Not many shows centred around deeply disturbed men have kept me hooked for seven years – but much like Dexter, Netflix’s hit thriller You has managed to do just that.
Now with its highly anticipated final season, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) returns to our screens for one last sinister spin and it’s just as disturbing, twisted and addictive as ever.
When we first met Joe, he was a seemingly mild-mannered bookstore manager at Mooney’s in New York. Now, five seasons and a trail of bodies later, he’s no longer the soft-spoken bibliophile with a dark streak – we’re dealing with a full-blown villain.
Joe’s journey from a brooding romantic to a ruthless serial killer with a saviour complex has been a slow, brutal evolution – and it all culminates here.
Season 5 picks up with a three-year time jump. Joe is back in New York with his new wife, icy British heiress Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie) and his son Henry not far behind.
For once, life appears calm. Kate’s wealth and status offer Joe not just refuge but a rebrand – a chance to reinvent himself as a family man in the spotlight, rather than a predator lurking in the shadows. Kate even helped him clear his chequered past, unaware of the monster she was protecting.
But if you’ve watched even one episode of You, you’ll know Joe doesn’t do things peacefully. Of course, his son’s life has already been shaped by tragedy.
Henry’s mother Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) was no stranger to violence herself – and her explosive end in season 3 was one of Joe’s bloodiest chapters yet.
Since then, Joe has tried (and failed) to leave behind his violent tendencies. His romance with Kate gave the illusion of a fresh start. But underneath the tailored suits and shiny house, Joe remains… Joe.
As the season unfolds, it’s clear Joe hasn’t changed – he’s just better at hiding the darkest parts of himself. He’s juggling high-profile marriage, fatherhood and a growing appetite for chaos. The scariest part? Kate doesn’t seem entirely opposed.
Whether she’s turning a blind eye or sees herself as his saviour, the result is chilling: Joe now has the power, privilege and protection he’s never had before. With each episode, the tension builds as Joe finds himself once again tangled in lies, secrets and temptation.
A new romantic interest even enters the scene, and Joe’s pattern of obsession begins to resurface. History repeats itself – but this time, it might just catch up with him. And really, it’s about time.
From the moment he murdered his first girlfriend Beck and framed her therapist Dr Nicky, Joe has slipped through the cracks of accountability.
Each season, he’s lied, stalked, manipulated and murdered his way out of consequences. Even when he appeared to find his match with Love – who proved to be just as deadly – Joe found a way to survive like a cockroach. But in this final season, we’re not just watching Joe spiral – we’re watching the people around him finally take notice.
Kate, with all her charm and status, is no fool. And Joe’s increasing inability to keep his stories straight begins to create cracks in the illusion of their perfect life, making season 5 all the more compelling.
You has never been just another psychological thriller. Based on Caroline Kepnes’ novel series, the show is the autopsy of a man who believes he’s the hero of his own story, no matter how many lives he ruins along the way.
It also offers a disturbing mirror to the way society too often excuses “nice guys” and fails to hold abusers accountable. Joe’s ability to blend in – to charm, to justify, to rationalise – is terrifyingly real.
This final chapter doesn’t just give us more blood and drama – it gives us the reckoning fans have been waiting (and begging) for. But will Joe face the music? Can he outsmart fate one more time? Or has the truth finally become too heavy to carry?
Whatever the answer, You’s fifth and final season is the twisted, dramatic finale Joe’s story deserves. It’s a reminder that appearances can be deceiving.
Evil is not a monster. Sometimes, it can look like a book-loving soft-spoken man who holds your gaze a little too long. And in the end, that might be the most terrifying part of all.
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