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In its fifth and final season, the captivating mystery series You, now streaming on Netflix, skillfully balanced adaptability and consistency. Every year, a romantic psychopath named Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) shifted to a fresh location and molded his desires onto a new woman, eventually winning her over, only to discover that the actual person was never as perfect as his fantasies. It’s perplexing why these women didn’t appreciate Joe’s readiness to kill for them, especially considering some of the victims were their close friends and relatives. Instead of basking in his affection, they chose to assert their individuality. Eventually, most ended up being detained, leading to their predestined outcomes.

In the last season, a woman named Brontë (played by Madeline Brewer) deliberately catches Joel’s eye. Previously one of Joe’s student Guinevere Beck’s classmates from Season 1, Brontë aims to catch Joe and expose his wrongdoings. However, she momentarily wavers, questioning if he could truly be evil, and finds herself drawn to him instead. The writers seem to position Brontë as a representation of the audience: A woman who is aware of Joe’s violent past but still finds herself captivated by his allure. They grant her the satisfaction of meting out the ultimate retribution for Joe—publicly castrating him, humiliating him in court, and sentencing him to a life worse than death, which would be particularly cruel for someone like Joe who sees himself as romantic—a lifetime of solitude in a prison cell.

If you found the final season of the show to be rather blunt, it’s because it abandons any attempts at subtlety. The series presumes its audience, much like Brontë, forgets that Joe, a serial killer who confines his victims in a box, is a villain or that the affection he claims for his female victims is merely a violent and possessive form of objectification. This left two longtime fans on our TIME culture team feeling somewhat let down and belittled. So, after enduring the finale, we held a post-mortem discussion.

Judy Berman: Initially, I was an ardent fan of the series You, when it was still airing on Lifetime and wasn’t widely recognized, prior to its popularity surge on Netflix that staved off its cancellation. The first two seasons, especially seasons 1 and 3, create a thrilling harmony between dark intrigue and social commentary, but I even enjoyed the less impressive seasons. However, I must admit that I found the last ten episodes to be a tiresome repetition, leading to a concluding episode that came across as scolding and pedantic, which unfortunately seemed to belittle my intelligence. To put it plainly, the notion that serial killer Joe Goldberg is a villain is not exactly the groundbreaking epiphany portrayed throughout Season 5.

Reflecting back, it became clear by the fifth episode that the storyline was foreshadowing a darker turn. This is when Joe and Brontë discussed the genre of dark romance, with Brontë assertively stating, “I am not your trope.” It felt as if she was addressing the audience directly. Despite anticipating more unexpected developments, this conversation marked the point where I began to sense that the show would prioritize delivering a Moral Message over maintaining its clever humor, thus causing me to feel a growing sense of despair as the season progressed. Eliana, when did you start to lose hope?

Eliana Dockterman: From the start, I found myself irritated. Each season, Joe manages to infiltrate a new exclusive circle – New York literary scene, L.A. wellness enthusiasts, suburban housewives, English aristocracy – and criticizes each one for their wealth and elitism. It’s difficult not to enjoy his killing sprees when they target the arrogant and cruel, despite the fact that innocent people sometimes become victims as well.

In this final season, the narrative didn’t seem to be aimed at a particular audience. Instead, it seemed to accuse viewers of finding pleasure in Joe’s previous actions. The writers appeared to underestimate our intellectual capacity, suggesting that we can’t simultaneously appreciate an “eat the rich” storyline and recognize that misogynistic serial killers are reprehensible – a presumption that felt somewhat condescending. It’s no secret that star Dylan Badgley has expressed discomfort with fans wanting Joe Goldberg to imprison them. However, Season 5 of the series seems to take these passionate tweets at face value instead of recognizing the likely intended irony.

In the end, Joe faces a very direct form of punishment. To put it bluntly, he’s wounded in the final scene, specifically in his lower body region. Not exactly discreet!

That was absolutely ridiculous! It didn’t take much for people online to criticize Joe after his mishap, whether it involved losing inches or some other kind of damage. It seems as though we don’t need the internet to tell us that this individual’s romantic adventures are deserving of scorn and disdain.

Speaking about the earlier seasons of You, I’ve always appreciated that it didn’t just satirize a single topic but rather multiple ones. In the initial phases, the series mocked affluent, snobbish social circles that made Joe’s murderous activities seem effortless. As we progressed into later seasons, the genre parody became more pronounced; Season 3 poked fun at reality TV shows like Real Housewives and Desperate Housewives, while Season 4 mimicked Agatha Christie-style mysteries that have been popular lately. At the same time, particularly in Season 1, Joe served as a fascinating character study: What if the romantic lead in countless rom-coms, such as Dan “Lonely Boy” Humphrey from Gossip Girl, were an actual person? Wouldn’t he turn out to be a delusional, troubling stalker instead of the charming hero we often see on screen? By combining these elements, the show remained engaging, clever, and insightful despite its dark themes due to the fact that viewers didn’t form strong attachments to any single character.

Season 5 deviated from the norm by directly addressing a specific group of critics, whom Emily Nussbaum refers to as “bad fans” – these are viewers who seemingly don’t fully grasp shows they adore, as they seem to root for troubled protagonists like Walter White from Breaking Bad. It’s plausible that there are women who desire Badgley to don the Joe Goldberg hat and strangle them, but it’s likely that the majority of such comments stem from fans who: a) appreciate the humor that was once an integral part of the show; and b) can differentiate between fantasy and reality. It’s puzzling why a successful series like You would conclude with a serious admonishment aimed at a niche group of “bad fans”. Shows such as Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and Mad Men didn’t feel the need to speak down to their audience, and neither should You.

As a Movie Aficionado: It appears to me that the scriptwriters devised the poignant closing monologue for the series as their focal point, carefully crafting each episode to bring the character of Joe to an emotional state where he could deliver those impactful final words.

The story concludes with Joe Goldberg confined in prison, perusing an ardent fan letter. He ponders, “Why am I trapped when these individuals pen such twisted desires for me to fulfill? Perhaps there’s a flaw within our society that needs mending. Maybe we should address and repair the issues within ourselves. Could it be that the problem isn’t me, but rather you?

In a more casual and straightforward manner: Radiohead’s song “Creep” was subtly used in the finale, serving as a clear summary of the series for those who might have been multitasking or distracted during the previous seasons. Not only did Joe explicitly express the main idea of the show, but he even said the title of the show out loud! It seems someone got overly enthusiastic about that revelation. What were your thoughts on this ending, Judy?

As a movie reviewer, I must confess, I found “You” deeply disappointing, Eliana. Disappointing because despite its potential for thought-provoking exploration, the narrative seems to have missed the mark. Joe’s final voiceover, while undeniably true in its broad strokes, lacked specificity and depth, making it difficult to engage with critically.

The underlying issue here is not just the societal problem that the series presents, but rather the entrenched misogyny that has shaped our understanding of heterosexual love over centuries. It’s a complex and multifaceted issue, one that requires more than a passing mention in a TV show’s closing moments.

The fact that this theme is the very foundation upon which “You” was built makes its lackluster handling all the more frustrating. After five seasons, I expected a more complete exploration of these themes, not just their introduction. Instead, it feels like we’ve only scratched the surface, leaving much room for introspection and discussion among viewers.

In a similar vein, during their confrontation in the woods near the end of the finale, Brontë tells Joe something along these lines: “Your fantasy is how we deal with you as a man.” This statement struck me as thought-provoking. It reminded me of the scene where Joe killed Clayton, who was supposed to aid Brontë against Joe but ended up trying to harm her when their plans went awry. Could it be that women are attracted to serial killers, vampires, and romance novels (which Joe referred to as “fairy smut” at one point) because the violent misogyny prevalent in society makes us somehow drawn to the violent misogynists who claim to adore and shield us?

In my opinion, that particular line hints at a concept the story could have delved into more profoundly and subtly. Instead of merely informing us, it could have demonstrated how Stockholm Syndrome might materialize in such a context. I personally believe that was a significant aspect left unexplored.

ED: I find that theory on why women are drawn to true crime stories intriguing, and I’d have enjoyed a deeper look at the subject. However, the show seems like it originated during the #MeToo era—a time when harmful men pretending to be good were just beginning to be openly discussed instead of being a constant political issue.

To address a related topic, let’s discuss Joe’s son, Henry. As someone who is expecting a baby boy and frequently reads about the expanding “manosphere” online before drifting off to sleep, I find myself both captivated by and concerned about how young boys are being drawn into the toxic realm of the internet. In the early stages of the series, Henry carries out an act of violence, which suggests he may be adopting his father’s anger. I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of Henry’s psychological state, but unfortunately, his character is mostly used as a piece in the legal chess match between Joe and his wife. It seems not every show can delve into the complexities of adolescence like Adolescence.

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2025-04-24 20:06

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