We owe the creative forces behind YOU a huge apology for questioning their craftsmanship this season by making the murder’s identity so obvious.
In the first half of the season, we were all like, we guessed it, we knew it was Rhys, that was way too easy to solve—but that was the whole point! YOU Season 4 Episode 8 put everything into focus, offering up a twist that many of us likely did not see coming, though, if we were paying close attention (as we all claimed to be) and followed the breadcrumbs, maybe we would have figured it out sooner. For those of you that are reading having cracked the case, or, at the very least, considered the turn of events, I’m impressed!
In short, Joe has been the murderer all along because Rhys, though a real person in this fictional world, is a figment of Joe’s imagination. His IMAGINATION. He’s a delusion that his mind conjured up after Joe became so committed to his new “good guy” identity that his conscious just rejected it and created Rhys.
It’s a lot to process for those of us who thought Rhys was real this whole time, including Joe, as the revelation finds himself questioning his sanity. He seems to have flat-out lost it—compartmentalized, blacked out, and forgot that he’s been murdering people left and right.
The episode was hands down the best in the series, with both Penn Badgley and Tati Gabrielle bringing their A-game to every twist and turn. And it was so masterfully executed that my head was spinning.
The reality is that there’s always been two Joe’s having an internal fight with each other, but this time, we’re simply seeing it happen outside of Joe’s head.
Looking back, the signs were clear as day like Rhys managing to go undetected around the city and sneaking into Joe’s house, Rhys not joining the group at the country club, Joe never speaking about his connection to Rhys with others, no one in the group ever speaking to Joe directly (and when he did talk to Rhys in front of them, he was so high that no one even questioned it), and most importantly, Joe always falling asleep or getting knocked out before someone was murdered so that his “other self” could take over. It also explains why Rhys has no idea who Joe was or what he was talking about!
It also makes so much more sense, especially the lingering questions of why Rhys would be so desperate to team up and go on a killing spree with Joe. Rhys is wealthy and has access to anyone in the world so why would he ever choose Joe let alone obsess over him? The truth is that Joe’s mind likely chose Rhys because they both have the same traumatic upbringings and yet one of them was able to fight through that pain and turn it into a positive while the other has never been able to get rid of those demons. Rhys is the man Joe has wanted to be, so he disassociated with the parts of himself that he disliked and turned the hero into the villain of his story.
I know this is a show, so getting into the mechanics isn’t exactly something anyone wants to do, but while jaw-dropping, the twist has some holes. It’s hard to believe that Joe would have the energy and mental capacity to simultaneously be the man lusting over Kate and prove that he’s a good guy, the dude trying to crack a murder mystery, and the man kidnapping Marienne and locking her up in a replica of his glass cage (where did he find the time and materials to build that?), all while somehow making it to all of his classes as Professor Jonathan Moore without anyone realizing that something was completely off with him. At this point, Joe Goldberg is a high-functioning sociopath that had everyone fooled, including himself. I’m exhausted just thinking about getting all of that done.
In the end, the reason Joe couldn’t shake Rhys is because you simply cannot escape yourself.
As it turns out, killing your wife, abandoning your child, and losing the love of the woman you’re chasing across Europe can do a number on you and, oh, I don’t know, break you and put you on a dark path.
As can kidnapping the woman you promised to keep safe and looking her up in a replica glass cage. Joe’s biggest fear was history repeating itself, but he was the one responsible for constantly getting into the same situations.
He did something so terrible to Marienne that he couldn’t live with it, so he had to block it out by creating this alter ego to embody the parts of himself that he hates.
The episode revealed how Joe has been slipping in and out of lucidity as he battled multiple personality disorder/dissociative disorder, so while the first half of the season was definitely Joe as Jonathan, there were parts we didn’t see where he became Joe, the man who kidnapped Marienne and locked her up and then forgot about her… and where he hid her.
Joe’s like a ticking time bomb, and when it all comes to light, Rhys is the vessel that’s laying it all out on the table for Joe, informing him that running from himself is going to be his demise. If he wants any shot at redeeming himself and saving her, he needs to fully accept himself.
It’s easy to get caught up in the twist, but it’s also important to note that in this whole maze, Joe did actually kill Rhys Montrose, the mayoral candidate, which he’s now going to have to find a way to cover up all while trying to undo the mess he made with Marienne.
In flashbacks, we saw Joe drug her at the train station rather than just letting her go free as he promised. He brought her back to some secret hideout before transporting her to the bomb shelter where he recreated the glass cage, where his love and care for her slowly dwindled as he battled with himself, the darker parts eventually taking hold.
Marienne attempted to hold it together as best she could for her daughter, and honestly, it was gut-wrenching to watch. Tati’s performance gave me chills as I could feel every emotion—every fleeting moment of happiness washed away and drowned with immense sadness and even greater fear, along with the hallucinations, hopelessness and mental deterioration that come with lack of food, oxygen, and contact with others.
Finally, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel when Nadia came down there having uncovered Joe’s big secret, but as much as I appreciated her for trusting her gut about the professor and pursuing the lead, I couldn’t help but think about the danger she was putting herself in if Joe happened to catch her. He’s already suspicious of her, and I really don’t want Nadia to end up in the cage right beside Marienne. No one has ever gotten out of there unscathed.
A part of me still has hope that the “good” Joe will do the right thing by both women, but that’s wishful thinking. The situation is too far gone at this point—they both know too much, not to mention he’s also pretty freaked out by the realization that he’s been living this double life unknowingly. It’s a lot to wrap your brain around.
The second half of YOU Season 4 has been quite a wild ride, and with two more episodes left, I can’t wait to see how they wrap it all up, including Joe’s relationship with Kate. I couldn’t help but let out an audible laugh when she suggested he was the only sane person in her life. Girl, you have no idea. Kate has been very different than the other women Joe has fallen for and pursued in the past—she’s outspoken, observant, level headed, so I expected a lot out of her, but she, too, fell for his charms.
As for the Eat the Rich killer’s motivation? It wasn’t self-preservation this time around. Instead, he believed each of the victims deserved it—Malcolm talked badly of Marienne (and treated Kate like crap), Simon was a fraud who was terrible to an artist while Gemma was onto “Jonathan,” so he felt as though she needed to be eliminated. It’s actually surprising that he spared Roald, especially after setting the fire himself! While some may question why Joe chained himself up and threatened his own life, it’s actually kind of brilliant if you think about it because it gives him an alibi and clears him of any wrongdoing. No one would actually consider that he’s the killer after seeing him nearly die as a victim as well.
If I were to guess, Joe’s next kill is likely Adam, who has tried to take advantage of vulnerable Phoebe, upsetting Kate in the process. She clearly wants Phoebe to think everything through and get the necessary help, but she’s been swept off her feet by a manipulative man who is taking advantage of her fragile state. If Joe kills him, I don’t think anyone would be mad— Adam has it coming, though his death would absolutely destroy Phoebe.
What happens next? How much longer can Joe bury the parts of himself before it all begins to unravel? Will people piece together that the nexus for the murders is Joe?
And how will he handle things with Kate and her father? The one thing I don’t want to happen is for Kate’s dad to offer Joe protection, or, essentially, yet another free pass. Joe has created plenty of messy situations before, but this has got to be the messiest and deadliest. The dude went on a killing spree, so he doesn’t need another “get out of jail free” card.
And it’s concerning how chill Tom is about the idea of a killer dating his daughter. Based on Joe’s track record, there’s no doubt in my mind that eventually, Kate would be his next victim once the “bliss” wore off and she began to uncover things about him that threatened his bubble. After all, look how much he cared about Marienne, and yet, she wasn’t spared from the cage, no matter how many times she reminded him that Juliet needed her and begged him to do better this time around.
The fact that he coldly informed her that “this isn’t Joe” was telling of his mindset whenever he slipped into that “other” person. But even after kidnapping her, he still cared enough to take care of her at first, so why did he go nuclear and stop feeding her? Is the severity of his personalities affected by Joe’s state of mind and stress levels? He remembered killing Adam’s bodyguard, so does he only have those recollections when the deaths are justified and in the name of self-defense?
I have so many questions.
And what will happen to Nadia? What’s her insane plan? The poor girl is bound to be collateral damage.
Stray Thoughts
- I love how much Joe hates Joe. It’s almost as much as Penn Badgley hates Joe.
- Joe’s favorite Indian place was Rhy’s favorite takeout spot. It’s eerie how obsessed he was.
- Joe truly needs psychiatric help, but Marienne knows him well enough to know that he always weasels his way out of things.
Joe versus Joe seems to be the endgame. I guess, may the best Joe win… if that’s even a thing.