You goes out on a wild, frustrating note

You has overstayed its welcome. The series began as a Lifetime original in 2018, with Netflix giving the resonant psychological thriller a new life—and a substantially bigger audience—after taking the reins in season two. Over time, You rarely experimented with its structure, although it did elevate the stakes as Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) body count piled up. His M.O. remains the same: He fixates on a seemingly distressed damsel, distorting love with obsession, envy, and, inevitably, violence. This rinse and repeat has been fairly entertaining due to pulpy twists (Love Quinn being deranged, everything that went down with Rhys Montrose, and so on) and Joe’s wildly disturbing voiceovers. But the show’s approach already felt tedious by the time it reached season four. A remarkable payoff in how Joe confronted his demons in part two would’ve at least made for a sufficiently fitting end. Except now, You returns for another round that’s sadly drawn-out and confounding. 

A huge reason for this downfall is the lack of a consistent and creative spark. Joe finds himself on his home turf of New York City, with You hell-bent on coming full circle for its conclusion. So what if that robs the show of an engrossing narrative? Who cares as long as there are unsubtle metaphors about how Joe should burn in hell for his sins (as if that wasn’t obvious enough)? Season five’s pace is also bogged down by other repetitive tracks and a roster of mostly uninteresting new characters, making the entire journey frustratingly humdrum. Even Joe’s narration swings from being eerily fun to redundant. (“It’s like clockwork, the reliable misogyny of the internet.”) While Badgley is still terrifyingly great at playing a menace, and he’s joined by a captivating Madeline Brewer this time around, You struggles to stick its (predictable) landing. 

Season five picks up three years after Joe married British CEO Kate (Charlotte Ritchie). As a reminder, she used her influence to clean up his bloody mess in London and framed someone for his crimes. Joe and Kate have since moved to a fabulous Manhattan apartment. (She’s the charitable girlboss; he’s the doting husband.) They promise to live peacefully for the sake of his son, whose custody they’ve regained. But he realizes being stuck in this marriage is as claustrophobic as the white-picket fences of Madre Linda. Joe inherently cannot live a lawful existence, so by the end of the premiere, he’s killed someone and found a new manic pixie dream girl to latch onto, with his trusty glass box still safely secured in the basement of his bookstore. And yes, multiple victims are once again shoved into this cage throughout season five.