Well, hello there. Who are you? Based on your vibe, a student…
Chilling words indeed. On December 26, 2019, Netflix premiered the second season of the popular psychological thriller “YOU.”
The fans are reunited with the protagonist Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and weren’t we all just waiting to find out how well he was doing after the ghost of his ex-girlfriend came to life (if you haven’t realized it by now, there are definitely spoilers ahead). The audience is slowly brought up to what is currently transpiring in the life of our resident bad boy. Is he finally going to get caught? Is everything finally right with the world?
Enter Love (Victoria Pedretti), who we hope is not the next victim to our shapeshifting-name-changing-heart-stealing-now-called ‘Will’. Joe is running from his past, literally coast to coast, and has added identity theft to his evergrowing list of special skills. (Seriously why are you still reading this if you haven’t watched the show?)
The second season of the show is definitely my favorite. Beyond Joe’s obvious demeanor, we get to see a side of him we previously may have dismissed as psychotic. Joe allows himself to make it right with the world albeit, in his own way. Say what you want about the man, but Joe is honest.
In the first season, we saw a psychopath fueled by his own sycophancy. His beliefs of love and the pursuit of it were dangerous and should be published as a red flag manual for many relationships, romantic or not. The second season, however, we are pushed directly into the personal struggles of Joe. We watch him fight his demons; a broken household, an abusive parent, and old habits. Joe is humanized to a very careful extent so audiences can relate to the fight Joe has with his personal demons. Some of us have childhoods we would rather forget and some of us are trying to be better than we were. This humanization is dangerous, however, because of the directors flirt with it constantly; Joe is still, and will forever be a murderer. (Dude, just watch the show!)
So even though you may appreciate Joe’s heroics in saving minors from the scum of the earth, he still remains a murderer. Even though Joe releases the ‘real’ Will as a sign of change, he still is a murderer. Even though Joe is the friend who takes care of a drug addict, say it with me, he is still a murderer (and what’s with his public masturbation?).
The season is excellently written. From the witty commentary to the high-level humor, Netflix struck gold with the second season. Another reason the second season is a favorite, is the chilling twist in the season’s last episodes (For the love of God, watch the show!)
Few shows can affect popular culture, yet be significant in molding the audience’s perceptions of themselves and their relationships. The second season does exactly that. And yes, I have my popcorn ready for the third season (Please watch the show, you will really like it).