By Ashley Hopkins
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The long-awaited third season of “You” premiered on Netflix on Oct. 15. Fans were excited– albeit a little scared– to see what Joe and Love would do next.
This season, the Goldbergs moved to a suburban town, Madre Linda, after the birth of their son, Henry. Seeing how the murdering newlyweds fared in suburbia was almost comical, but also incredibly nerve wracking. Viewers were on the edge of their seats wondering when neighbors would catch on that Joe and Love were not the white-picket-fence type.
This season had a lot of new elements that the previous seasons did not. Marriage and the difficulties that spring up during the beginning stages of it was a big element of the show, along with intimacy. The new season showed that Joe is not the only one with obsessive patterns. Love struggles with lack of confirmation and intimacy with Joe, which only drives her to become more unstable and impulsive. Many shows and movies talk about the first year of marriage and how it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. This, along with the fact that Joe and Love are not a normal couple by any means, amplified the effects of these issues and made for a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Love is not the sweet bakery owner that she presents herself to be, and you almost feel bad for her. While she might take things to the extreme, as a woman you kind of understand where she is coming from. All she wanted was for her love to be reciprocated by her husband.
Another element that got mixed reviews was the incorporation of COVID-19 and vaccines. Some thought it should’ve been left out of the show completely, and it was too political. Henry gets sick, which leads to finger-pointing about who got vaccinated and who didn’t, and whose fault it was. This is one of the first shows I’ve seen to acknowledge the pandemic, so it was strange. However, I thought it was cool that they brought a very real thing from our world and put it in their fictional world– it made it feel more realistic. And just like in real life, there were also characters that didn’t believe in vaccinations. The show also presented those characters’ sides and why they didn’t believe in vaccinations. Again, this is another element that leaves the viewer conflicted, because they are able to see the reasoning for both sides.
This season, we also learn more about Joe’s childhood, and why he does the things he does. There are many flashbacks to Joe’s childhood when he spends time in the orphanage, which helps us understand why he is so worried about his relationship with Henry and his wellbeing. However, Joe is still a very frustrating character to watch. After everything he has been through, one would think that he would learn from his mistakes, but it’s clear that Joe will never learn due to him living by his own twisted moral code that justifies all of his wrongdoings. While viewers are left saying, “Oh, come on!” throughout the show, his mess-ups are very entertaining to watch.
An element that has continued from the previous two seasons is that the show is absolutely unpredictable, which is why “You” has been so successful. You have no idea who is going to make it to the next episode. This season was also very fast-paced, which glues you to the screen. This season really exposed just how twisted Joe and Love truly are, which also added to the suspense of the show. Viewers couldn’t tell just how far they were willing to go.
Since I don’t want to completely spoil the show, all I’ll say is that the ending is completely unexpected. While it’s unexpected, I’m not sure it could have ended any other way. In true “You” fashion, the season ended on a cliff hanger. While there is no set release date yet, this means that we are getting a fourth season with Joe Goldberg! Rumor has it that season four of “You” will be out in either fall or winter of 2022. Keep your baseball caps and glass boxes close by.
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