Breaking Down Netflix’s Newest Hit "You"

You is a mystery-thriller I never thought I’d get invested in, at least when I first started watching it on Lifetime. I began watching it because I thought it’d be a cheesy thriller to kill time with my cousins, but it ended up being a rollercoaster that’s hard to get off of. The first season follows Joe Goldberg, a bookstore employee and stalker, as he wedges his way into a woman named Beck’s life, whether it be through creeping on her Instagram, killing nearly all his competition for her affection, or watching her through her window while he gets himself off on the street. 

He becomes a “perfect boyfriend” to her, whilst he’s actually pushing her friends away and following her secretly around NYC. The season wraps up in a series of twists and turns, and I loved seeing where it would go and if Beck, albeit a bit bland, would survive Joe’s heinous grip on her life. When I saw it was renewed for a second season, I began counting down the days until the season two premiere where we’d get to see what messed up horrors Joe had in store next. 

Warning: there will be some spoilers for season two ahead. Season two is even better than the first, making the audience forget about Guinevere Beck and her old friend Peach, who was a highlight of the first season. Instead the season brings us to LA with Joe, who goes by Will Bettleheim in the new city, where there is a fresh group of people for him to scare off. There is a whole new set of characters like his sassy landlord Delilah and independent younger sister Ellie, who Joe tries to watch over. The second season also introduces us to Anavrin, the new hipster store Joe works at with Forty, an aspiring writer who is dependent on his family, and his seemingly perfect twin sister, Love. 

At first, Joe is convinced he is a better man and actively tries to fight against his urges to stalk yet another woman. Even throughout the season, he controls some of his impulses like hurting a man he scammed for his identity or lusting after neighbour, Delilah. However, it is clear that Joe is still very much the same person he was before as he falls for Love Quinn, his boss at Anavrin. He seems to believe he has a claim over her, just as he previously did with Beck, and makes it his mission to control her life. The show explores the concept of toxic masculinity and the actions that Joe can get away with, being a conventionally attractive young man that no one suspects of such heinous crimes. 

I won’t spoil the end or the plot twists that left me shocked, or yelling “I knew it.” But getting a look into Joe’s brain is what really throws me for a loop. His thoughts are witty and at times hilarious. He is toxic and dangerous, but when he defends women’s rights and pokes fun at something ridiculous, it’s hard to remember just how terrible of a person he is. It’s almost as though you have to remind yourself he is a total creep. For example, when he’s stalking someone Love is flirting with, he makes fun of the man in a way that is relatable and funny to the viewer, even when what he’s doing is unjustified. It’s strange, but Joe is compelling because you almost don’t want him to get caught at times, since that means the story is over and there’s no more mystery left for you to unravel. 

Joe also wants to protect kids, like Paco in season one and Ellie in season two. This makes him more likeable for looking after people who are in bad situations and can’t necessarily get out of them. However, it’s clear that Joe does so in order to prove to himself that he is a good person and that the—many—bad things he’s done don’t define him. He goes to unfathomable lengths to defend these kids, but he also does so to keep the girl he likes in his life, even when it means hurting others and controlling her actions. He goes as far to say he deserves Love’s affection at times, because he believes he is actually a good person for doing things such as helping Ellie.

The lies Joe tells come easily and it’s hard to ignore everything he’s done. It’s even harder to learn about his past, in which he dealt with abuse from various adults, and feel sorry for him, especially when what he’s doing has no excuse at all. I was surprised to see You season two and feel like they topped the first, but if this pattern is anything to go by, season three will be even better. Based on the cliffhanger that left viewers shocked during the season finale, I’d say that’s a real possibility. I expect that Joe isn’t settled down with Love forever, and that there’s another girl waiting on the horizon, one whose life he’s ready to pick apart until there’s nothing left.