You
By Sioph W. Leal
The fifth and final season of You has Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) returning to New York to live out his happily ever after. The world knows him as Joe Goldberg once again but this time he’s the high-profile husband of Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), father of Henry (Frankie DeMaio) and he’s painted in a positive light online as the doting supportive husband who is happy to hold his wife’s bag as she dominates the corporate world. It's all going so perfect for Joe until ghosts of his past and his own dark desires can’t be channelled. It’s been three years since the last season and Joe hasn’t killed since, keeping true to the promise at the end of last season that he and Kate would do good. Joe, again, sees himself as the Prince Charming of the story, a flawed hero wanting to do right by his family, but even reformed Kate points out how exhilarated he is when he talks about killing in his writing or when he feels he must do it to protect their family.
This season feels different with Joe no longer having anonymity and thrust into the New York social scene, widely known as a billionaire and revered for how much he loves his wife. Shaking things up for the season is the inclusion of the Lockwood family, a true viper’s nest that brings their own chaos to upheave the peace Joe thought he had earned. Raegan and Maddie Lockwood (Anna Camp), twins who are very different from each other. Maddie loves Joe and is easily manipulated but Raegan is the alpha type, vindictive and vengeful and feels scorned that Kate has the company and not her. It’s her mission to take Kate down and to do that, she uses Joe. The Raegan-Joe rivalry gives some of the best moments of the season, both characters crazy in their own ways and don’t care about crossing lines. There’s also Teddy Lockwood (Griffin Matthews), Kate’s half brother and her true ride or die, who acts as her voice of reasoning and person who she confides in. Many times, the family drama plot can get messy, but it works perfectly for this season with the unhinged nature of what transpires between Joe and the twins. It's both expected but so absurd that it pulls off some crazy things that, unfortunately, embargo cannot let us disclose. Anna Camp clearly had the time of her life in the dual roles but even with the absurdity of what goes on, she’s able to show the twins as two completely different people without flaw and with some nuance that makes her the standout of the series.
The Lockwood’s aren’t the only new characters causing a stir. Joe meets his next intended victim/love interest in Bronte (Madeline Brewer) when he catches her breaking into Mooney’s. She’s a catalyst for awakening old Joe, his dream girl with the same interests as his, the same damages he thinks he can save which makes him instantly enchanted. Brewer is, of course, excellent and keeps to the line of vulnerable and determined as Bronte draws Joe in, she’s perfect for him in every way almost as if she’s been constructed to enchant him. The characters do have great chemistry, and you can see why Joe falls easy and fast for Bronte, there’s a lot of similarities to Beck which makes for a great callback to the first season but still feels fresh enough to not be a repeat.
Plotwise, the first half of the final season of You is the right amount of crazy absurd that fans have come to love. With it being the final season, it never takes itself seriously and leans fully into all the quirks and absurdities without shame and makes for an entertaining first half with plenty of twists, mayhem and manipulations.
You season 5, part 1 was screened for review.