A stalker that doesn’t even admit or understand he is a criminal. The Netflix thriller “You” follows a man named Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley. The story is based on a book by Caroline Kepnes and deals with love, trauma, mental health and crime. The show was first released in September 2018, and part one of the fourth season was just released on Feb. 9. Part two of the season is set to release on March 9, 2023, and it is difficult, even after watching the first part, to predict the direction it will take. Netflix’s social media and the show itself have not held back from showing the cast, new looks and twists via teasers and short clips.
The Recap
In each season, Joe has a new woman to fixate on, so he falls in love and can’t stop. The show makes a great demonstration of how far certain people will go for love and how everyone has their secrets. The fourth season differs from the other seasons in its plot and even its setting. Each season Joe has had to move because of the things he has done, and in the fourth season he has finally had to move from the United States to London.
Changes
In seasons one through three Joe has had a woman to obsess over and follow, but he refuses to admit that he goes too far when it comes to who he “loves.” This theme has a slight switch in the fourth season, as Joe instead obsesses over English society and the rich. He has now become close with the wealthy elites of London and observes how they differ from Americans and people who have less as well.
Something that stays the same is Joe's use of the show’s title throughout every episode, as he says the word “you” many times. We see the story from his point of view and mind, and it encaptures his fixation and obsession with one main thing or person.
The new season follows a different type of plot than in the past with the same eerie and mysterious tone. Another shift from the past seasons is that Penn Badgely won’t have many, if any, intimacy scenes. He requested this himself from showrunner Sera Gamble. After having many scenes of this nature in past seasons, he has realized that they aren’t right for him anymore and aren’t enjoyable. There are a few changes in this new chapter across the Atlantic, but the suspense still remains. The first half of season four leaves us in anticipation of if Joe will fall back into his old habits and get himself into trouble, or if he will reflect on who he surrounds himself with.
So far, the fourth season has left me hooked and the changes made were carried out very well. The show and book demonstrate the idea that you really don’t know people's true stories or selves. Season four continues this idea with how little Joe’s new group knows each other's past and their intentions– Joe included. Even with a different format for the plot than seasons one through three, the meaning and theme of the show remain in season four.
Kyra Dapore is a freshman at OU studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Kyra know by emailing her kd364521@ohio.edu.
