You season 4 part 2 review: The Netflix show is more entertaining than ever

Nothing will prepare audiences for how You tackles Joe Goldberg’s unraveling as the Netflix show concludes its fourth season. It’s a moment the psychological thriller has been building toward since it began on Lifetime in 2018 (remember that?). Penn Badgley’s Joe has done despicable things throughout the show’s run, including but not limited to stalking, kidnapping, and murdering multiple people, and series co-creators Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti have never romanticized Joe’s inner monologues or rationalized his actions. Thankfully that doesn’t change in this season’s final batch of episodes, in which Joe is forced to reckon with his tumultuous past.

These five new installments, which arrive on March 9, are wildly entertaining and packed with nail-biting twists that unfold splendidly. But they’re also rooted with an emotional gravity that makes You shine in a way it hasn’t previously. Joe has no choice but to reflect on his horrible crimes and their impact as he faces off against his biggest enemy yet. Despite a few pacing missteps, especially an overlong finale that sets up another season, the show pulls off a massive storytelling swing. Not surprisingly, the main reason for the triumph is Badgley himself, who delivers a career-defining performance that’s grounded yet scary and turns these episodes into the show’s best phase since season one. It’s a relief because the initial episodes of this season were middling.

When You returned last month for the first half of season four—which never should have been split, by the way—it morphed into a subpar but still engaging whodunit. The episodes saw Joe move to London under the identity of Jonathan Moore and start working as a university professor. He hoped to create a murder-free life to win back the trust of Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) after she rejected him because, you know, Joe did just kill his wife and abandon his child, the latter being the only wise choice he’s made. He then mingled with the U.K. elite, including his new love interest, Kate Galvin (Charlotte Ritchie), and became the target of an anonymous serial killer, who framed Joe after his wealthy pals started to drop dead. Someone was using Joe’s dark history to their advantage by manipulating him.

Admittedly, You needed a narrative shift and a host of new faces (mostly rich assholes who don’t care about the world beyond their bubble) in a different country to explain Joe’s ongoing crime spree. You also changed its format to keep the show fresh, becoming a sort of mashup of Knives Out and Pretty Little Liars. Mostly, though, the first half ended up being a mild gateway into part two’s complex and shocking journey. Now the real fun begins.