The evolution of thrillers is often marked by the deft manipulation of character dynamics, plot development, and shifts in environment — all of which make the genre so captivating and unpredictable. When You debuted in the fall of 2018, it brought a fresh and chilling perspective to the psychological thriller space. With a bookstore manager turned psychopath, Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley), who had a deeply troubled past and a dangerously obsessive fixation, the show quickly carved out its place in the genre. The voyeuristic pleasure of watching Joe manipulate, stalk, and control the women in his life — all while maintaining the façade of a charming, troubled lover — was spellbinding. The series became a guilty pleasure for many, rapidly gaining a fanbase that could not look away from Joe’s dark, complicated world.
Now, after seven years, You has reached its much-anticipated finale, which some might argue was necessary to wrap up a story that had almost run its course. The character of Joe Goldberg, once a compelling and enigmatic figure, had been explored from every angle over the seasons. Initially, the peeling back of his layers — his deep-seated trauma, his obsessive tendencies, and his warped perception of love — kept the audience hooked. But as time passed, even the creators seemed to struggle with keeping the character fresh, and by the time the final season rolled around, it was clear that Joe’s story had run its course. The intrigue that once surrounded him felt less potent as the narrative repeated themes and tropes from earlier seasons.
In the final season, Joe is now living a seemingly perfect life with his wife, Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), and their young son, Henry. After the chaos that marked their lives in London, the couple moved to New York in search of a fresh start. But, as in true You fashion, the past is never far behind. The ghosts of Guinevere Beck and Dr. Nicky return to haunt Joe, and their friends and relatives, still seeking justice, quickly become a driving force in the final season. As Joe’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel, his confrontation with the fiery playwright Bronte (Madeline Brewer) sets off a chain of events that drags him deeper into his tragic spiral.
This season, however, had its fair share of predictable moments. The plot occasionally felt recycled — a reflection of the first season but without the raw freshness. The twists, while still present, didn’t pack the same punch as they once did. The show’s move back to New York, where Joe is no longer hiding behind a false identity, was an interesting shift. No longer is he a bookstore manager pretending to be someone he’s not; now he’s Joe Goldberg — a public figure, married to a wealthy philanthropist, and deeply entrenched in his own web of lies. It was a change that brought some much-needed tension, but the exposure of Joe as a public figure also made the story feel more cluttered and less suspenseful.
One of the show’s greatest strengths throughout its run has been Penn Badgley’s performance as Joe Goldberg. His portrayal remains magnetic, his ability to oscillate between charm and menace capturing the essence of a character who is simultaneously vulnerable and dangerous. Joe’s misguided understanding of love — one that hinges on control and obsession — makes him one of the most complex antiheroes of recent television. He is a deeply flawed, almost tragic figure, and while the show never definitively answers whether he is a hero or a villain, it leaves that question for the audience to grapple with. The final season attempts to humanize Joe, giving us a deeper understanding of his psychosis, but whether it succeeds is left to viewer interpretation.
While the series finale brings some fresh energy through new characters and unexpected cameos, the central issue of repetitiveness cannot be ignored. The shock factor that initially defined You gradually gave way to a sense of familiarity, making the twists feel less impactful. However, in the final moments, the show lures viewers back in, playing on the very nature of its addictive storytelling. As a long-time viewer, it’s almost as if you, too, are one of Joe’s victims — caught in his web of manipulation and left questioning the choices you’ve made in following this chaotic narrative all the way through.
The final season of You, which premiered on Netflix on April 24, is a mix of reflection, closure, and lingering questions. With ten episodes that continue to gnaw at your psyche, it closes out the series in classic Joe Goldberg fashion — with a final twist that leaves you thinking, Was the problem ever really Joe, or was it all of us?
