Since 2018, we have been obsessed with the man who mastered the art of obsession. Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) spun his intricate webs over the four seasons of Netflix’s Youand captured us with his irresistible smile and dark, manipulative ways. At the time, there was nothing quite like watching the gears grind in his mind as he laid out his meticulous plans to hunt down the prey — ahem, woman — of his choosing. But the final season turned the mirror back at us as the show stripped Joe of his charm, leaving no room for the monster to hide — one that had been there all along, but we purposefully ignored.
Casting a spotlight on the true nature of Joe was always an important goal to achieve for You, but in the process, we were delivered a final season that was polarizing among fans. Although the goal was admirable, there was little to be desired about the season’s execution, particularly in terms of storytelling and characterization.It earned a measly Audience Rotten Tomatoes score of 48%, compared to the 84% of Season 1, yet still managed to garner impressive streaming hours. According to Flixpatrol, You Season 5 managed to hit over 305 million hours, so even as the quality dipped, the show remained as addictive as ever.
‘You’ Season 5 Is a Disappointing End to a Successful Series
There is no denying that, thematically, You Season 5 is powerful. Throughout the first four seasons, the show subtly criticized the romanticization of serial killers and just generally awful men by feeding into the glorification, then only offering us instances of the victim’s voice breaking through the glamour. But the last few episodes of Season 5 hit a complete tonal shift, where we finally get the victims’ perspectives and see Joe’s actions in the harsh, cold light of bitter reality. De-romanticizing Joe is a provocative and meaningful way to end the series, but it’s in the execution where problems arise.
The final season felt very inconsistent. In setting up Joe’s comeuppance, his intuition was definitely not as sharp as it usually is, and he was manipulated far more easily than he had been in the series before. His characterization was sacrificed in making the wider commentary on misogyny, dangerous romanticization, and anti-capitalist themes, which was also packed in too tightly, muddying the storytelling with far too many subplots. The ripple effects were also found in clunky feminist tropes that undercut the series’ usual satirical tone that made it so unsettling yet enticing to watch.
While the season as a whole suffered from a serious drop in quality, it was the ending that struggled the most. Many argue that Joe never should have been arrested in the first place, where a review by the Guardian described the overt ending as a “tedious obligation it must fulfill,” which is “borderline insulting to viewers.” You could still have achieved its goal of exposing Joe as the villain he really is, without the moralistic conclusion of locking him up, so the crux of the issue with the season was execution, not necessarily its thematic aims. Yet even after alienating fans through a story that wasn’t as refined as it could’ve been, people are still clicking through the episodes.
Despite the Criticisms, ‘You’ Still Garnered Impressive Netflix Streaming Hours
Logging over 308 million streaming hours is a testament to the popularity of the show in its entirety. Whether you’re a new fan or you’re re-watching the show, once you are first introduced to the charming and unnerving Joe Goldberg, there is no way you cannot sit tight until the end, even if you know there is only disappointment around the corner. There is something creepily addictive about witnessing his cycle of stalking, killing, and kidnapping women in a glass cage, fed by his white knight savior complex and delusions of love. With each season comes another set of problems that are fascinating to watch Joe work through, from the mirror Love (Victoria Pedretti) held to him to the absurdly fun “eat-the-rich” killer.
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Even if you find the ending unsatisfying, evidence points to the show being an irresistible binge, one that demands to be watched as a whole. It’s disappointing that You wasn’t able to do both Joe’s character and his victims justice at the same time, while retaining the satirical and preposterous tone we adored so much, but there are still four successful seasons sitting on Netflix. Obsession is the name of the game, and like Joe, it seems that we remain obsessed even when things go wrong.
