Warning! Spoilers for You season 5 ahead!
Youpulled off an effective finale in season 5 by calling out one of its own biggest problems. The Netflix series has been exploring the world through serial murderer Joe Goldberg’s eyes for seven years now, with season 1 having first premiered back in 2018. Episode after episode, we heard Joe’s innermost thoughts, most of which were deeply disturbing. Still, thoughts of murder and grandeur were juxtaposed by this character’s charming behavior. Add in actor Penn Badgley’s devilishly good looks, and Joe Goldberg managed to become something of a heartthrob despite his many terrible deeds.
Joe got worse and worse with every season ofYou, but each installment still came with a slew of thirst-trap fan edits onYouTube. Season 5 leaned into this detail, exploring howJoe had become a prince-charming-like celebrity after he married millionaire CEO Kate Lockwood. Both in the world ofYouand out, Badgley’s character was overly glorified. Even Bronte, a girl who met Joe with the intention of exposing him asGuinevere Beck’s murderer, ended up falling in love with Joe’s darkness. However, in thefinal episode ofYou, Bronte made a speech calling out why these extreme bad boys of fiction are so appealing.
Bronte’s Final Speech Reveals Why Characters Like Joe Are So Appealing
She Called Out The Overglorification Of Violent Male Characters
It took Bronte a while to remember just how evilJoe Goldberg was inYou. She loved the way he made her feel, so she did all she could to ignore the evidence that he was a serial murderer, not a knight in shining armor. After a talk with Marienne Bellamy, Bronte came to her senses. She returned to her initial goal of exposing Joe as the monster her was, and while holding him at gunpoint, Bronte gave a rather effective speech. She said,“The fantasy of a man like you is how we cope with the reality of a man like you.”
This line perfectly sums up why terrible characters like Joe Goldberg are so appealing. Bronte is a lover of dark romance, where the male characters are often completely despicable. They are abusive and dangerous, but readers will swoon over them regardless. Joe fits well within that mold. Bronte knew he was bad, butshe fell for him in the same way she would a character in her books. With Bronte’s speech,Youexplored the psychology of this. It isn’t that those who love characters like Joe actually want to be treated so poorly. Instead, fictional abusers allow the world to cope with the real villains of society.
You Season 5’s Dark Romance Tropes Are Surprisingly Meta
The Netflix Series Reflected Audiences' Response In Its Final Story
Youseason 5 was themed around dark romance tropes, and this meta approach was ultimately rather effective for the show’s final season. Joe Goldberg always considered his personal brand of violence to be deeply romantic, and some viewers tended to agree with him. Bronte—a character with a personal love for the dark romance genre—was brought into season 5 to represent those who found Joe’s character appealing. She fell in love with the thrill of being protected in this way. It was violence and abuse, butBronte couldn’t help but find Joe’s behavior deliciously dark and romantic.
It was as if You had taken one of the biggest criticisms against it and answered it with a meta explanation of why this series is what it is.
Throughout these final episodes, theNetflix seriescontinued to throw in more dark romance tropes. There were even some nods to vampire romance in there as a bloody-mouthed Joe proposed to Bronte in the most deranged way possible. In the end, however,Bronte emerged from the chaotic and violent romance, understanding where fantasy should end and reality should begin. It was as ifYouhad taken one of the biggest criticisms against it and answered it with a meta explanation of why this series is what it is.
You Used Its Final Story To Address A Common Criticism
You Purposely Set Joe Up This Way
Youhas often been criticised for glorifying Joe and his behavior. The fact that, despite everything, so many viewers romanticised this terrible character was evidence that this was true. However, by addressing the phenomenon of audiences falling for dark, violent characters,Youconfronted the criticism with an exploration of preciselywhythis happens. The series ending this way points out the sort of social experiment that Joe Goldberg’s character has been the center of for years.
The ending of You saw Bronte become the POV character, and through her, the illusion is stripped away.
Joe is appealing by design.Youis told predominantly from his point of view, so we as an audience easily begin to see him as he sees himself. In Joe’s mind, he kills for the greater good, and he very quickly forgets the moments when his violence turns against those he had initially intended to protect. Audiences are right there with him, becoming easily charmed despite the evidence that he is a monster. The ending ofYousaw Brontebecome the POV character, and through her, the illusion is stripped away. Said and done,it’s no longer so easy to criticize the series' unconventional approachsince Joe’s appeal was the entire point.
