Netflix's serial killer and stalker, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), is back. The first five episodes of season four of You were released on February 9th. Following this character and his thoughts, the audience is taken on a different adventure not seen before in the series. This further develops Joe as he is placed in the position of the prey rather than the predator: he is the one being stalked.
Starting exactly where season three left off, Joe has moved to Europe to start his new life after a past of killings, including his ex-wife Love (Victoria Pedretti). Now, changing his identity to university professor Jonathan Moore, things seem to be going well on his 'European vacation,' as it's called by the protagonist himself. However, trouble always seems to find Joe, and the streets of London are the perfect place for it.
Here is how the new season of You compares with the others, how the structure is different, and a few questions that part two should explore.
Spoiler Alert for all seasons of You
Previous Seasons of You
The first three seasons of the series followed a similar structure: Joe became obsessed with a new woman and slowly progressed their relationship and the problems it came with it, including people. In season one, it was Beck (Elizabeth Lail) in New York – she was the first obsession he ended up killing. Then, in the sunny streets of Los Angeles, came Love, who he later discovered was a killer who had to be stopped at all costs. And then Marianne (Tati Gabrielle): the one that was smart enough (with Love's help) to get away.
Of course, there were some differences as the story progressed: Joe became more accustomed and desensitized to killing to achieve his goals, making the stakes higher each season. In season three the pattern changed a bit: the crazy person was Love, and Joe was placed in the role of cleaning her mess – instead of his.
Nevertheless, they were very similar regarding how the story would begin and develop. Having such a specific formula can be a good thing, but it can also not work in the long term as it becomes quite easy for the audience to figure out what is going to happen – which is exactly what a writer doesn't want in any type of story, especially thrillers. This was clearly something that the writers and creators of You noticed and decided to step out of this formula almost completely in the first part of the fourth season.
You Season 4 Is a Whodunit in London
Joe moves to Europe to search for his newly acquired obsession Marianne (and to run away from the death he left behind in Madre Linda). With a new continent comes a new story with a very different plot structure in comparison with the previous seasons. Now, there is a serial killer on the loose – and it's not Joe. The bodies of rich people start to appear, all of whom belong to a group that he became acquainted with. He needs to figure out who this person is, because the killer knows Joe's true identity. The power dynamic is completely different, getting a refreshing cat-and-mouse game where Joe isn't in charge.
This can become the season with the most dead bodies. In five episodes alone, four people are found dead, and surprisingly only one was killed by the protagonist this time. Part one of season four innovates in not only the structure but Joe's behavior. When Marianne appears briefly, Joe lets her go as she expresses her fear of him and what he might do to her. Joe obviously blames Love and her lies about him, and doesn't really self-reflect the way he should. He is trying to change, but this started a few seasons ago – and has not stopped him from stalking and killing. Of course, there is still some behavior that continues in the new season: for example, he falls in love with a new woman he barely knows.
What We Need From Part 2
The second half of the season will be released on March 9th, exactly one month after the first part. This idea of breaking a season into two parts is something that Netflix has been doing since last year and has become quite popular among the productions of the streaming service.
In the last episode released, episode five ("The Fox and the Hound"), the mysterious 'eat the rich' killer is revealed as the writer Joe actually connected with on a friendship level, Rhys (Ed Speleers). Now, after Joe shuts down Kate's (Charlotte Ritchie) offer of a relationship, he is completely focused on Rhys and taking him down. So, there is much to await from the remainder of the season. Some storylines that should be further explored: When did Rhys start killing? Did Joe really give up on Marianne? What's Joe's plan to expose Rhys without exposing his dark past? Will Love – a fan favorite – appear (even if in a flashback)?
Needless to say, there is a lot of speculation on Joe's (or shall we call him Jonathan?) next steps. Because this season is so different, it is hard to be sure of any theories, but there will certainly be more dead bodies and various problems for this character to fix. The whodunit in the country of the biggest crime/detective writer, Agatha Christie (whose books are hated by Joe), seems like a good setting for this new phase of the story; even with the geographical inaccuracies.