You season 4: Burning questions before the Netflix thriller returns

Let's talk about the lingering mysteries ahead of the series' next installment

By The A.V. Club | February 6, 2023 | 3:00pm

TV Features Netflix

You season 4: Burning questions before the Netflix thriller returns

Jenna Ortega, Penn Badgley, and Victoria Pedretti in You Photo: Netflix

Hello, You.

The Lifetime-turned-Netflix thriller returns for season four on February 9, with the streaming platform (frustratingly) splitting the upcoming batch into two parts. So that means five episodes will premiere this month, and the remaining five will drop on March 9. On the plus side: A bearded Penn Badgley is back as Joe Goldberg, taking his stalking, bludgeoning, book-loving skills across the pond.

In case you need a refresher—big spoilers abound—Joe adopted a new identity to flee the country at the end of season three. He killed his wife, Love (Victoria Pedretti), and burned their house so everybody assumed he was dead too. Now he’s on the hunt for Marienne (Tati Gabrielle), the library coworker he had an affair with. Love was able to warn her of Joe’s dangerous tendencies just in time (well, Love’s initial plan was to kill her, let’s not forget), so Marienne ran away to Paris with her daughter. Joe, an A-grade stalker, ends up there too.

Except You’s fourth season is set in London. Joe has found a new job as a university professor (sure, why not). With his trusted blue cap, he’s still looking for Marienne while hobnobbing with an elite U.K. crowd. The upcoming episodes will reveal new victims, deaths, and brand-new suspense. With all that in mind, here are the questions The A.V Club would most like to see answered.

1. Will Joe return for his child at some point?

Joe Goldberg Being A Daddy | YOU | Netflix

Joe Goldberg is a daddy in internet lingo (a.k.a. he’s hot, and that’s why fans fawn over him, despite Badgley’s insistence that they shouldn’t). But he’s also an actual father who takes his newborn on various creepy activities. Whether on a stalking mission or burying a body with Love, little Henry is along for the ride. Joe certainly seems attached to the toddler and wants to be better for him. The best thing he does for said kid is to leave him at Dante’s (Ben Mehl) doorstep before running after Marienne. There’s no doubt Dante and his partner will do a better job raising Henry than Joe and Love ever could. But, deep down, Joe might want to one day reunite with the son he gave up. If You gets a season five, will Henry be the reason Joe returns to the U.S.? Also, will he even mention that he’s a dad to anyone ever again?

2. Does anyone find out Joe killed Love? (And does anyone care?)

Joe Kills Love | You Season 3

Pedretti gave a masterclass of a performance as the unhinged Love Quinn, who turned out to be as manipulative and scary as the man she fell for. Love shouldn’t have been surprised that Joe guessed her intentions and killed her first, but no one else knows what went down in their house before it burned down. Joe does a good job of staging it as a murder-suicide, but with his body clearly missing, will anyone discover what he did? Maybe Love’s mother, Dottie (Saffron Burrows), will recover from her alcohol addiction and try to figure out the truth of what happened to her daughter. Love has been a major part of You for the past two seasons, so it’s doubtful that the creators will move on from her storyline.

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3. Will Sherry and Cary Conrad find their way back into Joe’s life?

YOU S3 - Sherry and Cary being hilarious for 4 mins and 30 seconds

Without a doubt, You season three’s strongest and funniest additions were and Travis Van Winkle as Sherry and Cary Conrad, respectively. The suburban married couple befriended Joe and Love and tried roping them into their swingers club. Little did they know their neighbors were unhinged killers who’ll end up kidnapping them. Thankfully, the duo makes it out alive and becomes famous in the process. Sherry and Cary are hilarious, but they’re not idiots. They’re fully aware of Joe and Love’s toxic relationship and what they can do. Is there a chance they realize he’s still alive and out there somewhere? Will You bring Grant and Van Winkle back to liven up season four? For the sake of the show, let’s hope so.

4. Is Joe still sending money to Ellie Alvez?

Two Minutes Of Ellie Making Joe Feel Old | You

Jenna Ortega has become a star in her own right since her You season two stint, thanks to , , and . Still, there’s always a possibility that Ellie makes an appearance at some point as another draw for Joe to return to his home turf. While Love killed Ellie’s sister in season two, Joe managed to save and send her away in time. In season three, we learn that Joe not only knows where Ellie is but seemingly sends her money to help out. Is he continuing this from London? If so, that’s some serious commitment on his part and one of the show’s ways of humanizing our tormented killer.