“You” S4 Part 2 Goes Off The Rails In An Entertaining Season Finisher

Hello you. The second part of “You” season 4 is now out, continuing off from the cliffhanger left from part 1. After the reveal that Rhys was the one who had been the one taunting Joe and murdering the rich socialites, we’re left with Joe rejecting Kate, and Rhys announcing that he’s running for mayoral candidate. We jump right back into the madness, in a better and batshit part 2 after a lackluster start to the season, ending in something so zany and bonkers, that it’s entertaining. Spoilers ahead.

You. (L to R) Ed Speleers as Rhys, Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in episode 408 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

In my review for part 1 of the season, I mentioned how I felt like those first 5 episodes were a chore to get through because it was boring and the side characters weren’t at all interesting. In part 2, I will say, it’s an improvement overall because the show doesn’t take itself seriously, and it leans into the madness and embraces it. What we’re given is an insane plot twist that maybe doesn’t 100% work, but at the very least, is entertaining as hell. The latter half of the season continues with Rhys and Joe’s cat and mouse game, and the stakes seem high when Rhys reveals that he actually kidnapped and drugged Marienne and has her trapped in a cage somewhere. Joe is left frantically at wits end as he tries to figure out where she is before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Joe and Kate give their relationship a real shot, as they begin dating despite all the batshit craziness happening around them. Eventually Joe is able to capture Rhys and thus we get the seasons biggest plot twist and reveal yet….Joe had become so obsessed with the real Rhys, that his consciousness split in two. Joe had imagined all his interactions why Rhys, yet it was him doing everything all along, including the kidnapping of Marienne and all the murders. Whoah…

Ok so let’s talk about the good. The second part of this season is much better than the first five episodes overall. It was certainly more entertaining once the true reveal happens, because once we get that bit of information out there, everything becomes a rollercoaster ride. It’s just so insane, it works. Now, do I think the whole plot twist was executed well? Well, not quite. Truth be told, it really comes out of left field. After having seen 4 seasons now of this show and this character, it doesn’t quite feel like the reveal of Joe’s multiple personality split was done right, and I do think that the writers wanted to do something very different in this season to change up the status quo, but somehow, it wasn’t built up beyond us thinking that this isn’t too far fetched to believe. The decision to include this narrative I’m sure is going to leave some people scratching their head, and while it’s no “Fight Club”, I still want to give credit to the creators for trying to create something different each season.

You. Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in episode 408 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

Season 4 of “You” is still bogged down by too many uninteresting and boring characters surrounding the main thread of the story, even though the story revamps and turns up in the second half. The conclusion will certainly be divisive, and many fans may be disappointed at some of the character “cameos” they will see because it’s not what they expected, namely the one surround Love. The end of the season doesn’t really have a conclusive feeling since it sets up yet another season, but after 4 seasons of everything working out for Joe at the end, do we really need more? You be the judge.

The full season of season 4 “You” is now streaming on Netflix

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