Lauren Nolen, Senior
December 26th was the release date on Netflix for season 2 of the popular, yet very creepy, show titled You. The show revolves around Joe Goldberg, an obsessive stalker portrayed by Penn Badgley, who is also well-known for his role as Dan Humphrey in the series Gossip Girl. In You, Joe Goldberg will do anything it takes for his twisted concept of love - even if that means murder.
Season 2 focuses on Joe with a new stolen identity as Will Bettelheim in a new city with a new love interest… ironically named Love. Love, played by Victoria Pedretti, immediately connects with Joe, and Joe is already stalking her and digging for all of her personal information. With several twists and turns, shocking scenes, and exceptional acting, the second season definitely lives up to the potential which fans all over the world had hoped for after the thrill of season 1. The second season is nine episodes long and truly a binge-watch that will not disappoint after all of these months of anticipation. There is a huge twist that likely left the mouths of everyone watching on the floor and a cliffhanger that seems to set the stage for a season 3.
The concept of the entire show is very intriguing and interesting as viewers fight the natural habit to root for the main character, despite him being a psychopathic serial killer/stalker. Because the show is told through his point of view, fans struggle to see Joe as the villain since he truly believes that he is always doing the right thing, even though he isn’t. Penn Badgley, the actor who plays Joe, has constantly discouraged fans from trying to sympathize with his character and reminding people that this toxic, violent behavior is not meant to be romanticized as many fans have been doing since the show first came out. In a discussion with Gina Rodriguez on Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Badgley explained that he believes the show represents “how far we are willing to go to forgive an evil white man.” The dynamic is actually quite similar to the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy, who no one believed was capable of such horrendous crimes just because he was attractive and charismatic.
You is really a lot more powerful than it seems once the viewer sits back and thinks about what they just watched. Evaluating the main character’s behaviors and how you as a viewer reacted to them or how you perceived Joe while watching him murder people can tell you a lot about the true meaning of this creepy stalker story and the goal of the show in general.
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