The ending of YOU was, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant and haunting conclusions to a TV show—and it honestly blows my mind how many people still don’t understand it, or worse, continue to romanticize Joe Goldberg.
People forget—or choose to ignore—that Joe is mentally unstable and a textbook unreliable narrator. His internal monologue, that calm, poetic voiceover, isn’t insight—it’s manipulation. He’s constantly justifying his violence, his obsession, and his crimes, not only to himself but to us, the audience. And the scariest part? It works. Too many people fall for it.
Joe was never actually in love with any of the women he chased. He was in love with the power he had over them—the thrill of watching, planning, manipulating. He didn’t want an equal, someone who could see through him. That’s why he couldn’t stand Love Quinn, even though she was arguably his perfect match. She knew him too well. She was chaos that matched his own. And that terrified him. What he really wanted was someone naive, someone he could control while convincing both of them he was the hero of the story.
Then comes the final twist: Joe in prison, getting flooded with letters from adoring fans, mostly women, who romanticize him the same way the audience has all along. And in that moment, the show turns the camera on us. It’s no longer just about Joe’s delusion—it’s about ours. Society romanticizes obsessive, violent men and labels it love. We forgive red flags when they come in pretty packaging and whisper sweet lines over vintage books.
That final line—“Maybe the problem isn’t me. Maybe it’s you.”—isn’t just Joe being Joe. It’s the writers pointing straight at the audience, holding up a mirror. And for those who still don’t see it? Well, maybe that line was meant for them.
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