After eagerly waiting, the fourth season of You, an American psychological thriller television series, has been released on Netflix. The first five episodes were released on February 9, 2023, followed by the remainder of the season on March 9, 2023.

Preview

Since its first episode, You has proved to be a series intertwined with itself, sometimes revealing and disturbing. But if a certain plot regularity can be found in the first three seasons, in this fourth season the story undergoes a great change.

You. Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in episode 410 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

And together with the story, the character of Joe Goldberg also evolves, whose psyche undergoes further degradation, sinking into itself. What also changes is the scenario of the plot, which moves from sunny California to gray London.

All these changes could give a feeling of disorientation to the audience, who once again find themselves having to discover new characters and environments. Yet this renovation only helps the final plot twist, which marks a brilliant new milestone for the creators of the series.

Review

After leaving behind his past and his wife Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti), obsessed with the thought of Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle), Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) follows her to London. Halfway between the desire to be a better person and the compulsive monster that lurks in his soul, Joe forces himself to set her free.

You. Sophie Soo as Niccy Lin in episode 409 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

And so he chooses to make himself disappear, hiding behind a new identity: Jonathan Moore, a university professor. But despite his determination to keep a low profile, he finds himself sharing evenings of wild entertainment in the company of some of London’s wealthiest scions. It is at this point that something inside him splits into two halves. Something will condition his world, dividing it into black and white, right and wrong, while a new obsession makes its way into his spirit. Is she, Kate (Charlotte Ritchie), the woman destined for his heart?

You. Charlotte Ritchie as Kate in episode 410 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

Joe’s skewed view remains pivotal for audiences almost up until the very last episode. Convinced that he has now transformed into a hero, the savior of the rich, Joe appears meek and almost mortified by the mistakes of the past, by the bad things that circumstances have prompted him to do. And Kate also shows that she has a hidden side that she deeply regrets; she’s trying to make amends to find a simple balance that takes her away from the entrepreneurial shark she used to be.

Joe wants to be better, convinced that Kate would hate his real face. Kate is ashamed of the vile decisions made in the name of capitalism and thinks Joe would never look at her the same way again if he knew the truth.

Yet for both of them, the past is still there, closer than ever, and will prove to be part of the future, with a cunning twist that will turn the tables.

Personal opinion

You. Amy-Leigh Hickman as Nadia Farran in episode 407 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix
© 2023

The fourth season of You was a real surprise. Better than the previous two seasons (I wasn’t a big fan of the Quinn family), it returns to the height of the first season. It has intriguing new characters, with secrets worthy of a good English mystery. Perhaps the figure of the “rich scions” is a bit stereotyped, but overall it works and helps to give a fairly faithful picture of the excesses that rule modern society.

Joe’s evolution, his inner changes, and the way he almost seems to split his personality fascinated me. And then great interpretation as always by Penn Badgley; I will never finish saying it, this role fits him perfectly.

Conclusions

The fourth season of You ended only one month ago, yet fans are already on tenterhooks for the fifth season, already confirmed by the Netflix platform. However, the next season, scheduled for 2024, will mark the epilogue of the series. You will have its ending. We just have to wait and hope that it ends with a bang, as it began.