The series returns with that unsettling voice-over from the killer, the stalker, and the psychopath, Joe Goldberg, equal parts charming and menacing.
Netflix’s psychological thriller “You” is back for its fifth and final season, bringing an end to the dark saga of Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley). After years of stalking, obsession, and a trail of bodies spanning multiple cities and identities, Joe Goldberg has come home – back to New York City, the concrete jungle where viewers first met the dangerously charming bookstore manager with a murderous secret. This return marked not just a geographical comeback but the final chapter of a story that began on the Lifetime network in 2018, finding relative obscurity before exploding into a global phenomenon after its move to Netflix.
Viewers can now enjoy this series that has constantly evolved, showing us the thousand faces of Joe Goldberg, who is now a full-fledged member of New York’s upper class.
But as you know, some things never change.
Back Where It All Began – Joe Goldberg, Rebranded
Season 5 picked up the story three years after Joe’s tumultuous stay in London. He was back in New York City, the same place his televised journey of obsession began, even returning to the familiar refuge of Mooney’s bookstore. But this wasn’t the Joe Goldberg viewers first met – the seemingly modest bookstore employee hiding monstrous tendencies. Thanks to his marriage to the extremely wealthy Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), now Kate Lockwood-Goldberg and CEO of the powerful Lockwood Corporation, Joe had undergone a striking transformation. No longer lurking in the shadows, he was living in plain sight, rebranded as a charismatic and supportive husband – a true “wife guy” holding Kate’s purse, enjoying immense privilege, and even regaining custody of his young son, Henry.
This polished facade was built upon the dramatic remnants of Season 4. In London, under the alias Professor Jonathan Moore, the season took a sharp turn when it was revealed that Joe himself was the killer, suffering a psychotic break and dissociative episodes where he hallucinated conversations with his supposed target, Rhys Montrose (Ed Speleers), who was actually his murderous alter ego. This breakdown led him to kidnap and cage his previous obsession, Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle), although his fractured mind initially blocked the memory. Confronted with his own monstrosity and believing Marienne had died in the cage (unaware that she faked her death with the help of her student Nadia), Joe attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge. He was rescued and, in a moment of apparent vulnerability, confessed his true identity and parts of his violent past to Kate. Surprisingly, Kate, newly empowered by inheriting her manipulative father’s fortune (after Joe killed him), accepted Joe. She used her vast resources to clean up his past, fabricate a narrative of him as a victim escaping his “violent” ex-wife Love Quinn, and relaunch him into New York society. They promised to “stay good to each other,” a promise that hung precariously over the final season.
Could the Joe who once observed the privileged elite from afar truly inhabit that world without succumbing to his old ways? This juxtaposition formed the central tension of the season: Joe desperately trying to hold onto his “perfect” life, resisting the murderous urge, while his past actions and inherent compulsions threatened to shatter the illusion. His newfound power and status created a dangerous paradox. While Kate’s wealth allowed him to erase his history and resurface, his public profile stripped him of the anonymity that had always been his greatest weapon. Now a known figure, Joe could no longer stalk and kill with the same impunity, exponentially raising the stakes for his inevitable relapse.
Familiar Faces, New Obsessions, and Family Feuds
The final season brings together a cast designed to force the collision of Joe’s past and present. Penn Badgley, of course, returns for his final portrayal of the complex killer, alongside Charlotte Ritchie as the complicit Kate Lockwood-Goldberg. Figures representing Joe’s recent and unresolved crimes reappear. Tati Gabrielle returned as Marienne Bellamy, the artist Joe caged in London who successfully faked her death and escaped, potentially holding the key to his downfall. Amy-Leigh Hickman also reprised her role as Nadia, Joe’s former student whom he framed for murder at the end of Season 4, another loose end seeking justice. Joe’s son, Henry, now older and living with Joe and Kate, was played by Frankie DeMaio.
No season of You is complete without a new object of Joe’s deadly fixation. Enter Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Bronte, an enigmatic figure working at Mooney’s (implied) with a seemingly troubled past that immediately activates Joe’s twisted “protective” instincts.
Adding another layer of conflict was the introduction of Kate’s family, the Lockwoods, who presented obstacles to Kate’s attempts to steer the family company towards philanthropy. Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) delivers a strong performance playing twin sisters: the “viciously cruel” Reagan, intensely competitive with Kate, and her sister Maddie. Griffin Matthews (The Flight Attendant) joined as Teddy Lockwood, Kate’s protective brother-in-law.
The ensemble was rounded out by recurring guest stars like Natasha Behnam, Pete Ploszek, Tom Francis, and Baby Reindeer revelation, Nava Mau.
The Final Act: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Cage
Despite his best intentions (or perhaps because of them), Joe’s attempt at a reformed life proved predictably short-lived. The final season wastes no time plunging viewers back into the “chaos of Joe’s obsessive life.” His relapse into murder began, ironically, under the guise of protecting Kate from antagonistic members of her family. However, this quickly devolved into his familiar pattern of obsession, this time intensely focused on Bronte. Their connection deepened into an affair, further straining his already fragile marriage with Kate.
Now, the fifth season introduces the central role of Bronte, a girl with a lot to hide who will be the central axis around which all the intrigue of this season revolves.
Without revealing anything about the narrative: as always in the series, many plot twists and emotional turns, and situations that lead us, unexpectedly, to sudden changes in the plot.
Surprises and more surprises in this fifth season.
Behind the Scenes – Passing the Torch for the Finale
The journey to the conclusion of You involved a significant shift behind the scenes. Sera Gamble, who co-created the series with Greg Berlanti and served as showrunner for the first four seasons, stepped down from the primary leadership role before the final season. While she remained involved as an executive producer, the reins were passed to Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo.
This transition wasn’t a complete overhaul, as both Foley and Lo were veteran writers and executive producers on the show, ensuring a degree of continuity. Foley had been with You since Season 1, and Lo joined during Season 2. Their stated vision for the final season aligned with the narrative’s trajectory: bringing Joe’s story “full circle” by returning him to New York. They emphasized wanting to explore the “dichotomy between the old and the new” Joe, confronting the man he had become with the specter of his origins.
The handover to Foley and Lo, who explicitly focused on bringing Joe “home” for a final chapter, could have signaled a move towards a more definitive conclusion. This managed transition, leveraging the experience of long-term creative team members while potentially allowing for a fresh perspective on the endgame, aimed to deliver an ending that felt both earned and conclusive. Ultimately, series star Penn Badgley expressed strong satisfaction with the finale crafted under the new leadership, calling it “responsible” and the “best resolution.”
“It’s Compelling”: Penn Badgley on Saying Goodbye to Joe
As the curtain fell on Joe Goldberg, the actor who brought him to life for five seasons expressed a sense of satisfaction and relief. Penn Badgley, who has famously grappled with the complexities and audience reception of his character, called the series finale “perfect.” He elaborated, stating his belief that the ending was “responsible, it’s compelling, it’s dramatic and emotionally resonant,” adding that the creative team successfully managed to “tie up the end” and found the “best resolution” for Joe. For Badgley, who felt it was crucial for the show to address “what are we trying to say about this man?”, the ending seemingly provided answers he could stand behind. He felt it managed to “check all the boxes and do the impossible.”
Our Opinion
Another unsettling and ambiguous season in a series that we will undoubtedly miss. That said, we recognize that continuing this story and unnecessarily dragging out the series would have been absurd: it had to be concluded, and Netflix does so with a good season that is one of the best.
Will everyone like the ending? Probably not, and it doesn’t have to please everyone, but it’s a good ending and will likely be to the liking of the majority.
In this final season, the series successfully recaptures the initial feel with the flavor of New York and the used bookstore, adding the allure of a great co-star in Bronte.
A sad ending, like all endings, for a character who, due to his complexity and ambiguity, leaves a deep mark on the history of recent television.
Farewell, Joe.
Where to Watch “You”
