Following the divisive fourth season that saw You experimenting with structure and geography, expectations were high for its fifth and final outing. Could the show bring Joe Goldberg’s saga full circle in a way that felt satisfying? Fans, including me, hoped for a return to the taut, addictive energy that made the early seasons so compelling. Now that the final chapter has arrived, it delivers a blend of thrills, uneven pacing, sharp commentary, and a conclusion that’s as provocative as it is polarising.
In short, Season 5 brings Joe back to his roots — literally and thematically — with a storyline that starts slow but builds to a bold, meta-finale. While not every narrative choice lands, the final season manages to reflect on the show’s deeper questions about complicity, morality, and obsession, even as it stumbles under the weight of its own myth-making.
Three years after the events in London, Joe is back in New York — and this time, he’s no longer hiding. Rebranded as a respectable public figure, he’s married to billionaire Kate Lockwood, living a picture-perfect life with their son Henry. With no murders on record since his return, it seems Joe has finally found peace. But when chaos begins to creep into Kate’s corporate empire — including a rivalry with her ambitious sister Raegan — Joe’s darker impulses begin to resurface. As the past comes knocking and a mysterious new woman named Bronte stirs old desires, the stage is set for a final reckoning.
The good
You Season 5 makes a welcome return to form in many ways. The New York setting, Mooney’s bookstore, and the infamous glass cage all nod to the show’s origins, giving the season a grounded, full-circle feel. Penn Badgley delivers perhaps his best performance yet, oscillating between charm, menace, and delusion with unnerving ease. The introduction of Bronte — a complex writer who rekindles Joe’s obsessive tendencies — injects fresh energy into the latter half of the season. Cameos and callbacks are sprinkled generously, rewarding longtime fans without relying solely on nostalgia. The season also manages to incorporate pointed satire about wealth, image, and the cult of personality — particularly through Kate and her family’s morally murky empire.
The bad
Unfortunately, the first half of the season struggles with momentum. The corporate drama around Lockwood Corporation, while thematically relevant, lacks the psychological tension that You thrives on. Several episodes feel like filler, and some characters — particularly Raegan and the supporting ensemble — lack the depth or intrigue of past seasons’ cast. Additionally, the show continues its internal tug-of-war over Joe’s character: is he a misunderstood antihero or an irredeemable villain? The finale tries to address this head-on but risks alienating viewers by placing blame on the audience itself. Though thematically rich, the final scene feels more smug than self-aware.
The verdict
In its final act, You embraces what it always was — an over-the-top psychological thriller with literary pretensions and a knack for dark social commentary. Season 5 isn’t perfect, but it’s a fittingly twisted goodbye. The show ultimately confronts its central dilemma: Joe Goldberg is not a man to root for, yet we’ve followed him all the same. With that uncomfortable truth laid bare, You ends not with redemption, but with a warning. The monster was never just Joe — it was the allure of watching him.
