How Season Three of 'You' Leaves Viewers Paralyzed, But Also Validated
*Potential Spoilers Ahead
From Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) demonic, seductive voiceover to Love Quinn’s (Victoria Pedretti) psychotic need to fit in, this couple, highlighted in season three of You, is a match made in heaven. Throughout their relationship, both individuals result in murder to clear their problems, claiming they are doing the best for their family. However, their similarities spark their downfall as it is literally “kill or be killed” in the Quinn-Goldberg household.
After making the move from sunny Los Angeles to fictional Madre Linda, a wealthy and rather stereotypical neighborhood written to be in Northern California, the family welcomes their child, Henry Forty Quinn Goldberg. Nevertheless, Joe is unsatisfied with the baby’s gender, claiming they were supposed to have a girl. Ultimately, this is the first strike against Joe and Love’s relationship, as Joe is unable to connect with the baby and Love is still grieving the death of her brother, Forty. The tension in the household is inescapable.
Through this tension, the concept of change inflicts upon Joe and Love’s relationship, projecting a sense of validation toward the viewers. Change is something that everyone experiences. Whether it be minuscule events daily or once in a blue moon event, change causes individuals to move further in life. Nevertheless, You happens to create an overdramatized version of partnership that emulates the struggles all couples face when embracing each other’s change.
By analyzing the beginning of the end of Joe and Love’s relationship, Joe created an idealized version of Love in her head, and the moment that version was altered his priorities were shifted. From moments in Anavrin and baking delicious treats, Love seemed to be the perfect woman for Joe to spend the rest of his life with, until she is revealed to be as murderous as Joe. Throughout Season Three, Joe has trouble accepting this “New Love,” causing him to branch out and attach himself to new culprits, starting with his neighbor, Natalie, and eventually the librarian, Marianne.
As broadly represented in relationships, when an individual reveals a darker side to them, this causes a shift in the couples’ dynamic. However, Love’s true self seems to be eerily similar to Joe’s devious self, possibly causing deeper intimidation from both parties. On the other hand, Joe’s previous understanding of Love continues to be altered, claiming she is “crazy” and a “monster.”
However, by Joe and Love murdering people that are subjects of contention, they claim these killings are benefiting their relationship and family, bringing them together, highlighting how embracing change can positively affect relationships. Although this helps temporarily, Joe has difficulty escaping Love’s flaws and salvaging their relationship. As mentioned, Joe believes Love’s murder is strict manipulation and is in no way fit to mother a child. This sways the audience to side with Joe, as he is pictured to be the “good guy,” victimizing Love. Nevertheless, the audience has to be reminded that Joe is equally as guilty as Love, as he has killed anyone who has gotten in the way of the pursuit of his relationships.
Even with Love’s true colors unfolding, Joe is experiencing a need for change in his world, despite his lack of efficacy. Although Joe puts his mind toward being a valuable father, his thoughts are inaccurately turned into action as he settles into his bad habits such as stalking, killing, and lack of prioritization. Even though these seem dramatic, they can be diluted on a personal level, portraying issues all couples face when experiencing change. When faced with reality, an individual tends to feel intimidated when their partner has a noticeable change in their life. This can lead to bad habits, such as putting minimal effort toward the relationship along with looking outside the relationship, risking the consequences of infidelity. Joe believes that with the major changes in his life such as Henry being born, his new job at the library, and how he has not killed anyone in a short amount of time that he is a changed man. When in actuality, his priorities are still the same, disregarding the loyalty he has toward his family and the possibility of a prosperous future.
After finishing season three of You in less than a week, I immediately resonated with Love. After shedding a few tears during her slow, and miserable death, I questioned, Why does this murderer made me feel so much emotion? Now, I am no murderer… but after reflection and rewatching, I came to the conclusion that violence is all Love has ever known, and since she has experienced an innumeral amount of trauma, she sought Joe’s validation. Love experiences human emotion such as jealousy, change, and a need for stability, which immediately hooks viewers into having sympathy toward her. In this show, murder is simply a symbol for a coping mechanism, as Love has faced much trauma, she uses violence as a way to protect her loved ones and shield them from the damage of the real world. As seen with Henry and Joe, Love is a maternal person, connecting to the audience on a larger scale, making her murders somewhat justified since they are rooted in protection. Since we are introduced to Joe in season one, and his violence is immediately revealed, we never got to understand a different side of him. However, Love has revealed her authenticity throughout Season Two and Three, only to be left in a flame of her emotions. Even though Love never got her perfect story book ending, her character was so beautifully written that her traits spoke to a greater audience, developing love toward all.
Because of Love, I have developed a larger appreciation toward emotional authenticity portrayed through film and television. Characters as raw as Joe and Love are rare to find, as creators find it easier to formulate characters who strive for perfection and hardly embrace their flaws. In You, each character is dealing with difficult emotions such as trauma and acceptance, most of which humans understand, validating the larger audience. Through this revolutionary way of writing television, You overdramatically portrays authentic characters, not straying away from their flaws and supporting viewers.