The third season of Netflix’s You premiered last week and it was A LOT. Joe Goldberg is back, not only with his new wife Love Quinn but also their son, Henry Forty Goldberg. This season introduced Joe in a completely different light, the doting husband and father, living in a beautiful suburban neighbourhood. However, it never is that simple, is it? And a leopard never changes its spots.
WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Joe-the-stalker-Goldberg is back
After the finale of second season of You, it was clear to viewers that there was no way Joe was going to change his ways, not even with a new wife and baby in tow. We meet Joe as a new father to baby son Henry, living out the American dream in the suburban town of Madre Linda. Both Joe and Love’s lives seemed to be overwhelmed with being new parents. However, that doesn’t stop Joe from his usual tricks. Their new neighbour, Natalie, seems to spark some interest from Joe. This is clearly obvious to most, including Love. Natalie, a character whom most believed to be Joe’s obsession this season, is killed by Love at the end of episode 1. This twist, shocking but also understandable, sets out this season as one with multiple twists and turns, to keep the audience guessing. Nothing is too predictable and everything is ridiculously unrealistic.
Toxic partners at their best
A brilliant addition to this season of the Netflix cult show is the partnership between Joe and Love. If serial killers soulmates were a thing, these two would be it. Two despicable human beings, now raising a child in their fancy suburb with nosey neighbours and friends, is a recipe for disaster. And disaster they are. The two have now stacked up the deaths of 15 different people over the course of the show, which is no mean feat. After the death of Natalie, and the disaster of trying to hide the body and any evidence, the two decide to go to couples therapy. This is probably one of the smartest things both characters have done. These scenes, halfway through the show, are a personal highlight for many.
Adding comedy to the mix works perfectly. Although this season is far less serious and intense than its predecessors, that doesn’t take anything away from it. Some are hailing it as the best yet.
One big irony about this couple is their almost hatred for each other, for displaying the same behaviours. Joe, who seems to turn against Love completely, is constantly criticising her and her actions. Love on the other hand, completely oblivious to her own flaws, seems to blame almost everything on Joe. Love sees the two as soulmates, they are different sides of the same coin, whereas Joe can’t get out of that marriage quick enough.
A new ‘You’
This season of You seems to turn a corner in many ways. A completely different premise, meaning, even if only briefly, we got to see Joe and Love slightly differently. As new parents, their lives were completely transformed. Viewers got to see Joe go against everything he hates the most, the rich, upper-class who have more money than sense and are probably the most boring and self-obsessed people he’s ever had to meet.
The introduction of these characters, Cary and Sherry, in particular, is almost a breath of fresh air. Not because they’re good people, but because of the reactions from Joe and Love. These are terrible people, awful, really. It almost makes Joe and Love look normal. However, nearing the end of the season, the audience came to love this couple, particularly in some of their final scenes. Locked in the infamous glass cage after hearing Joe and Love arguing about Natalie’s death, these two are absolutely hilarious and somehow make it out alive.
The addition of Love alongside Joe, also means viewers got a slight insight into her and her way of thinking. Having both Joe and Love’s internal monologues in various episodes was both hilarious and terrifying; these two are essentially the same, even if Joe can’t see it.
This season also introduced more insight into Joe’s past, looking back at one of his first obsessive relationships with a woman in his life. Although it is hard for the viewer to sympathise with Joe, especially as he never learns from his mistakes, learning more about how it all started for Joe does help us understand him more.
What’s next for our favourite killer?
After THAT finale, many viewers are questioning what’s next for Joe?
The few final scenes showed the demise of Love, at the hands of Joe, featuring the brilliant exile by Taylor Swift. Joe killed Love, faked his own death by cutting off two of his toes (which was particularly gruesome), handed Henry over to Dante, and started his new life in Paris. His ‘new life’ however, will most likely consist of him searching for his current obsession, fellow librarian Marienne, showing that some things never change.
You was already renewed for Season 4 days before Season 3 had even aired, meaning that viewers will get a chance to see our favourite serial back in action very soon.
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