As an avid true crime lover and Netflix watcher, I am always looking for something new to watch. I have seen the documentaries and every show like Criminal Minds. However, a new show came to Netflix and has been seriously brushed past. At the of 2018, Netflix released the show “You” which is based on Caroline Kepnes’ novel. With an 8.1 rating on IMDb, You is definitely not getting the attention it deserves.
The story focuses on Joe, a bookstore owner in New York who happens to meet the girl of his dreams. Their lives slowly become intertwined and they live what seems to be a fairytale. But Guinevere Beck does not something about Joe: he is obsessed and is stalking her. Every move he makes is calculated by watching her late at night through her window or reading her texts on her cell phone he stole. Joe seems like the perfect boyfriend on the outside, but commits dark and deviant acts behind Beck’s back.
What makes this show unique and addicting the fact that the viewer does not hate Joe. He is an attractive guy who seems like he is treating Beck like the perfect boyfriend and even helps his neighbor who is living in an abusive home. Despite his dark actions, Joe almost seems like a hero of sorts which leaves the viewer torn between hating Joe and slightly liking him.
This show takes inside the mind of stalker who does not see himself as the bad guy. He truly believes that he is doing what is best for Beck even though an outsider can clearly see through his stalking tactics. While the show is not necessarily overly graphic, it is disturbing. The way Joe thinks about and describes Beck is unnerving along with how he is obsessed with her.
No spoilers here, but he does go to desperate measures to eliminate people from her life who he deems as a problem. And for all my Gossip Girl lovers, Penn Badgley AKA Dan Humphrey stars as our leading stalker.
The show causes viewers to truly stop and think how dangerous social media can be since Joe’s main method of stalking stems from Beck’s social media use. He does not hack into any emails or accounts, he simply watches what she posts and uses the internet to find her address.
You will leave you wanting more since there is only one season on Netflix who picked up the show for a second season. For anyone who loves suspense, dark and eerily realistic, You is definitely the show that you have been waiting for.