You season 5, the final season of the Netflix original series, reminds us that we are back in the greatest city in the world: New York, where our story first began all those years ago.
It’s been three years since Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) first returned to the Big Apple, and he’s in the spotlight thanks to his wife, Kate (Charlotte Richie). So what lies in store for Joe this season?
Here's what happened in You season 5 episode 1, "The Luckiest Guy in NY."
Kate was able to get Henry (Frankie DeMaio) back into her and Joe’s custody after he left him with his neighbors in Madre Linda at the end of You season 3. Elsewhere, Kate is using her position as CEO of T.R. Lockwood Corporation to do good and make up for past sins. That position also makes them everyone’s favorite couple, with Joe becoming famous by her side, even being referred to as a “Prince Charming.”
However, it’s clear that despite how perfect Joe’s life is, he’s struggling not to go back to his old ways. He’s missing the person he used to be deep down, and no amount of talking himself off the ledge will change that.
The rest of the Lockwood family includes twins, Reagan and Maddie (Anna Camp), Uncle Bob (Michael Dempsey) and brother Teddy (Griffin Matthews). Teddy reveals to Joe that Forbes is brewing up a hit piece about Kate and the pipeline. The next morning, the two of them agree to handle it together without Kate, legal or PR.
Their first suspect is Reagan, but after speaking with her, Joe doesn’t think she is the source. Next, he goes through Maddie’s phone before sharing his discoveries with Kate. Turns out Bob leaked the story and is trying to get rid of her, planning to call a no-confidence vote, and her sisters are on board with the whole thing.
Joe also finds out that after Mr. Mooney passed, Kate bought the building for Joe. He never actually opened it and eventually agreed to put it back up for sale, realizing he had to move on as he did not want to be haunted by past ghosts anymore.
Killing on the page, rather than in real life
We see Joe murder Bob, only to have the rug pulled out from under us when we realize that it wasn’t real. Instead, he is writing out the murder in the apartment above Mooney’s. Kate, using her phone to track him, walks in on him as he writes. The two have a conversation about how killing makes him feel, and it’s clear her perspective of him has changed. When she leaves, he heads down to the bookstore, hearing a noise as he’s putting his writings away.
The noise came from a mysterious intruder (Madeline Brewer), who explains to Joe she has simply been borrowing books, but always brings them back. We quickly see Joe beginning to obsess over her the way he used to describe past love interests, but stops himself and insists it’s not about her, just the place. She recognizes him, but he ends up letting her go, even allowing her to take the book she had been trying to borrow when he caught her.
The next day, Kate confronts Bob. He admits to leaking the secret, saying she has lost the plot. When she tries to argue that she’ll survive the scandal, he threatens her with Rhys Montrose. With nowhere left to turn and desperate to protect her family, she gives Joe permission to take care of the issue.
The old Joe is back
When Joe breaks in, Bob’s asleep. After some preparation, Joe turns on music to wake him up. Bob’s handcuffed to the chair and registers what is happening, but Joe does not give him much time to speak before choking him with a rope, killing him without hesitation. Naturally, he’s not done yet. He has to make sure there are no loose ends, so he emails a confession from Bob that “he was a man with demons, who made up a lie about Kate, regretted it and retracted it, before hanging himself.” This makes Joe realize that the “beast” wasn’t sated by just writing, because it’s not about the murder, it’s about the feeling of purpose.
Before leaving, Joe sees a light on in the bookstore, only to see that the earlier intruder, who calls herself Bronte, was going to sleep there. Joe stops her from leaving, asking what she thinks of the book? They get into a discussion that makes him realize he can’t let Mooney’s go. He offers her a job, which she takes immediately.
Upon arriving home, Joe promises Kate that they’re okay, to which Kate responds, “I know,” before adding that she loves him. It’s the exact acceptance Joe craves and what he now views as permission to go back to who he used to be.
The episode ends with him making his way down to the basement, commenting how he can be both the old and new version of himself, as we see the cage lit up once again.
All episodes of You season 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
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