‘You’ Season 4 Review: Netflix Thriller Runs Out

When Joe Goldberg, the main character of by Netflix psychological thriller You, first put on his accidentally cool vintage baseball cap, his whole disheveled librarian schtick had a ton of charm. Her belief in finding her one true love, by any means, was endearingly sincere. Yes, he killed several people in the name of love. But at least his delusional idea of ​​romance served as a commentary on how life and love don’t quite fit Instagram’s ideal image.

In the new season of You – season 4 – Joe is a different man. He’s in full self-redemption mode. He knows he is “problematic”. He intends to change his ways and will never stalk, trick, physically assault or psychotically manipulate anyone in his new girlfriend’s friendship circle again. Somehow, inexplicably, that makes it a bit boring.

After experiencing being a devoted husband and father in season 3, Joe is back to single life. To return there, he had to move to a whole new country. It’s Joe’s European vacation. Flashbacks to Paris reveal what happened when Joe first escaped the mess he left in America. But primarily season 4 takes place in a United Kingdom modeled by Notting Hill, sunny skies braced against the foothills of a medieval university. There, Joe takes the pseudonym of Professor Jonathan Moore. He teaches American literature. It seems like a pretty perfect gig for him.

But his British colleagues and their friends and lovers are just as tasteless and useless as his pals in the United States. Joe quickly gets entangled in affairs he has been doing his best to avoid.

Apparently, Joe’s new love interest is Kate Galvin (Charlotte Ritchie), a “sexually frustrated” gallery owner with a haughty and distant attitude. Joe doesn’t exactly fall in love with her immediately. Surprise. But you know it’s only a matter of time, because it’s Joe. The difference this time is that Kate has a high bullshit meter. She notices when Joe disappears in his inner monologue. It’s kind of like the Hot Priest noticing Fleabag’s avoidant tendencies.

Subverting repeating patterns and finding new directions to lure Joe in is the name of the game for Season 4. (The same could be said for Seasons 2 and 3, when Love Quinn proved to be a perfect psychotic match for Joe.) This time Joe uses his stalking skills for good, falling right into the center of a murder mystery. Then there’s the unknown text message mocking Joe. The scenario is reversed: Joe becomes someone else’s fixation.

Oddly enough, the main point of difference that makes You season 4 seem a little off isn’t Joe’s transformation. It’s his love interest. Kate isn’t exactly relatable, unless you’re an obscenely wealthy heiress living in an Architectural Digest newsworthy apartment. Guinevere Beck and Love Quinn (for starters) were at least somewhat recognizably millennials with dreams and hopes. All that disturbed them was a flame burning near your own skin.

The second part of Season 4, which arrives a month later than the first, is the better half, so it’s worth staying in this world of the adjacent British royal. Joe is still a likable antisocial narcissist, but he’s not the same antisocial narcissist we’ve watched, perversely, in previous seasons. Especially over the course of the first batch of five episodes (there are 10 in total), our voyeurism of its satisfying, yet diabolical skill isn’t as much fun anymore.

It’s worth seeing Charlotte Ritchie, known for her lovable roles in British sitcoms like Ghosts and Feel Good, playing a significantly edgier character. It seems like a tactical game for Ritchie to make sure Kate is somewhat likable, the most real of his insufferable associates. Ed Speelers, who played the titular hero in Christopher Paolini’s 2006 fantasy adaptation Eragon, is magnetic as the Oxford Rhys auteur. He and Joe share a love of books, among other similarities.

You still have something to say about love, but we feel that it is about to run out of steam. In a twisted sense, Joe’s arc lands in relatable places, but getting there is a long and uneven journey. Maybe, just maybe, we’re getting closer to hanging up the baseball cap.

The first five episodes of You Season 4 are now streaming on Netflix. The second batch of five episodes will arrive on March 9.