You Spent 5 Seasons Exposing Joe Goldberg’s White-Knight Delusion

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Netflix’s popular show, based on Caroline Kepnes’ chilling books, is frequently hailed as one of the best about serial killers. However, even though the series has ended, the root cause of Joe Goldberg’s fixations is often missed.

You were drawn to Joe Goldberg, a seemingly charming man who claimed to be a classic romantic, but secretly had a dangerous side. His idea of love was actually violent and cruel, which is why the ending of You Season 5 – with Joe finally in jail – felt right. However, many fans struggled with this outcome, which goes against the show’s central theme.

Netflix’s You Wasn’t Romantic, It Was Creepy

It’s remarkable how quickly people dismiss bad behavior if someone appears harmless, and that was Joe Goldberg’s key to attracting women. Just like in the books, this was established from the start, with his first encounter with Beck at Mooney’s. He presented himself as handsome, charming, and polite, but his inner thoughts revealed a very different side.

Okay, so looking back at the case, it’s chilling how predictable Joe was. He’d fixate on a woman, and honestly, he was good at the initial approach – charming, handsome, a total gentleman, basically boyfriend material. But if you paid attention to his internal monologue, you quickly realized something was seriously off. He didn’t just want a relationship; he needed to control everything. He’d subtly – and then not-so-subtly – insert himself into their lives, basically stalk them, and manipulate every aspect of their world before… well, before things took a tragic turn.

Joe considered himself a devoted romantic who simply wanted to protect the women in his life – Beck, Marienne, Love, Kate, Delilah, and Candace. However, his actions told a different story. He justified his killings of Benji and Peach, and his interference in Love and Kate’s lives, as saving them from awful fates. But the truth was…

His portrayal as a savior was a facade. His harmful treatment of women – stemming from objectification, disturbing thoughts, and deliberately created scenarios – wasn’t motivated by any good intentions, only malicious ones. The fact that he could rationalize his violence, remaining calm and collected while doing so, proved he was fully aware of his actions and their consequences.

He performed solo scenes throughout the show’s five seasons, and it was easy to be captivated by him. However, his last confrontation with Bronte revealed a darker side, reminding viewers that he’d always been dangerous.

Joe Goldberg Had a White Knight Complex

People might assume Joe’s evil developed over time, but he was always dangerous. Many fans refused to accept this, charmed as they were by his good looks and the way he seemed kind and considerate – a facade that hid his true, sinister nature. He exploited this charm to avoid consequences, even for terrible acts.

As a critic, what always struck me about Joe Goldberg wasn’t just that he was a stalker, but why. He fundamentally didn’t see the women in his life – Beck, Love, Marienne – as fully independent people. He never once considered they had the right to make their own choices, to live their lives on their own terms. He always believed he knew best, and that’s where the real danger lay. By stripping them of their agency, he essentially eliminated consent, treating them like objects to be manipulated rather than people deserving of respect and autonomy. It’s a chilling pattern, and the root of all his terrible actions.

He believed these women were possessions and created perfect, unrealistic images of them in his mind. If they didn’t live up to these fantasies, Joe felt justified in ending their lives. This was particularly ironic because he was actually far more flawed than any of the women he dated, despite seeing himself as superior.

Joe believed Beck, Love, Kate, Marienne, and Candace needed him to have value, revealing a deep-seated misogyny rooted in his difficult childhood. He witnessed violence at a young age—he shot a man while defending his mother—but her subsequent rejection fueled his resentment towards women. This trauma clearly needed to be addressed with professional help, but never was.

Despite his actions, many fans felt sympathy for Joe because of his difficult childhood. Viewers tended to excuse his behavior, believing it stemmed from past trauma. However, they also felt it was up to him to address and overcome those issues. Furthermore, his intense anger towards his mother seemed misplaced, as she hadn’t actually harmed him beyond the typical challenges found in any relationship.

The You Season 5 Finale Was a Fitting End for Joe Goldberg

Honestly, it was tough seeing the show wrap up, but it felt a little over-the-top how clearly they had to establish Joe as the bad guy so everyone would accept him going to jail. There were so many of us who were secretly hoping he’d somehow get away with everything, and for a moment there when he and Bronte fled the country, it really seemed like he might! It was a bit of a relief, but also frustrating because it was so obvious what needed to happen.

During his last confrontation with her, Joe reached a new low. He ranted, visibly furious, claiming he improved the lives of all his partners. He felt no guilt for his past actions towards Beck or Love, and made it clear he planned to repeat them with Bronte. The intensity with which he pursued her in the woods was frightening, revealing the dangerous side he’d been concealing all along.

It was fitting that Joe Goldberg’s crimes were finally revealed and he faced consequences in prison, though it took viewers a long time to fully recognize how terrible he was. The show ultimately suggests a larger societal issue: perhaps we need to examine our own flaws instead of excusing his behavior. It asks whether the problem lies not with Joe, but with us.

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2026-05-15 20:40