What about “You”

Makayla Marucci

She/Her

Staff Writer

2/27/23

The television show “You”, starring Penn Badgley, has been aired on Netflix since 2018.  It has currently released three and a half seasons with the other half of season four releasing on March 9, 2023.  The premise of the show is a man, named Joe Goldberg, develops an obsession with multiple women and eventually falls into old habits and murders them.  His obsession stems from a need to protect them from harm, but inevitably becomes the harm that he is attempting to save them from.  In the most recent season, Joe is attempting to reform himself and put his past behind him by moving to London under a new name.  Despite his attempts to become an improved version of himself, the deaths continue to surround him.  The season is based on a murder mystery, and Joe has to figure out who is trying to frame him for murdering the upper-class people that he associates himself with in his new life.  

As television shows progress, they sometimes lose sight of what the show was about in the first place.  In order for a series to continue they need to make certain developments to captivate their audience.  A lot of shows make unnecessary additions in a feeble attempt to lengthen their storyline when the only thing that the story needs is to be concluded.  In the series “You”, each season has a strikingly similar storyline, however, there are minor adjustments to the main character and the way that he treats his relationships as the seasons progress. This series does an excellent job of humanizing an utterly inhumane character.  The connection that the audience can make to Joe Goldberg develops throughout each season and is the reason that the show is continuing to grow.  Season four is a different type of story than the previous three seasons, it follows a murder mystery plot line and that minor change makes the story less redundant to make room for more seasons.  

I am a fan of the show because of its ability to tell a rather unrealistic story in a believable way.  I have found that recently, shows are exploring unrealistic plotlines.  The way that “You” is so believable is the acting.  I can not say enough good things about the talent of the actors and the way that they make their emotions authentic.  These people are adults, playing adults which is something that no one is seeing every day on TV.  Often it is adults playing with children and doing so rather poorly.  The intensity of the show is demanding for actors and these people perform flawlessly.  When I am watching television, a real selling point for me is how the actors are portraying these characters.“You” is a fantastic show and definitely something that I would recommend to anyone.  The plotline doesn’t stray away from the point of the show, but it isn’t redundant, and the actors are incredibly talented and truly sell the truth behind each character.