You: Remember These Deadly Secrets Before Season 5 Drops!

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[This story contains spoilers from You seasons one through four.]

Hello, you.

Hey there! You’re undoubtedly the one eagerly counting down the days till Netflix unveils the long-awaited fifth and final season of “You”. Mark your calendars for April 24th, because trust me, you’ll want to be fully prepared for the thrilling conclusion. To refresh your memory on the intricate twists and turns from seasons one through four of this captivating series, The Hollywood Reporter is giving you a refresher course – after all, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) has had quite a few identities!

With numerous fixations, romantic entanglements, and casualties behind him, Joe carries a history marked by violence. His path has taken him not only across the US but also beyond its borders. However, the forthcoming season finds Joe returning to his origins – New York City.

The exciting fifth and concluding season finds Joe Goldberg back in New York City, settling into his happy ending… but his tranquil existence is disrupted when old demons resurface and his inner struggles come back to haunt him.

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but feel a sense of contentment seeing Joe living seemingly blissful life with Kate Galvin (graciously portrayed by Charlotte Ritchie), the lady he met in season four. He even expresses his joy by saying, “Who would have thought I’d be the luckiest man in New York?” Yet, a question lingers in my mind… Can Joe Goldberg really be this fortunate? To fully grasp the depth of his luck (or lack thereof), let me remind us all about the women he’s loved, the lives he’s impacted, and every twist and turn since season one.

    Season 1

    As a gamer, I can’t help but recall my very first… experience? target? conquest? In the captivating world of “You”, the narrative begins with mine, a tale as tangled as a labyrinth. On the surface, I was just an amiable bookstore manager in bustling New York City, but beneath that veneer, viewers gradually uncovered the true me – thanks to my own thoughts narrated along the way (Hello, me).

    In the initial series, character named Joe develops an intense fixation on Guinevere Beck (played by Elizabeth Lail), a budding author who shares his workplace at the bookstore. He starts to monitor her activities online and spies on her from afar, including her residence. Moreover, he orchestrates aspects of her life in order to spend time with her. Unbeknownst to Beck, Joe is deeply infatuated with her, leading her to believe that their connection is a regular romantic affair.

    In his attempt to clear the path for Beck, believing he’s safeguarding her, his excessive jealousy inadvertently becomes a barrier instead. This obsession eventually leads him to take Beck’s life. In a twisted turn of events, he then falsely accuses Beck’s therapist, Dr. Nicky (portrayed by John Stamos), of her murder.

    Apart from Beck, Joe’s other season one victims were Benji (Lou Taylor Pucci), who was Beck’s harmful partner at first; Peach (Shay Mitchell), who was Beck’s close friend; Ron (Daniel Cosgrove), who lived next to Joe; and Elijah (Esteban Benito), whom Joe killed in a flashback after discovering that he had slept with Joe’s former girlfriend, Candace.

    Season 2

    Following his escape from New York City, where he had committed the murder of Beck, Joe (now adopting the alias Will Bettelheim) struggles to keep his violent nature at bay under his new identity. However, in season two, he once again slips back into his killer and compulsive habits.

    In my new life’s transition, I crossed paths with my 15-year-old neighbor Ellie (Jenna Ortega), who resides with her elder sibling Delilah (Carmela Zumbado). Observing Ellie seemingly lacking in parental supervision, I felt compelled to step in and ensure her wellbeing. Concurrently, a captivating woman named Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) entered my life, accompanied by her intricate, affluent family, including her brother Forty. As my feelings for Love intensified, I found myself entangled in her complex familial dynamics while gradually unveiling my troubled past. To my surprise, as my love for Love deepened, I recognized more of myself in her than I had initially perceived. By the season’s end, it became evident that Joe wasn’t the sole enigma hiding a lethal secret.

    In the end, Delilah dies in Joe’s box, trying to safeguard his secrets. Additionally, she eliminates Candace (Ambyr Childers), who knew too much about him. Meanwhile, Joe himself accumulates more victims on his list: Jasper (Steven W. Bailey), a debt collector seeking the true Will, and Henderson (Chris D’Elia), a comedian with pedophile allegations. A past scene reveals that as a young man, an abusive boyfriend of Joe’s mother was killed by Joe himself.

    When Joe discovers that Love behaves in a manner reminiscent of a murderer, shattering his ideal image of her, he devises a plan to eliminate her as soon as possible. Yet, an unexpected twist arises when she informes him that she’s carrying his child.

    Season 3

    In the third season, Joe and Love strive hard to blend into a typical suburban life in a quiet California town. However, predictably, their lives soon become entangled in chaos and violence.

    As Henry is being raised in their new community by the couple, an enigmatic man named Joe becomes drawn to Natalie, their neighbor (played by Michaela McManus). Meanwhile, Love, who seems to be watching over him, attempts to keep Joe from pursuing Natalie, as she strives to uphold their flawless family facade. However, it is eventually revealed that Joe develops an obsession with Marienne, a local librarian. When Love uncovers Joe’s affair, Marienne narrowly avoids being murdered by Love and instead flees to Paris with her daughter, Juliette. Later on, an angry Love confronts Joe, which results in a tumultuous night where Joe ends up killing Love.

    Shocker… it wasn’t true love after all.

    In the third season, it was revealed that Joe killed Ryan, Marienne’s former spouse, while the series ‘Love’ saw Natalie meet her end. Gil, who found himself trapped in Joe’s glass enclosure after Love discovered her child, unvaccinated, gave Henry, Gil’s son, measles, ultimately succumbed to despair and guilt, taking his own life. However, he was falsely accused and blamed for Natalie’s death.

    Season 4

    In the fourth season, Joe expresses the idea of “new country, new me.” After staging his own death following Love’s murder and decamping from California to London posing as Jonathan Moore, a university professor, he soon discovers that he can’t outrun his past simply by altering his identity.

    Initially seeking Marienne from season three, a woman whom he had an obsession for, Joe eventually decides to let her go and focuses on someone else instead – a wealthy woman named Kate (Charlotte Ritchie). He becomes deeply involved in Kate’s social circle, aiming to befriend her acquaintances and adapt to her lifestyle. Beyond just being smitten with Kate, Joe also sees an opportunity to reinvent himself by cultivating a new image of wealth and power while concealing his troubled past.

    Despite Joe’s unawareness, his past continues to cast a long shadow over him. Throughout season four, both Joe and viewers delve deeper into his mind, where he grapples with his new persona and violent inclinations. This exploration also leads Joe initially to suspect that another murderer is tormenting him, but it turns out to be a figment of his imagination, symbolizing his own dark desires. Later on, Joe comes to understand that he himself is responsible for the murders, and his encounters with Rhys Montrose (played by Ed Speleers) are mere hallucinations.

    During the fourth season, Joe eliminates several additional individuals, some of whom he initially didn’t acknowledge his involvement in their deaths. This list includes Rhys Montrose, a real person; Malcolm (Stephen Hagan), another college professor; Simon (Aidan Cheng), an artist; Vic (Sean Pertwee), Lady Phoebe’s driver and bodyguard; Gemma (Eve Austin), Kate’s friend; Tom Lockwood (Greg Kinnear), Kate’s father; Hugo (Craig McGinlay), Tom Lockwood’s driver; and Edward (Brad Alexander), Joe’s student. Regarding the last fatality, Joe falsely accuses his other student Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman) of Edward’s murder, leading to her imprisonment. However, it is believed that Joe was responsible for Marienne’s death, but she actually manages to escape.

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2025-04-23 20:55