Going into season four of Netflix’s original series “You,” there was not much hope for a comeback with an interesting plot. Instead, the show is drowning in its own mundanity. In an unconditional drama such as “You,” it is difficult to continue the series without the plot becoming cliche or repetitive, which seems to be the formula that creators are following for this series. Though in a new place, Joe somehow gets tangled up within the wrong crowd, stalking, killing or watching people be killed, again.
On Feb. 9, 2023, Netflix released the first five episodes of “You” season four. In this season, the only twist we see from previous seasons is that Joe (Penn Badgley) meets his match, as the hunter becomes prey and Joe gains his own stalker. After Joe decides to follow an ex-love-interest to Europe, he stays in London, working as a professor.
Joe made a new goal for himself to ditch his old ways, promising that he will not be overly involved with any love interests or friends and maintain a low profile. This vow that Joe seemingly makes every season gets shaken up, and then completely destroyed, not too long after Joe decides to befriend some neighbors, a fatal mistake as he gets caught up in the secrets of high-society London. How long will Joe play the antihero?
Over the course of the first five episodes, Joe is taunted by his new stalker now that the roles have been reversed, and Joe is the victim of stalking. Joe is becoming more and more involved with the stalker’s schemes even while trying to avoid them. The irony within this season becomes evident when Joe does the very thing he promised himself he wouldn’t: becomes involved, repetitive of seasons before, like when Joe promised himself he wouldn’t get involved with Love (Victoria Pedretti), or the wealthy Quinn family in seasons two and three.
The stalker begins a killing spree, all victims being those within Joe’s new friend group, shocker. Each member of the group begins to point fingers, creating a “whodunnit” dynamic among the posse. With the killings only starting once Joe was introduced to the group, many begin to be skeptical of Joe, of course.
A pattern is established here between this season and the three preceding seasons; the more Joe is involved, the worse his problems become. At the end of episode five, we are left with a cliffhanger once Joe discovers who his stalker is.
With more episodes to be dropped on March 9, 2023, creators are attempting to add suspense to the plot. At this point in the series, though the story is intriguing, it is still a bit disappointing. It feels as though something is missing, as the plot doesn’t seem to be as thrilling as it once was when “You” first premiered in 2018.
As stated previously, this may be simply due to the fact that it was so good to begin with, so writers are unable to garner the hype that they once earned for this show. At this point in the series, the audience won’t continue to have sympathy for this underdog character who is objectively a bad person and doesn’t learn from their mistakes.
On the other hand, there is also nothing exciting being added to the series; everything has been done and overdone. From the ominous texts coming in from the stalker, to the “eat the rich” themes, and even the murder mystery. Nothing being done in this season is particularly groundbreaking, instead, the creators are digging an early “grave” for the once thrilling drama.
