Spoiler Alert
You clicked on this article. Did you want to read spoilers? Or maybe you watched the season. Either way, you are definitely interested in me. Are you… flirting with me? You’re still reading, you have to be flirting with me. I have to find out more about YOU.
The recent season of YOU was the most corpse-ridden yet. Bodies were dropping like flies in almost every episode. Love and Joe navigated murder in a suburb outside of San Francisco while trying to be decent parents to their new son. You know what they say, don’t stop doing what you love just because you have kids. This season was riddled with twists and turns that ultimately led to Love’s demise at the hands of her husband. While both main characters were morally gray, this series begs the question: Who was worse?
We’ve been following Joe Goldberg for three seasons now. He is nothing if not consistent. Joe struggles with being tied down. He repeats over and over how he wants to change for the better, to give his son the life he never got, but sets his eyes on Marianne. He murders her ex just to protect her. His obsession with the librarian distracts him from his family, which ultimately leads to his life going down in flames, literally.
Love killed for love. She viewed Natalie as a threat to her marriage and peaceful family life with Joe, so she put an end to the threat. In season two, we learned about how horrible Love’s family was. Love so desperately doesn’t want that to happen to her son. In her urge to create the perfect family for herself, she felt the desire to kill. Joe’s killings endangered the family whereas Love was only trying to protect it. She dreamed of a white picket fence American Dream-esque life. While she had some questionable actions, like sleeping with Theo, her main goal was ultimately the protection of her family. Love has only killed for the protection of those she loves dearly. This is why it is so ironic that she meets her end at the hands of the man who swore he would love her forever.
The couple has committed heinous acts both for each other and for others. However, I believe Joe is the one who was mostly in the wrong. In season two, he would have killed Love if she suddenly didn’t reveal to him that she was pregnant. Then after Henry was born, he kept wishing he was a girl. Since he was subject to abuse at the hands of his father, Joe didn’t want a son. He doesn’t want to raise a child to become like him. Joe clearly shows a love for women, which is why he would prefer to have a daughter. Henry failed his expectations from the very beginning. It’s ironic how Joe got rid of his child, just like how his mom handed him over. His mission to be a good father is ruined by his behavior.
Joe has never been satisfied in any of his relationships. His obsessive behavior has ruined lives and even resulted in the end of several. He kills claiming it is for love, but in reality, he is just satisfying his animalistic urge to completely possess a person. When this isn’t possible, he kills the object of his affections. The list of bodies continues to grow: Candace, Beck, and now Love. We can only hope that Marianne doesn’t join Joe’s growing pile in season four.
Both Love and Joe came from broken childhoods with horrible parental representations. They both tried to be the best parents they could, but apparently, trauma doesn’t go away simply because you want it to.