By that criterion, Netflix's You should be the most unrewatchable show on the platform, but that's not the case. Premiering in 2018, You follows serial killer Joe Goldberg, whose MO is to develop a romantic obsession with a woman, stalk her, kill anyone who stands between him and a relationship with her, then eventually turn his penchant for murder toward the object of his affection when she fails to live up to his ideals.
What makes You such an uncomfortable watch is that the audience is in Joe's head the entire time, hearing every one of his darkest thoughts and being complicit in his crimes. Even more disturbing is that, during You's five-season run, many viewers misinterpreted the series, finding the misogynistic protagonist to be an ideal dark romance hero — much to Joe Goldberg actor Penn Badgely's dismay.
On the other end of the spectrum are audiences who loathe Joe Goldberg and desperately root for the You main character to get his much-deserved comeuppance. Season after season, Joe is able to use his charm and his privilege as a good-looking, straight white man to weasel his way out of facing justice.
However, this is precisely why You makes for such an excellent rewatch. The show's fitting ending not only makes Joe Goldberg's sordid saga worth watching, but it practically demands a second viewing.
Knowing The Ending Of You Makes A Second Watch Even More Satisfying
Joe gets away with a lot in the Netflix show, but — spoiler for You's ending — he doesn't get a happily ever after, to say the least. Knowing that makes going back and rewatching his most heinous acts so much easier to stomach.
The final season of You isn't just about punishing a monster, though; it's about getting justice for the people, especially the women, he brutalized. Characters he silenced, including his murder victims and those who took the fall for his crimes, have their stories revisited and, in some cases, their outcomes rectified.
Given that You aired over the course of seven years, viewers who watched the seasons when they premiered on Netflix may have forgotten some of these characters. However, by rewatching — especially on a binge — the characters who are the easiest to root for have their voices amplified.
Rewatching You also gives the opportunity to reassess Joe's love interests. Knowing what audiences do, it's especially easy to judge these women for staying with someone so obviously problematic, but in You season 5, it lays out how they were love-bombed and taken advantage of, and why they kept choosing to see the best in Joe. However, knowing his pattern and strategies makes his partners' stories and blind spots even more empathetic. A rewatch may also serve as a real-life reminder to viewers on what to look out for in their own romantic lives.
More than anything else, You is a cautionary tale and a peek behind the curtain into how a misogynist's mind really works. Knowing the level of darkness the show explores allows the audience to rewatch the show with eyes wide open. As powerful as Joe Goldberg can be, the more one is exposed to him, the harder it is for him to hide behind the mask, and watching him futilely scrambling to keep it on is oh so delightful.
Release Date
2018 - 2025-00-00
Showrunner
Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti
Directors
Marcos Siega, Lee Toland Krieger, Cherie Nowlan, DeMane Davis, Kellie Cyrus, Marta Cunningham, Martha Mitchell, Victoria Mahoney, Erin Feeley
Writers
Justin W. Lo
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Penn Badgley
Joe Goldberg
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Elizabeth Lail
Guinevere Beck
English (US) ·