Showrunners : Michael Foley and Justin W Lo
Cast : Penn Badgley, Charlotte Ritchie, Madeline Brewer, Anna Camp, Griffin Matthews
Episodes : 10
Streaming : Netflix 
 
After years of stalking, murdering, and gaslighting behind the guise of obsessive love, Joe Goldberg’s story has come to a close. Netflix’s You Season 5 marks the final chapter of one of streaming’s most divisive and addictive thrillers, ending with a mix of chaotic drama, weak subplots, strong performances, and a finale that — surprisingly — redeems an otherwise underwhelming season.
 
The once-groundbreaking psychological thriller, often compared to Dexter, has slowly descended into repetition. Joe (Penn Badgley), once a compelling anti-hero, has now become an exhausted trope of his own making. This season tries to revisit its roots by bringing Joe back to New York, Mooney’s bookstore, and his true identity — no more aliases like Jonathan Moore or Will Bettelheim. Just Joe. But despite this nostalgic return, the story feels stretched thin.
 
A Season That Drags Before It Delivers
Season 5 picks up three years after the events of London, with Joe now married to Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), a British heiress with a dark past (a pipeline scandal that literally gave children cancer — yes, really). He’s also regained custody of his son, Henry, courtesy of Kate’s wealth and influence. Life looks deceptively picture-perfect.
 
But if you’ve seen any season of You, you know what comes next. Trouble brews, Joe’s dark urges return, and there’s a new woman in the picture — Bronte (played by a captivating Madeline Brewer), a literature-loving playwright inspired by none other than Guinevere Beck’s book. But this love interest may be Joe’s most complex and challenging yet, even if her sudden prominence in the story feels a bit forced.
 
A huge chunk of the season is consumed by a twin-centric subplot involving Kate’s scheming half-sisters, Reagan and Maddie (both played by Anna Camp). While Camp’s dual performance is a highlight, the storyline is bloated and filled with weak dialogue, failing to match the intrigue of earlier seasons. Joe’s motivations are murkier than ever — is he killing for Kate now? Or still for himself?
 
Bronte vs. Joe: A Battle of Narratives
This season also does something different — it gives Bronte her own inner monologue, shifting the narrative away from Joe’s perspective. While this offers a refreshing change and symbolic reclamation of power, it feels jarring so late in the series. Still, it works in theory: Bronte becomes the voice for every woman Joe has hurt, especially his first victim, Beck. Her arc is written like Joe’s final romantic tragedy — a page-turner filled with fire and vengeance rather than infatuation.
 
By the time the finale rolls in — shot like a standalone feature film — You finally remembers what made it great. The music, especially a key scene set to Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, the cinematography, and Badgley’s performance all coalesce into a surprisingly poignant goodbye. The ending doesn't shock, but it satisfies. It ties up loose ends and subtly critiques the culture of serial killer romanticization, which has plagued both Joe and his real-life fanbase.
 
Is It Worth the Watch?
You Season 5 doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It recycles tropes, overstays some arcs, and nearly collapses under its own predictability. Yet, in its final moments, it shows a flicker of the sharp, provocative storytelling that once made it binge-worthy.
 
The series ultimately ends not with Joe’s redemption — he’s far past that — but with a bitter acknowledgment of who he really is: a deluded monster disguised as a misunderstood romantic. And the world, much like the audience, is still disturbingly charmed by him.