TV Review: ‘You’ Season 5

‘You’ Season 5 receives 7 out of 10 stars.

Returning to Netflix for its fifth and final season, ‘You’ drags us back into the warped world of Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), the charming sociopath who fixates on finding the perfect someone to share his life, but always seems to end up with blood and death in his life –– and usually at his hands.

With the pressure off to keep the story going, this new run of episodes looks back as well as confronting Joe where he is now.

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Is ‘You’ Season 5 a killer run of the show?

Given that it started on Lifetime, was renewed for a second season only to suffer the sting of cancellation before those episodes could air, ‘You’ has enjoyed a remarkable life. Picked up by Netflix from that second season onwards, it has since grown into one of the streaming service’s more reliable performers, its patent, potent blend of Penn Badgley’s creepy/smooth voice-over and low key/manic turn as Joe himself and the many twists and turns sparking a fervent fanbase.

Naturally, sticking the landing on a show such as this was always going to be challenging, with multiple dangling story threads to be (somewhat) neatly knotted and a brand new variation on Joe’s obsessive focus on a new particular “You” to be adapted from Caroline Kepnes’ novels. Though “adapted” is used in loose terms these days, as since the first season, the show has diverted considerably, following its own path.

Script and Direction

The ‘You’ writing team, led by this season’s showrunners Michael Foley and Justin Lo does manage to thread the needle effectively, partly by finding fresh ways for Joe to plan for perfection and to then screw things up royally when he can’t achieve it.

While the shift back to New York might be seen as covering old territory, it allows for a welcome dip back into the history he’s been trying to run from for years, not the least of which is his relationship with Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) which, as his dalliances tend to, ended badly.

And via the set-up of Joe’s seemingly happy relationship with the wealthy Kate Galvin (Charlotte Ritchie), there’s also the chance to explore another facet of his personality: what does Joe do when his problems –– the external ones, at least –– are fixed by her resources.

Of course, nothing in his life can ever be easy, mostly because he’s a diabolical serial murderer with obsessive compulsive tendencies, but the season does have fun with Kate’s extended, squabbling and privileged family.

There’s also the storyline involving Madeline Brewer’s homeless Bronte, a wannabe writer herself who is squatting in the now-closed bookstore from the first season. Naturally, things get complicated.

Main director Silver Tree is back this year and guides the rest of the filmmakers in keeping ‘You’s visual style consistent. The New York backing is a welcome throwback and the show is always shot in interesting, but never distracting fashion.

Cast and Performances

Badgley is, as always, the core of the show, both on screen and in our heads narrating Joe’s inner monologue. He really has come into his own with this role, and while there are only so many ways for Joe to find or cause trouble, the actor has made him work from day one.

He’s never afraid to look foolish or ridiculous, and he still comes across as a believably romantic figure, bouncing perfectly off of any scene partner and making even the crazier twists and turns function.

As Kate (who was introduced in last season’s England-set storyline), Charlotte Ritchie has proved to be one of the better foils for Badgley, her no-nonsense attitude flipping to anger when she discovers what he’s been up to (again).

Madeline Brewer, probably still most recognizable for her role as ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’s Janine, brings a twitchy, vulnerable energy to the series as a young woman Joe sees as something as a mentee, a person he can guide to greatness. It’s a different dynamic from the usual interactions he has with women, though there’s always the lurking sexual tension between them.

Outside of the main trio, this season’s best turns are from Kate’s spoiled, argumentative and weird family, including a wonderful twin turn from Anna Camp as Maddie and Raegan Lockwood, her half-sisters. Fizzing with very different energies, they’re both great.

Final Thoughts

‘You’ was always going to be a challenge to end, and while this final season isn’t quite perfect and can’t escape every trap of repeating a beat here and there, it does at least offer a fine conclusion to the show, maintaining the madness while also addressing both the past and the present.

A committed, fun cast and some enjoyable plot turns make it worth watching.

What’s the plot of ‘You’ Season 5?

In the epic fifth and final season, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) returns to New York to enjoy his happily ever after… Until his perfect life is threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.

Who stars in ‘You’ Season 5?

Penn Badgley Movies and TV Shows:

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