Your Newest Addiction (Review)
March 17, 2023
This article contains spoilers for season four of the Netflix show You.
Murder, mystery, secrets, and lies, the staples of any entertaining crime show. You on Netflix took these elements and elevated them beyond normal proportions to create a mind-numbingly intriguing crime show . The first half of the newest season of You was released on February 9th. The next chapter of Joe Goldberg’s chilling story takes place in England, where he tries to escape his troubled past as a college English professor named Jonathan Moore. Thus far, it has satisfied that sick sort of fascination I have with the human psyche. Watching Joe fall for these women and fall down the spiraling staircase to madness has been highly engaging.
But, as luck would have it, Joe’s past catches up to him. His façade starts to slip when he wakes up in his apartment after a night of debauchery to find his neighbor and colleague, Malcolm, stabbed on his dining room table. The season starts off brutally, as Joe deals with the corpse of his colleague violently. Guilt claws at his ribcage as he racks his brain for what happened the night before. Did he kill him? He wished for a clean start, and now his haunted past approaches.
This was a tricky start for me. The show had previously not been very gorey and watching Joe cut open his colleague with wild abandon within the first forty-five minutes of the show was jarring. However, the story quickly picks up as Joe gets a mysterious text message from an unknown person claiming that they know who he is and more importantly, what he has done. But the plot of the season is derived from Joe playing a twisted game with this person. He didn’t kill Malcolm, this unknown person did, and he has to find out who.
Personally, this was an ingenious twist in the show. I was worried it would be another season where Joe falls for a girl and does anything for her, including murder, and that would be that. But now, even though Joe has a love interest, (ironically in Malcolm’s old girlfriend) she’s not the main focus. The murderer, one of Malcolm’s strange friends, is in his midst and Joe must continue the charade as a member of the elite so he can get to the bottom of it.
The cast of characters in this show is enormous, making the suspect list just as long. First up, Joe’s love interest, Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) is a workaholic with a bad attitude who also had a bone to pick with Malcolm due to the way he treated her. Possible motive.
Second, Lady Phoebe (Tilly Keeper) is a beautiful and rich socialite, coasting on the name of her family. She’s sickly sweet and well-rounded. Maybe she’s hiding something.
Thirdly, Adam (Lukas Gage) is Lady Phoebe’s lover. He is “rich” off daddy’s money but funds are limited. He is also unsatisfied in his relationship with Phoebe and seeks pleasure elsewhere. Perhaps he is fueled by financial spite, or maybe his secret got out.
Fourthly, Rhys. Rhys is a novelist, a kindred spirit in Joe’s eyes. He fought his way up the ladder only to slum it with the arrogantly elite. Which side is real?
Finally, one of Joe’s students, Nadia, had a tryst with Malcolm. She has an obvious motive. But did she do it?
There are a slew of more characters, each with available motives, but these are the main players. The show is riveting, and follows a Clue-like “whodunnit” structure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You will fight a war inside as you stare into the face of the human condition. How can you root for a serial killer? And yet, you will.
This unknown person terrorizing Joe dwindles down the list of suspects until there are only a few major characters left. The media in show dubs the murder the “Eat the Rich” Killer, and fingers begin to point towards Joe as his low-class background becomes more and more apparent. Will he dodge this suspicion, or succumb to something primal within?
Season four offers a refreshing twist on Joe’s story, playing in to themes of class warfare that are as relevant today as ever. As Joe peels back the designer masks of those around him, it also prompts me to see holes in the consumer-driven world we live in today. All that is to say, watch the second half of the season unfold on Netflix today! You won’t be disappointed.
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