie)
When Season 5 was released in late April, I tuned in eagerly to watch Penn Badgley grace our screens again. Frankly, I wanted Joe to get his comeuppance. For all his boyish charm and book-loving ways, I was irritated at the fact that he constantly got away with everything via impenetrable plot armour. You’re telling me that careful, guarded Kate Lockwood would fall in love with Joe and cover up the act of him murdering a student in broad daylight? Or he would get away with a total of 23 murders over the span of the entire series?
So when they introduced Bronte, real name Louise Flannery (portrayed by Madeline Brewer of The Handmaid’s Tale and Orange is the New Black), as the one to take down Joe Goldberg, I thought I would’ve savoured it more. The dark chase through the woods surrounding an isolated holiday home, her harrowing escape and bloody victory over Joe. However, it felt unsatisfying to me.
Bronte (portrayed by Madeline Brewer) and Joe
For a show that emphasises Joe’s desperate escape from his criminal past, the introduction of Bronte felt unearned and unsatisfying. Kate, Nadia and Marienne coming together as an Avengers-esque team to take down Joe felt justified, even if they didn’t succeed. However, I believe that bringing back Love Quinn, the most compelling and captivating character of them all, would have been Joe’s true end.
Love Quinn (portrayed by Victoria Pedretti)
Love Quinn was just like Joe, a mirror that unflinchingly reflected all of Joe’s bloodthirst and violence back at him. She committed equally bad deeds in the name of protecting her family, just like Joe. However, she never tried to pretend she was a good person, which made her a much more likable character than Joe (overlooking the murder aspects).
At the end of Season 3, we see Love at the end of her rope, trying her best to hold her little family together as Joe chases his new obsession, Natalie and then Marienne. She’s driven to madness, and finally decides that she isn’t the problem. Joe is. As she sharpens her carving knife, full of cold fury, to slit Joe’s throat, I’ll admit I was cheering for her.
In the end, Joe outsmarts Love and kills her with a lethal injection of wolfsbane before pinning Natalie’s and his own death on her. He proceeds to burn down the quaint suburban life they cobbled together, which told the audience: Joe is never going to find love. He killed his shadow and mirror. He killed Love.
Wouldn’t it be a perfect ending for Love to kill him? The elusive thing that he searches for his entire life, the one desire that keeps slipping through his grasp. In the end, his relentless and ruthless journey to win the maiden would be the very thing that spelled his demise.
That said, Season 5 of You is not without its bright spots. The storyline where Bronte catfishes Joe? Unexpected perfection. In my opinion, it’s interesting to see writers explore plot points that feel specific to this post-Internet era, including the concept of catfishing, social media stalking and media manipulation.
You was penned by a team of sharp, sardonic writers with their fingers firmly on the cultural pulse. One of my favourite scenes was when Joe attempted to undergo a rebrand amidst his PR crisis with Maddie Lockwood’s help. To do this, Maddie advises him to go on a livestream with a renowned podcaster. Her advice? Do not under any circumstances cry, because the only thing the audience hates is men who cry.
Plus the livestream comments where the audience is simultaneously berating Joe, making light of the situation and thirsting after him? Comedy gold. These moments feel like a time capsule, a distillation of modern day Internet culture in all its satirical glory. It could only be a product of its time, something anthropologists will look upon fondly a hundred years in the future.
The ending serves as a critique for the people who romanticise violence and serial killers, the Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer fanatics. As Joe says: “Maybe I’m not the problem, maybe it’s you.” It also takes a shot at society’s tendency to overlook toxic, predatory behaviour when the perpetrator is a straight, white, attractive male. Above all, it’s a message to us all: Our desensitization toward violence is a detriment to everyone.
And with that, You draws to a close. Penn Badgley’s performance as Joe Goldberg is truly wone for the books, cementing his role as a defining figure in the romance(?) – thriller genre. Anna Camp shines in her dual roles as Reagan and Maddie Lockwood, twins who couldn’t have more different personalities. However, Camp pulls this unique tension off, transitioning between these characters effortlessly.
All in all, You is smart, sharp and darkly funny. It has its detours and wrong turns, but it remains true to its heart and soul. The creators of You have crafted a relentless takedown of the obsessive lover, who’s so infatuated that he can’t help but stalk her and do horrible things in the name of love. It’s bound to serve as good entertainment, a story that we will remember in years to come.
Written by: Sarah
Edited by: Tisyha
