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The fifth season of the popular Netflix thriller You was released on April 24th, and despite mixed reviews, it provides a solid conclusion to Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) turbulent story. As many viewers expected, the final season saw the death of some key characters and the return of several familiar faces, which helped wrap up the series in a satisfying way. However, while the final season offers closure, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of earlier seasons.
Without giving away spoilers, the fifth season takes place three years after Joe and Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) left London and moved to New York. Kate is now the CEO of Lockwood Corporation, while Joe is her seemingly loyal husband, dubbed “Prince Charming” by the city’s respected social circle. Despite their agreement to “help each other do good,” it’s clear that misfortune is soon to catch up with the well-meaning but troubled Joe.
The official synopsis for the fifth and final season reads, “In this epic season, Joe Goldberg returns to New York to enjoy a happy life, but his plans are threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.” The cast of the fifth season of You includes Madeline Brewer (Bronte), Griffin Matthews (Teddy Lockwood), Anna Camp (Reagan and Maddie Lockwood), Natasha Behnam (Dominic), Pete Ploszek (Harrison), Tom Francis (Clayton), Nava Mau (Detective Marques), and others.
The ending of the fifth season of You may not have been what the most dedicated fans of the series expected (and I, as one of them, admit that). But you’d likely become a fan too if you’d first read all the books in Caroline Kepnes’ You series. Although the books differ quite a bit (as expected), that’s a story for another time. However, the writers did an excellent job overall, ensuring that each character faced the consequences of their actions, often in a way that wasn’t the easiest. The season feels like a cohesive celebration of the story’s conclusion, which is ultimately all it needed. Later seasons undoubtedly tried to maintain the same level of creativity and intensity, but there are strong moments in each episode.
In my opinion, You ends on a positive note, which can’t be said about Joe Goldberg’s numerous relationships. Yes, the story of our favorite serial killer comes to a close, and honestly, it’s for the best. Nearly seven years have passed since we first met the romantic killer with a savior complex, and even more in his fictional world. The fifth season begins with Joe’s familiar monologues, filled with his many self-deceptions. Lying and deceiving himself as a lonely, downtrodden young man is one thing, but it’s entirely different for Joe, now a middle-aged man, married and reunited with his school-age son.
The final season of You, created by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble, with Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo serving as showrunners, maintains a similar style to the first season from seven years ago. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series received a 77% rating from critics (based on 26 reviews), while audience reception was more mixed, with a score of just 69%.
Some things become harder to accept with age, and unfortunately, neither Joe nor Penn Badgley have evolved. The Gossip Girl alum struggles to portray the more complex emotions of his now domesticated character. Though, to be fair, the script requires him to make quick shifts from the madness of a serial killer to layered, everyday dramas, which isn’t an easy task. It’s safe to say that Badgley is far from Michael C. Hall’s portrayal of Dexter Morgan, another fan-favorite serial killer, but he does put in a solid effort.
The tension in You has always stemmed from how the show draws viewers in with a mix of disgust and attraction toward the main character, only to push them away again, repeating the cycle. This is fully realized in the final season, continuing the tradition that made the Netflix hit so compelling. Violence against women — which is prominent and depicted very realistically — is shown in its full, disturbing detail. Every blow delivered to one of the women is shocking. But amidst all the horror, as in every season, these smart, modern women still find themselves falling for Joe year after year. Well, what else would you expect? As they say, the show must go on.
In any case, the final season honors the women of You by rethinking the objects of Joe’s many unfortunate romances. I don’t promise justice, as Joe’s numerous crimes can’t be undone, but at least there’s a resolution, a turning point, and by the end, we hear the inner monologue of someone else. It’s a smart move that reminds us Joe’s perspective is just that — his perspective, and a horribly distorted one at that.
Yes, the season may feel a bit stretched at times, perhaps with one or two plot twists more than necessary. But You has earned the right to take its time, as this ten-episode season gives ample space to Joe’s past victims.
And it ends by reminding us that those who survived Joe — if they tragically didn’t become his victims — are the true heroes of this story. Through them, we see Joe for who he truly is, beyond his distorted self-image, before everything came to an end. It’s refreshing, even though it’s clear in You that Joe will never join us or gain any meaningful self-awareness, despite his seemingly self-reflective words. Of course, viewers were complicit, allowing him to live in his fantasy and rewarding it, to some extent, with our attention, if not outright fascination. The series recognizes and calls out our complicity, perhaps giving us a better ending than we deserve.
The best and worst thing about You‘s fifth season is that it stays true to itself from start to finish. The show sticks to its core formula throughout, with several shocking twists — whether it’s love being a killer too, or Joe suffering from a mental disorder that spawns another personality. However, the central thread has always been the story of a lost person searching for love, willing to kill for it. These elements work well, making the fifth season feel very similar to the first, but with a version of Joe who has evolved significantly and will have you on the edge of your seat by the final episode. The fifth season is the best season of the series, but it could also become one of the most controversial due to the very decisions that make it stand out.
The series has often been criticized for romanticizing Joe and his behavior. The fact that, despite everything, so many viewers romanticized this terrible character was proof that it was true. However, in addressing the phenomenon of viewers falling for dark, violent characters, You responded to the criticism by exploring why this happens. The show’s ending points to a social experiment, with Joe Goldberg at its center for all these years.
Joe is designed to be attractive. The narration in You is primarily in the first person, so as viewers, we quickly start seeing him the way he sees himself. In Joe’s mind, he kills for the greater good and swiftly forgets the moments when his violence turns against those he originally intended to protect. Viewers are completely on his side and easily fall under his spell, despite the obvious evidence that he’s a monster. But as the series reveals more of Joe’s character, the gap between him and what he represents grows: the threat that any seemingly decent man could, in an instant, reveal himself to be a monster who believes he’s the hero of his own romantic story, capable of convincing others to join his fantasies. Be cautious, ladies.
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