Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 5/15/2025 to correct a sentence that implied a character, Bronte, had died in the finale during her struggle with Joe.
Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for the series “You.”
“You” has captivated audiences since its debut in 2018 with its chilling exploration of obsession, identity and moral decay. Now, with its fifth and final season, the Netflix thriller series brings the infamously twisted journey of Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) to a dramatic close. Season 5 finalizes Goldberg’s story with explosive commentary on justice, self-delusion and the dark allure of reinvention.
Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo took creative control of the series after co-creator Sera Gamble stepped down as showrunner for this season. Each season is loosely based on and adapted from the novels by Caroline Kepnes.
In Season 5, Goldberg escapes the shadows, abandoning his past in London and his previous false identity. Goldberg has returned to New York, where his dangerous stalking tendencies began in the first season. His life in New York drastically differs from before with immense financial resources, elite social status and access to powerful networks at his disposal, thanks to his relationship with billionaire Kate Galvin (Charlotte Ritchie). Goldberg tries to craft a new public image; he’s a philanthropist, intellectual, devoted father and husband.
Unfortunately for him, erasing the past is never that simple.
Goldberg reopens Mooney’s bookstore and reconnects with familiar surroundings, but his violent past continues to haunt him. Stepping back into his stalking behavior, Goldberg unsurprisingly becomes deeply obsessed with a mysterious aspiring writer, Bronte (Madeline Brewer). Goldberg tries to refrain from his familiar patterns. He’s a father now — raising his son, Henry Forty Quinn-Goldberg (Frankie DeMaio), with Galvin — and at times trying to be better. However, he caves to the temptation because of his need for control and his delusion that he is rescuing a woman in distress.
Cracks begin to show not only in Goldberg’s new identity but also in his life. Galvin allows Goldberg to kill her uncle because her leadership is threatened, and his son begins to exhibit violent behavior. Goldberg seeks comfort from his chaotic life in Bronte, starting an affair that damages his marriage and image. Bronte is the latest subject of his obsession until it is revealed that she is actually out to avenge Guinevere Beck’s (Elizabeth Lail) death from Season 1.
As a former student of Beck, Bronte — whose real name is Louise Flannery — had been conspiring with others online who had been tracking Goldberg’s every move, suspecting him of the murder of Beck and many others.
Flannery gains Goldberg’s trust while gathering evidence against him. Her plan culminates in a confrontation where Goldberg kills Clayton Angevine (Tom Francis), the son of Dr. Nicholas “Nicky” Angevine (John Stamos), whom Goldberg had previously framed for the murder of Beck. This act is deeply incriminating as Flannery’s accomplices live-streamed the entire murder, leading to Goldberg’s arrest. Flannery’s plan to expose Goldberg involves a perilous final maneuver. Feigning affection, she accepts his marriage proposal, luring him into a false sense of security. At the climax of the finale, she confronts him with evidence of his crimes and attempts to shoot him. After their struggle, Joe is arrested and convicted of countless murders, sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
Throughout its five seasons, the series has dived into the topics of toxic masculinity, parasocial relationships and the ability to mask one’s twisted identity through power. Season 5 fully exposes the lengths of Goldberg’s duality. Within every episode, viewers hear Goldberg’s internal monologue through a voiceover narration. This method was once used to invite viewers to empathize with him and understand him as a complex individual — however, it now exposes his justifications as hollow and his introspection as manipulative.
The final season acknowledges how easily romanticized Goldberg’s character was, now enhancing his portrayal strictly as a manipulative and dangerous individual. The showrunners aimed to strip the allure of Goldberg’s character, presenting his downfall as a critique of society’s fascination with charismatic criminals. With an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics applauded the season for its daring storytelling and characterization.
However, despite its ambitious intentions, the execution falls behind the vision. The finale of Season 5 stumbles under the weight of its own twists, which become increasingly implausible and repetitive. Flannery’s prolonged tie to Goldberg strains credibility, making her undercover mission feel more like a narrative convenience. The season is also bogged down by cringeworthy dialogue that undermines its darker themes at times. The show merely touches on a few key societal issues — such as misogyny, Goldberg’s delusional savior complex and the toxic culture of incels and internet mobs — without delving deeper into them.
The finale of “You” has received mixed feelings about its sense of closure. While some critics praised it as a satisfying and full-circle conclusion to Goldberg’s arc, others found it anticlimactic, lacking the emotional or psychological impact that could have made Goldberg’s reckoning truly memorable. For a series that once promised sharper moral consequences, Flannery’s death does not land with a lot of weight and Goldberg’s punishment of imprisonment feels all too familiar and easy. The finale could have made a stronger impression on audiences with deeper introspection or a bolder narrative approach.
While the finale misses an opportunity for greater emotional depth and narrative boldness, it still manages to reflect the series’s overarching themes. Rather than challenging viewers to question the morality of others, “You” forces them to confront their complicity in rooting for Goldberg for so long. It’s a meta commentary on our cultural fascination with charismatic villains, especially in the age of true crime and dark prestige TV.
Still, the series’s critique remains superficial as it downplays the impact of its own self-awareness. The commentary feels unresolved with an unsettling sense that Goldberg — along with the culture that enables him — still walks free.
Fiona Clancy is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at clancyf@uci.edu.
Edited by Corinna Chin and Mia Noergaard.