Does You Season 4 S Twist Work

Okay, so we have to talk about You Season 4, right? Grab your latte, settle in. Because, whew, that twist? It was a lot. Like, a whole buffet of twists, actually. Did it work? That’s the million-dollar question, my friend.

Honestly, I went into this season with high hopes. You know, You is our guilty pleasure. We love to hate Joe, right? We love to see him dig himself deeper, get caught, and then somehow, somehow, wiggle out of it with that signature creepy charm. It’s a formula, and usually, it’s a pretty damn good one.

But Season 4? It felt...different. We traded the familiar stalking grounds of America for the posh, rain-slicked streets of London. Which, okay, visually? Stunning. The estates, the art world drama, the general air of intellectual snobbery? Chef’s kiss. It definitely gave the show a different vibe. More “murder mystery dinner party” than “deranged stalker lurking in the shadows.”

And then there’s Joe, trying to be good. Bless his heart. He’s in academia, surrounded by, like, actual intellectuals. Trying to blend in. It was almost endearing, in a “tiger trying to be a house cat” kind of way. You just knew it wouldn't last, didn't you? The old habits die so hard, especially when they’re tied to your core identity.

So, Joe’s living his quiet life, right? Or as quiet as Joe can ever be. He’s making friends, or at least, acquaintances. He's trying to be this detached observer. Which, let’s be real, is peak Joe. He’s always observing, always cataloging. But this time, it was supposed to be for their safety, not just his own twisted amusement.

And then… bam. People start dying. And Joe’s not the killer. I know, right? The whole premise of the show is Joe being the killer. So, when he’s suddenly the one trying to solve the murders? My brain did a little wobble. A significant wobble, I tell you.

We’re introduced to this whole new cast of characters. The rich elite, the art scene hangers-on. They all have secrets, of course. Because everyone has secrets in a Penn Badgley show. It’s practically the law of the universe.

And Joe, our favorite sociopath, is suddenly playing detective. He’s trying to figure out who the real killer is. He’s using all his old tricks, his keen observation skills, his willingness to… get his hands dirty. But this time, it’s for a different reason. He’s trying to protect himself, sure, but also, maybe, just maybe, he’s trying to prove he’s not that guy anymore. Or at least, he’s not the only guy anymore.

The early episodes, I was genuinely hooked. I was like, “Okay, this is a bold move. Can they pull it off?” It was like watching your favorite chef try a completely new cuisine. You’re curious, you’re a little apprehensive, but you’re ready for the show.

Joe’s internal monologue, the cornerstone of the show, was still there, of course. But it was different. Instead of justifying his own horrific actions, he was dissecting the actions of someone else. He was pointing out their flaws, their motivations, their pathetic attempts at covering up their messes. It was like looking in a twisted, funhouse mirror.

And then came the big reveal. Or, you know, the big reveal. The one that had us all collectively gasping, or maybe just raising an eyebrow in disbelief. When we found out who the killer really was, and how Joe was connected to it… well, that’s where things got… complicated.

Let’s talk about Rhys Montrose. Such a character, right? Suave, intelligent, charismatic. The perfect foil for Joe. Or, as it turned out, the perfect puppet master. The whole “Eat the Rich” killer thing was a bit on the nose, but I can appreciate a good narrative, even if it’s a little… theatrical.

But the twist was that Joe was the killer, all along. Or, rather, part of him was. The “self-aware” part of him was the killer. The part that was always lurking, waiting for an opportunity. It was a split personality twist. Classic, but executed… differently.

So, Joe was having blackouts. He was doing all these terrible things, and then he’d wake up with no memory of it. And the killer, the real killer, was… him. The Rhys persona was the one doing the dirty work. This is where I started to feel a bit… lost. Like, are we still on the same show?

It felt like a desperate attempt to refresh the formula. To shake things up when maybe, just maybe, the formula was starting to get a little stale. And I get that. Shows can’t stay the same forever. But this felt like a pretty radical departure.

The argument for the twist working: it definitely kept us guessing. It made us question everything we thought we knew about Joe Goldberg. It added a new layer of psychological complexity. And it certainly gave Penn Badgley something new to sink his teeth into, performance-wise. He was amazing, as always, navigating those different facets of Joe’s fractured psyche.

Plus, the idea of Joe finally confronting the worst parts of himself, not as an external threat but as an internal one? That’s actually a pretty fascinating concept. It’s the ultimate comeuppance. He’s been projecting his own darkness onto others for so long, and now, he’s forced to confront it within himself.

But here’s the rub. For me, personally, it felt a little… unearned. The build-up to Joe being the killer all along felt a bit like a narrative cheat. We spent the entire season watching him try to solve these murders, trying to find the “Eat the Rich” killer. And then to have it be him? It retroactively made a lot of the detective work feel a bit… pointless?

It was like, all that intellectual sparring, all that investigation, and the killer was just in the mirror the whole time. It’s a classic “it was you all along!” trope, and while it can be effective, it needs to be perfectly executed. And I’m not sure You Season 4 quite hit that mark.

I kept waiting for the real Rhys to show up, you know? The one who wasn't Joe. And when it was revealed that Rhys was a fabrication, a part of Joe’s own fractured mind? I felt a pang of disappointment. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the audacity of the twist, but it felt like it undermined the suspense that had been carefully built.

It’s like, you’re watching a heist movie, and you’re trying to figure out who the mastermind is. And then at the end, they reveal the mastermind was the guy who was secretly the protagonist’s evil twin all along. It’s a twist, for sure, but it can feel a bit like the rug being pulled out from under you in a way that’s more frustrating than satisfying.

Did it fundamentally change the show? Yes. Did it make Joe’s character arc more interesting? Potentially. But did it work in the sense of feeling like a natural, satisfying conclusion to the season’s narrative? That’s where I hesitate.

The show has always been about Joe’s delusion, his self-deception. So, in a way, a twist where he’s unknowingly the killer fits. He’s the ultimate unreliable narrator. He’s convinced himself of so many things, so why not convince himself he’s a detective instead of a murderer?

But the execution felt a bit… messy. The blackouts, while explaining his lack of memory, also felt like a convenient plot device to keep the audience in the dark while Joe was also in the dark. It’s a double layer of ignorance that can be tricky to pull off without feeling contrived.

And the relationship with Kate? That felt… complicated. Was he genuinely falling for her, or was it another obsession, another manifestation of his control issues? The twist made that dynamic even more muddled. Was he protecting her from himself, or was he protecting her from the other him?

I think the creators were trying to do something really ambitious here. They were trying to deconstruct Joe, to pull back the layers and expose the raw, unadulterated darkness at his core. And in that sense, the twist was a success. It was shocking, it was memorable, and it left us with a lot to think about.

But for me, the magic of You has always been in Joe’s meticulous planning, his clever manipulation, his ability to justify the irredeemable. When he’s the one in control, even in his twisted way, it’s a different kind of thrill. The twist of him not being in control, of being a pawn of his own mind? It’s a different beast entirely.

So, does it work? It’s a qualified yes. It definitely changed the game. It was bold. It was unexpected. But did it land perfectly for every viewer? Probably not. It’s the kind of twist that sparks debate, and honestly, isn’t that what we want from our favorite (and most messed up) shows? It’s certainly given us plenty to chew on over our coffees, hasn't it?