In our modern era, it is reasonable to have a fear of being watched and analyzed at any given moment, especially as it is becoming easier for someone to observe the life of almost anyone they choose. This is mostly due to the evolution of the technology we use daily as well as the rise of social media. The paranoia that we feel about these aspects of society plays into the hands of Hollywood and has become a common theme of hit movies and tv shows.
Netflix recently came out with an original series titled “You” that portrays romance in this era of technology in an intriguing yet chilling manner. This series also provokes thoughts about what we put on social media and how it may affect our image and quality of life, as well as how our inner perceptions of ourselves might differ from how the rest of the world sees us.
The show is based on the novel “You” by Caroline Kepnes released in 2014. The story dives into an interaction between two people living in modern-day New York: Joe Goldberg, a bookstore employee, and Guinevere Beck (who goes by Beck), a writer with money troubles. The plot follows how their random meeting turns into a relationship filled with lies, obsession and toxicity. In the beginning, viewers may see Joe as a caring, reserved man and Beck as a perfect college girl, but the show later reveals that the former is a narcissistic psychopath and the latter is struggling with school and how she appears to her rich friends and professors. The main cast contains major actors such as Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail and Shay Mitchell.
Themes explored in “You” include the role of social media in our connections with other people, the relationship between love and control and the increasing possibility of danger and abuse that women face in romantic relationships. While this show is definitely binge-worthy, many viewers may find the series unsettling due to minor psychological fear and some violence. Netflix reported that more than 40 million viewers streamed the series within the first month. The show has been renewed for a second season that is based off Kepnes’s second novel “Hidden Bodies” with an unannounced release date.
