Snowy days in Philadelphia are perfect for binge watching Netflix shows all day, and season two of You is what you need to be watching during this occasion. If you have not seen season one, now is the right opportunity to leave this article and start doing so. For the rest of You, get ready for another thrilling adventure full of Joe Goldberg and his search for love in all the wrong places.
Our antihero, Joe Goldberg, has changed his name to Will Bettelheim after stealing an identity in order to escape his ex-girlfriend, Candace, that he suspected was dead at his own expense. However, Candace is alive and seeking revenge on Joe for what he has done to her. She accuses Joe of killing his most recent ex-girlfriend, Beck, and out of fear of being caught, he flees New York to start his new life in Los Angeles.
There is a lot of irony in his decision to move, as LA is an unlikely place for a book connoisseur like Joe. However, he suspects Candace will never look for him in LA, the city of high profile and wanna-be celebrities. His initial goal is to stay hidden in such a boisterous city, as he rents an apartment and picks up a job at a hippie grocery store, Anavrin. This is where he meets a new woman, Love, and becomes obsessed with her immediately. Fortunately for Joe, it does not take much for Love to fall for him. Well, that was easy and required little manipulation on Joe’s end.
With Love comes Forty, her twin brother, offering Joe a “two for the price of one” deal. Their parents own Anavrin, which puts them in charge of the store and essentially in charge of Joe’s employment. Forty is ultimately a one hit wonder, as he found fame for a screenplay he once wrote, but ended up losing all of his stardom. While he looks out for his sister as she becomes infatuated with Joe, he also takes a liking for Joe and his book smarts. Forty believes Joe could help him write a screenplay that could launch him back into fame. While Joe may not be fond of her brother, he knows he cannot get to Love without putting up with her immature brother.
Another obstacle in Joe’s life is Henderson, a high-profile comedian that Joe discovers is also a child predator. Delilah, Joe’s landlord, was personally one of his victims and her little sister, Ellie, is now an intern for Henderson. Joe is very protective when it comes to Ellie, which parallels his need for protecting Paco in season one.
The season gets all the more interesting when Candace returns in Joe’s life as Forty’s new girlfriend, Amy Adams. It becomes clear that Candace is here to expose Joe to Love and Forty when she feels the time is right. The past becomes hard for Joe to escape with Candace in his life once more, and he comes to one conclusion: he needs to get rid of Candace.
This season throws many hurdles at Joe that he did not have to face in the first season. Now, Joe has to tolerate Forty’s antics, protect Ellie from a child predator, get rid of Candace, keep Love’s infatuation, all while maintaining a fake identity. Somehow, the audience makes Joe, despite his crimes and darkness, a character that we are all rooting for. Though he has proven himself to be a serial stalker and murderer, we still do not want him to get caught for his crimes. Perhaps it is because we know Joe is not entirely malicious, as he protects children from abuse. This soft side of Joe is briefly explored more in the second season through flashbacks of his childhood including an abusive father and a troubled mother.
Maybe we do not want Joe to get caught because if he is, the story is over. We, the audience, are so invested in Joe’s life that we crave to see more. Though sadistic and manipulative, we view him as this attractive protagonist that we are all somehow rooting for. On the other hand, the ex-victim Candace who wants to take down her abuser is portrayed as the antagonist for wanting to punish Joe. This calls into question: why do we root for the villains when they are presented as charming and attractive? Oh, society.
Overall, season two of You is dangerously captivating. This action-packed season offers gore, more character development, comedic value, satire, emotional scenes, and plot twists. The acting especially has been top notch this season and makes you feel so attached to these characters, which I feel the first season lacked. The second season of You is absolutely worth the watch and, I demand a follow-up season ASAP!