Our favorite psychopaths are back in “You” Season 3, where the stakes are higher than ever. The third season of the hit Netflix psychological thriller premiered Oct. 15, picking up with the continuation of Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) twisted relationship with Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) as they struggle to live a normal, peaceful life in their new suburban home. Of course, simplicity is neither easy nor the norm for the murderous couple, and they soon find themselves entangled in more killing and stalking. The show’s third season brilliantly keeps up the eerie tone of previous seasons and proves that it can do more than viewers can imagine.
Following Joe and Love’s marriage, as well as the birth of their child, both promise to be the best parents possible and keep their violent impulses under control. Old habits die hard, however, as Joe falls back into his pattern of stalking, beginning with his neighbor Natalie Engler (Michaela McManus) then his coworker Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle). Likewise, Love keeps up her killing streak with quick ax-swinging, targeting all those who seem to be a threat to her marriage. Despite their violent natures, Joe and Love claim to kill in the name of love — but even that begins to fall apart as both drift into affairs of their own and ultimately attempt to get rid of each other.
The season retains the witty humor in Joe’s monologues from previous seasons, which are widely regarded as one of the show’s highlights. As strange as it may sound, his sarcastic tone of voice and way of expressing scorn for those around him is not only funny but also make him relatable to a certain extent. Joe does things that are objectively wrong, but at the same time, he shows qualities that allow viewers to sympathize with him; this is precisely this anti-hero charisma that has earned the show its high praise, and Season 3 is no exception.
Unlike the first two seasons, “You” Season 3 stars not one, but two psychopathic murderers as the main characters. Seasons 1 and 2 showed Joe’s capabilities and just how far he was willing to go for those he loved, establishing him as an obsessive stalker who was willing to kill whenever it was necessary. Season 3 expanded upon Love’s true nature, which viewers only got a glimpse of in the previous season when it was immediately clear that the two had differences in their homicidal tendencies. While Love is impulsive and emotional, Joe is careful and calculated, making sure he can cover up his plans before he acts upon them. At times throughout the third season, it almost seemed as if Joe was forced to clean up the messes that came out of Love’s reckless killing. The contrast between the two offered an interesting look into both characters’ personalities, oftentimes heightening the stakes at hand.
With such a contrast, viewers get a closer look at the core of Joe’s character. His backstory, shown in various flashbacks, tells us that after shooting his abusive father to protect his mother, the latter placed him in a foster home where he encounters a woman who is facing similar abuse from her boyfriend. This time, Joe does nothing, as he believes it was his fault that his mother abandoned him, but because of this, the woman dies. Due to past trauma, Joe is constantly afraid that if anyone saw the real him, they would leave him alone. It is this fear of abandonment that drives him to his obsessive behavior, and it seems too embedded into his core for him to change. Despite the number of murders he has committed, Joe seems to have some sort of a moral compass when it comes to killing as he scolds Love for being too hot-headed in her ways; this makes him even more of a complex character and all the more interesting.
For a series about killing and stalking, the topics portrayed in “You” Season 3 are surprisingly realistic. After giving birth to her child, Love experiences great postpartum depression, causing her to become anxious, constantly stressed and emotional. She wonders why Joe has been cold to her and desperately grasps at the fragments of their marriage, doing everything she can to save it. Furthermore, both Joe and Love begin to entangle themselves in affairs while they fall out of love with their own partner. Sadly, both postpartum depression and cheating are common occurrences in many marriages. This type of tragic realism adds a layer of believability, which, when paired with a psychological thriller, makes for an eerie juxtaposition.
All in all, “You” Season 3 provides an interesting turn of events with explored character personalities and heightened stakes. A fourth season was announced even before the premiere of the third season, and with the way Season 3 ended, there seem to be exciting things in store for our anti-hero.
Grace Tu is an Entertainment Intern for the fall 2021 quarter. She can be reached at tug2@uci.edu.
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