By Bailei Burgess-Simmons
Staff Writer
Spoiler alert.
I sit here after just binge watching the final five episodes of season four of “YOU,” and in all honesty, I have no idea how to feel.
On Thursday, March 9, the second half of season four of “YOU” was released, completing the fourth season. The season followed Joe, now using the alias Jonathan Moore, to the U.K. where he fled after the tumultuous end of season three. In England, Joe assumed a position as an English Professor and hoped to start a new life. However, not too long into his stay, he found himself being blackmailed into doing the dirty work of a mysterious murderer called the, ‘Eat the rich killer.’
In season four, there is so much to discuss and so much to love and hate. The screenwriting, with Joe’s witty inner monologue (my favorite part) and the “so bad that it’s good” plot twists, I quite enjoyed. However, the incapability of American and British authorities to catch a prolific killer is just unrealistic and almost laughable.
With the conclusion of season four, I am left with mixed emotions ranging from surprise, to the fact that, yet again, Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) has gotten away with an unreasonable amount of crime. On the other hand, the means by which he did seemed less the result of genius scheming and more the result of nepotism.
That’s right. Our humble, middle class commoner evaded his doom this time, not just by framing his victim (which is his preferred method of scapegoating), but through the unimaginable access and power of his gazillionaire girlfriend.
Part of the allure of the show is watching Joe and somehow empathizing and rooting for the morally ambiguous, maybe good guy, with a murderous streak. If not that, then it’s enjoyable to watch him make a ruin of his life, and somehow, always evade prison and or death in the end.
I mean, come on. What’s more relatable than being a hopeless romantic? Every season before, Joe was chasing a fantasy where he’d be loved unconditionally and where he’d never again feel driven to do things like murder people.
However, this season was not that. The first half of the season would have received a soaring review if not for the wrap up that was the last three episodes. What has, in the past seasons, been a show where we followed Joe through all of his phases of obsession — from the initial stalking, to the murdering of everyone in between him and the object of his obsession all the way to their inevitable demise — took a turn this season. It differed because Joe was not killing for love. Instead, his efforts to suppress his violent urges backfired and, in a series of blackouts and deluding hallucinations, he racked up an astounding eight bodies, his new personal best.
The approach to the classic who-done-it initially made this season so exciting. Joe wasn’t the killer but the hero. He was making strides and proving that he could be better. Part two demolished that idea, however. Instead, in an admirably creative way, it reminded us that no human, especially someone who has killed an impressive 24 people over four seasons, would ever really be able to deny their nature.
What I initially expected to be the beginning of a redemption arc for Joe Goldberg — as if that’s even possible — turned into a harsh reality check. However witty and relatable Joe is, he’s still a sick monster that has left a trail of bodies and witnesses across continents, no doubt still suffering from their trauma. He has ruined the reputations of countless, framed more people than I can even recall and prematurely ended the lives of so many.
With the introduction of a new setting came new characters — a friend group, wealthy beyond imagination with all of the bad qualities we associate with the rich. The juxtaposition of Joe, in all his average glory, and the obnoxiously out of touch people (whom, like me, you will come to enjoy this season) led us to empathize with Joe rather than these rich people who were literally being picked off by a murderer whose identity I won’t reveal. But, ultimately, Joe turned out to be the same as them.
This season burst my bubble in the best way possible. I can’t confidently say that if this season had been Joe’s demise, I would have been happy about it. However, with renewed vigor, I will be watching season 5 in hopes that Joe Goldberg finally gets what he deserves.
