You (Season 4 Part 1): Recap and Ending Explained: For the most part, Netflix’s You feels like ordering a burger on a weeknight when you are too tired to cook—and then devouring it while simultaneously judging your easy junk food escapade. But here is the thing. It is the best burger in town. The lettuce is always fresh and crunchy. The patty is always tasty and juicy. Moreover, the cheese slice inside is exactly how it should be. Sure, there is little to nothing nutritional value. But boy, your tummy is full, and most importantly, your heart is happy and satisfied.
“You” is not what you call prestige, award-worthy television. In fact, the core DNA of it is more soap-opera than anything, given the fact that before the Netflix takeover prior to the sophomore season, the show’s original home used to be Lifetime, a network known for its hyper-dramatic content. Although, one thing that sets apart You is its impeccably smart writing and the presence of a lot of talented actors, led by the ever-so-charming Penn Badgley.
The former Gossip Girl star is, of course, the primary reason to watch the show and keep going even when it crosses the threshold of a certain silliness. Badgley’s Joe Goldberg is inarguably one of the fascinating fictional characters of our time. Sure, the guy is a psychopathic stalker slash murderer. At the same time, Joe is also an anti-capitalist, an avid reader, a very well-spoken person, and has a sense of morality. That is why the show often makes you sort of root for him, even though it never actually glorifies him.
Like all previous seasons, the current season of “You” follows the same pattern of Joe messing things up and getting into a hard-to-untangle kind of situation. While the first part of the season particularly embraces the outlandish premise and goes full-throttle with that, it also refrains from playing cheap parlor tricks like ending with a massive cliffhanger or not revealing who the “you” actually is. With the span of five hour-long, unputdownable episodes, it mostly wraps up the story arc and sets up a grand stage for the second part, which is scheduled to be released exactly after a month.
You (Season 4 Part 1): Recap
The last season ended with the murder of Love Quinn (Goodbye, Victoria Pedretti, the second-best thing in the show) and Joe taking a flight to Paris to chase his latest obsession, Marienne. A love-sick Joe seeking for romantic approval from Marriane in the most romantic city on Earth was a good idea. But given the kind of expectation we, the audience, have from the show, it did not have much volume.
Fortunately, the first part of the season took all of about five minutes to get done with the Marienne storyline. Now that she has found out who Joe really is, she (understandably) does not want any business with him. Joe, being the gentleman he is, lets her go and vows to prove himself to be “more” than a murderer to her. But as it is “Sloppy Joe” after all, things do not go as planned. And that is precisely what the charm of the show is.
Meet Jonathan Moore
A foolproofing plot is a thing you don’t exactly look for in this show, where Joe very conveniently changes cities and slips into his new “persona” every season. But here, they actually attempt to establish his latest avatar. Remember Elliot? The private detective hired by Love’s father is looking into Joe. Well, that guy is still there. However, he is now tired and worn out. So instead of killing Joe, he takes the money Joe drained from Love’s account and gives Joe a new identity.
Enter Professor Jonathan Moore. Joe conveniently finds a teaching job at the University of London and befriends a fellow Professor (who he and we both instantly hate), Malcolm. With Malcolm’s help, Joe finds his humble abode in no time. A flat from where he can very easily see Malcolm’s place and, most essentially, what Malcolm’s girlfriend Kate is up to. But this is new Joe, and he is “not interested” (as if we are going to believe that).
Joe, aka Jonathan, soon integrates himself into Malcom’s rich friend circle. Other than Kate, who is a gallery manager, the members are Kate’s best friend, Phoebe, a socialite from an aristocratic family with a very sweet (at least from the outside) personality. Simon, the son of a tech mogul with a “tortured artist” public image. Simon’s sister Sophie, the stock IG influencer character. Gemma is another socialite but more of an entitled, ignorant ass-hole (excuse me for the language), unlike Phoebe. Blessing, a Nigerian Princess who is in tech. Connie, a horse enthusiast, and old sportsman Roald, another aristocrat with a hunting hobby and also unrequited love for Kate. Rhys, an author who shot into fame and money with his “rags-to-riches” memoir
And last but not least, Phoebe’s boyfriend Adam, the black sheep son of a wealthy American family who is a bar owner in London and also has a certain kink (more on this later). Other essential characters in this narrative are Nadia, one of Joe/Jonathan’s students and an Agatha Christie enthusiast (this part is the main deal), and Vic, Adam’s personal bodyguard, fixer, and all sorts of other things (no, nothing sexual here).
What happens to Malcolm?
After a night filled with booze, and drugs, along with Malcolm and company trying to figure out the new guy (little do they know), Joe finds himself on his bed the next morning. His head still hurts from the absinthe, and memories are still blurry, except he remembers Malcolm bringing him back home.
Joe’s world turns upside down for the nth time when in the next scene, he finds Malcolm’s dead body in his dining room with a knife stabbed into it. His initial conclusion is that he somehow killed Malcolm in a bit of rage as Malcolm was saying really terrible things about Marriane during the fateful night. He also notices that one of Malcolm’s fingers is missing. Visibly mad at himself, Joe quickly disposes of the body in the Thames and starts pretending.
Malcolm going missing does not seem to cause any real trouble for Joe as he finds out that Malcolm’s friends don’t really care about him. In fact, the group’s general attitude was actually hating him and tolerating Malcolm for the sake of Kate. Meanwhile, despite saving Kate from a mugging incident, Joe seems to be on the wrong foot with the stoic and icy Kate. On the other hand, he forms some kind of bonding with Rhys, who actually seems like a genuine and aware human being to Joe.
Hello, Joe
“You” does not waste much time, introducing the major twist in the tale when Joe suddenly starts receiving anonymous texts from someone about “what he did with Malcolm’s body”. While that proves that Joe did not kill Malcolm (good for you, Joe), it only makes his life more complicated and the show more exciting for us.
Somebody knows. That is a nightmare equivalent phrase for someone like Joe. He starts communicating with the anonymous messenger and tries to deduct who that might be. This is entirely new territory for him, and he does not have much expertise. However, things start to look a little hopeful when Joe seeks Nadia’s help under the pretext of a personal project related to “whodunit” mystery novels. This is where Nadia’s Agatha Christie expertise comes in handy. Subsequently, she points out three major motives behind “the crime”- sex, money, and revenge.
Malcolm’s friends are obvious suspects to Joe as he starts to look into them. This is a cakewalk for him as he has done it many times before. However, it was under different circumstances. After breaking into Malcolm’s chamber at the university, Joe finds his notebook, which reveals information about certain horse races. Naturally, Connie comes to Joe’s mind. But he eventually deduces that it is not Connie but Adam who Malcolm was probably blackmailing for his gambling habits.
At Simon’s exclusive art show, where Joe gets the special invitation thanks to being in Phoebe’s good book, he does find out about Adam’s secret after a bit of sneaking. Well, Adam turns out to be hiding a “golden shower kink” (in case you are wondering, think about getting turned on by someone peeing on your bare body). Things get a little more complicated when Vic, the bodyguard, catches Joe in his snooping act. Nevertheless, Joe gets away using a vague “I am actually a working-class writer researching for a book on the rich” card.
Goodbye, Simon
Simon’s art exhibition goes as planned until a girl ambushes it. She smears red paint all over one of the many sphinx cat paintings, the central theme of the exhibition, which even mesmerized Joe a long time ago. The girl blames Simon for doing “something” to her and leaves. As coincidence would have it, Joe earlier managed to spot the name of the game girl, Blue, and he has ideas about where she might be.
Joe accompanies Kate to another part of the city to confront Blue. They eventually find out from Blue that she used to be Simon’s assistant, and he stole her art with credits. The sphinx cat, named Isis, actually belongs to Blue’s grandmother. Kate shushes her by giving her some money as they leave. Joe and Kate are still awkward, and she finds something off about him.
Meanwhile, Simon has to go. At least, that’s what Joe decides. Joe’s sense of morality concludes that someone like Simon should not breathe. But as a tired Joe waits outside the gallery and eventually dozes off, Simon meets his maker through the anonymous messenger. Joe wakes up to a police siren and is in a frenzied state as he receives a text from his “new you” regarding Simon. And this time, the killer takes one of the ears instead of Simon.
Joe and Kate, the inevitable, the chaos
Soon after the death of Simon, the killer, now called the “eat-the-rich” killer, makes Malcolm’s death public by sending the finger to the police. That is, of course, a message to Joe as the killer now wants him to kill Kate. Good samaritan Joe makes it a point to protect Kate from the killer. Kate, however, directs the investigation to Joe as he is the last person who saw Malcolm alive. Joe manages to win the trust of the two investigating detectives by providing them with information about Simon stealing credit from Blue, which he puts on the dead Malcolm.
Meanwhile, Nadia asks for Joe’s help regarding stealing a letter that she wrote to Malcolm, indicating the relationship between her and the dead professor was clearly more than a teacher and student.
In order to protect Kate, Joe tries to make amends with her at Simon’s wake. This time, he somewhat succeeds, and it eventually leads the two to visit a secret garden where Kate and Malcolm used to get wasted and then have sex with the possibility of people watching them (more kink, you know). As you can figure out by now, the undeniable sexual tension between Joe and Kate finally reaches the point where the two of them, well, do it, which Joe, the narrator, describes as an act to protect Kate. As fate would have it, Vic watches them doing it.
Joe and Kate’s good rapport does not last that long. After ending up in Kate’s flat, Joe uses the opportunity to help out Nadia. He gets caught by Kate, and an utterly pissed Kate tells Joe that she would rather be dead than be with Joe for one more second.
Even after getting banished, Joe continues to follow Kate in order to ensure her safety. He follows her to an ancient crypt where Malcolm’s finger got buried. But Vic ambushes him and finds Malcolm’s ring inside Joe’s pocket. He believes Joe to be the “eat-the-rich” killer. Joe tries to convince Vic that he is being framed. But seeing Vic is not buying it, he does what he absolutely hates doing at this point. Joe strangles Vic, and contrary to what the killer earlier texted him about enjoying killing, he absolutely doesn’t enjoy it. However, instead of telling the truth, Joe texts back that the killer is right. The bait is taken, and the killer now wants to meet in real life. Advantage, Joe, right?
You (Season 4 Part 1): Ending Explained
To get away from all the frenzy, the group decides to visit Phoebe’s country house in ‘Hampsie’ for one weekend. Joe receives the invite, unsurprisingly. At the country house, he is put into adjacent rooms with Kate. The situation is still cold between them, although the vibe is clearly felt. Meanwhile, Joe gets a closer look at everyone, especially Gemma’s horrible treatment of the house staff.
Kate’s secret
Without a mobile network and an internet connection, Joe has no way of communicating with the “eat-the-rich killer,” although he is certain that the killer is there, walking among them, waiting for Joe. After receiving a cryptic note to visit the photo gallery, he goes all prepared to take care of the killer. But ultimately finds out that it is Phoebe who tries to seduce Joe. Things are obviously messed up between Phoebe and Adam, as she is not aware of his kink. However, Joe refuses her advance and nudges her toward Adam for the time being (real ass-hole move, dude).
As he keeps wondering who his “you” might be, he zeroes on Roald. Somehow, Roald fits the bill. He continues to bully Joe and expresses his dislike towards him. Joe also learns about Roald’s unrequited love for Kate, his dislike for every man Kate has dated (Malcolm), or every man who gave Kate a hard time (Simon with his exhibition fiasco). Given the apparent attraction between him and Kate, Joe also makes it to the Roald hate list. If this is not all, the dude is also very clean and has a watch collection. Signs of an ideal psychopath, right?
As Joe continues to find ways to handle Roald, Kate and Roald argue. Subsequently, Kate and Joe have sex again. During dinner, a frustrated Roald taunts Kate regarding “something” and challenges her to let Joe know about it. Meanwhile, Gemma points her finger towards Joe being the killer as all the chaos began when this new guy stepped into their lives. Phoebe’s stupid murder mystery game, however, interrupts them.
Kate eventually reveals her secret to Joe. Her father, Tom Lockwood, is literally the most terrible person you can ever imagine in this world. He is a capitalist who feeds off the poor. Right at this moment, Joe realizes that he has fallen for Kate. Oh shit, Joe.
Using the game as an opportunity for distraction, Joe sneaks into Roald’s room. But that goes horribly wrong as he gets caught by Roald, who believes Joe is the “killer.” The two have a physical fight, where Roald throws Joe out the window. But as long as “You” goes on, Joe can’t die. Visibly in pain, Joe emerges from the ground. He is now really angry and frustrated at these people. Suddenly, he hears a scream and rushes to find Kate, his newfound love, since clearly no other people at the house matter to him more. But surprises are inevitable. Joe finds out Gemma’s dead body with Kate beside her, holding onto a knife (presumably the murder weapon).
Oh no, is this “Love” all over again? Is Kate the “Eat-the-rich” killer?
Joe is shocked and shattered. But Kate tries to alleviate his fears. She tells him that she just walked on Gemma and found her like that. Kate asks for Joe’s help to hide the body in order to avoid suspicion. Since that is the only viable option, he decides to help her. They plan to hide the body in the Animal larder.
Meanwhile, Phoebe confronts Adam about his kink, and despite Adam trying his best to normalize the situation, the bound-to-happen breakup finally occurs. At least for now. As a result, Phoebe goes to find her best friend, Kate. Alas, she finds Kate and Joe, who just manage to hide Gemma’s body.
After excusing themselves from Phoebe by giving the best possible excuse that they are going to have sex, Kate and Joe go to hide the body in the larder. At the larder, the two confront each other. But they eventually conclude that neither of them is the killer. A true bond is established, after all. However, after getting back, Kate realizes she has lost her bracelet with her name engraved. She has most likely left it in the larder. Joe immediately decides to go to the larder to retrieve it. As he reaches the larder and finds the bracelet, he finds himself at gunpoint with Roald holding the weapon behind him.
Who is the “Eat-the-rich” Killer?
Joe is taken upstairs, and Roald holds him at gunpoint. He is convinced that Joe, alias Jonathan, is the murderer. He finds support in Adam, who is mad at Joe for sabotaging his relationship with Phoebe. Blessing, Sophie, and Connie, with a collective IQ of zero, also support Roald, as you would expect.
Joe tries to reason with them. Joe believes Roald is the killer, but all his attempts fail. Even his mentions of Roald’s camera filled with Kate’s photo that he can only take without consent don’t help. Playing judge, jury, and executioner, Roald sentences Joe to death. But given the noble aristocrat he is, he offers Joe a headstart. Joe makes one last attempt to reason with the “stupidest possible people ever seen in the show.” Unfortunately, he ends up knocking Adam out after accidentally punching him in the nose.
With no other logical option, Joe runs into the wilderness with Roald on his heels like a mad dog. Meanwhile, Kate tells Phoebe everything. However, by the time they reach the room where all the “above-mentioned” drama happened, Joe and Roald are already gone. An enraged Kate asks her father’s security, who has been shadowing her despite her not wanting it, to fix the chaotic situation.
Meanwhile, after getting chased for a while, Joe manages to hide behind a tree which eventually helps him to sneak an attack on Roald and overpower him. But as Joe is about to take care of Roald, someone hits him in the head. It is none other than the “Eat-the-rich killer.”
Joe wakes up in a dungeon, chained to the wall with Roald next to him in the same condition, still senseless. The killer finally introduces himself. And yes, it is indeed someone from the group, the only person Joe was sort of considering genuine. Rhys, the writer. Rhys gets to the point immediately. He asks Joe to kill Roald, as Joe already told him that he enjoys killing. But being the smart-ass he is, Rhys catches the bluff, lits up a matchstick, and leaves Joe and Roald to die. He leaves with a promise to see “Joe” in London if, by any chance, Joe survives whatever is coming.
Just when you think the show is going to pull the plug and torture you for a month with a cliffhanger, good-old Roald wakes up. Despite the confusion, Roald and Joe manage to break the chain and eventually break out of the dungeon with the help of Kate. As the trio gets away, the country house turns into ashes behind them.
In the sort of epilogue, Joe makes an extremely mature decision. He refuses the advances of Kate, who is clearly in love with him now. Maybe Joe has turned into what he always pretends to be, after all. While watching Rhys announcing his candidacy for Mayor, Joe vouches to stop him.
That’s it for now.
Footnote:
1. With the killer revealed already, Joe versus Rhys in the next part does not really seem that exciting, to be honest. Unless they bring in more twists, which I assume they will.
2. In the what to come in next part segment, Netflix sneakily shows Victoria Pedretti for one second. Even in the “You” standard, Love being alive is too much of a stretch. But did we ever see the body? I don’t think we did.
