If you’ve seen YOU on Netflix, then you know what a phenomenal show it is. From Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) calm, collected and creepy demeanor in Season 1, to his more concerned and apprehensive personality in Season 2 – this show is perfect for binging.
Warning - spoiler alerts!
Penn Badgley in YOU / Picture Credit: Netflix
Season 1
Season 1 of YOU was ambitious, visually stunning and a story that glued you to your seat and made you shut off your phone.
Joe Goldberg is a fascinating character, with Badgley’s absolutely perfect performance accompanied by his marvellous monotoned voice making him the perfect choice for this role.
Season 1 follows Goldberg as he works in the Mooney’s bookstore, when Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) walks in. Beck steals his heart from the get-go and he will stop at nothing to make her his, and keep her ‘safe’; this does not rule out murder and kidnapping.
Goldberg is always there, outside Beck’s window and at her poetry readings and she is none-the-wiser. The show portrays Beck and Goldberg perfectly, as he is the one in the wrong, but we still want him to get away with it!
Beck’s character is also brilliantly done, as her dismissal of the many nice things Joe does for her so she can dote upon her best friend, Peach Salinger (Shay Mitchell), who is one of the most irritating characters ever – but in a good way as she serves as the wedge driving Beck and Goldberg further apart.
This season is the perfect introduction to this show, as the characters are well-balanced, and even at the end in regard to Beck’s demise, we always seem to be on Goldberg’s side – no matter what he does.
Season 2
Season 2 is still brilliant, but doesn’t hold a candle to Season 1.
Joe (now called Will) moves to Los Angeles (LA) to escape New York (NY) as his story there didn’t end too well…
Will living in a small-gated community and meets Ellie (Jenna Ortega), a wannabe but very focused filmmaker. Will takes on the role of protector once again like he did with Beck in Season 1, but this time he is worried for Ellie as she gets into all kinds of trouble.
As for the love interest, well there’s Love. Love Quinn is a character played by Victoria Pedretti and is the new apple of Will’s eye – eventually.
What seems to be odd about this season is that Quinn won’t stop wanting to be with Joe, so much so that she seems to take on some of his Season 1 traits; murder for example.
Quinn is essentially taking over Will’s role; while he still commits crimes such as kidnapping and identity theft, Quinn seems to be the big bad wolf. She does this very well of course, but the plot seems to shift from Will and focus on Quinn’s brother Forty Quinn (James Scully), and leave little for Will to do other than try to understand this weird family he’s wandered into.
The show goes from an outstanding Season 1 with mystery, deception, a good love story and Goldberg’s outstanding poker face, to Season 2 which follows a very different narrative and almost seems too different.
What could Season 3 bring, and what would we love to see?
Since Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger involving a pregnant Quinn, and a new house for her and Goldberg; but when he ventures into the back garden and sees the feminine next door neighbour through the fence… what could happen next?
Joe Goldberg is a very versatile character thanks to Badgley’s performance, but what we would love to see more of Goldberg’s menacing behaviour from the shadows, as this offers a more mysterious story line rather than having him more front-and-centre in the sense that he was the one being sought after.
The plot would maybe be brilliant if Goldberg reverted back to his Season 1 self, ‘protecting’ his pregnant girlfriend from things he feels would impact their lives.
Or if we saw Goldberg try hard to get involved with the next-door neighbour and create a mixture between Season 1 Goldberg and a new Goldberg in the middle of a cul-de-sac conundrum.
The possibilities for Season 3 are all up in the air, but whatever we get with the next season, will no doubt be fantastic and leave us glued to the screen once again.
Both seasons of YOU are available on Netflix and Season 3 is set to be released on that same service in 2021.
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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