You Should’ve Aimed Higher

by

Spoilers follow for the You series finale.

Here’s how Joe Goldberg’s story concludes: In a public trial, he receives a life sentence without the possibility of touch or women to fixate on. However, before this verdict, Bronte, his newest obsession, shoots him, leading to a graphic video of his arrest that goes viral. This form of justice aligns with the show You, which is known for romantic gestures and favorable endings for its antagonist-protagonist. In an interview with Deadline, Penn Badgley, who plays Joe, discussed this decision in relation to a broader cultural conversation about “bad men.” He questions, “What should we do with people like Joe?” If someone were to kill him (and it would be a woman), then she would bear the burden of murder. Torture or prison seem inadequate, so they settled on damaging his manhood.

In a climactic and amusing turn of events, Joe, dressed only in his underwear, chases Bronte through the woods like an angry spirit. Badgley delivers a convincing portrayal of a whiny, teenage-like Joe. Caught, he pleads, “Kill me, please. I know you can,” reflecting Badgley’s impressive performance throughout the series, deserving recognition at the Emmys.

The scene where Joe is maimed also echoes the historical use of castration as a severe form of punishment for men on screen. This trope can be traced back to Theon Greyjoy’s neutering in ‘Game of Thrones,’ which served as the foundation for his character’s psychological breakdown, or the infamous scene in ‘Pulp Fiction’ where Marsellus Wallace exacts revenge on his rapist by shooting him in the genitals.

Castration is often used in popular culture to punish men who commit or threaten violence against women. For instance, consider Robocop disabling a criminal trying to sexually assault a woman on the street, or the sequence in ‘Hard Candy’ where Hayley, a 14-year-old girl, convinces the pedophile she’s torturing that she’s removing his testicles.

It makes sense to treat Joe similarly due to his twisted portrayal as a “nice guy” misogynist who is also a serial killer. Punishing him in line with other villains such as the depraved, criminal, and pedophile seems fitting within the narrative. However, despite his actions, castration might not be an appropriate symbolic punishment for Joe’s reign of terror over five seasons. Shooting off his penis could serve as a humorous climax, but it lacks precision in conveying the gravity of his crimes.

The unique aspect of Joe being the main character in the show lies not only in his status as a serial killer, but also in his tendency to create stories and delusions about himself to justify his actions. In his mind, he views his kidnapping, tormenting, and murdering of numerous individuals as acts of love, self-defense, or an outlet for mental illness caused by trauma. This season, Joe’s internal narrative evolves into a sense of self-determination: He sees his violent tendencies as inherent traits, embracing them is a form of extreme self-acceptance. Using violence against abusive partners, corrupt executives, and arrogant therapists can be likened to a harm reduction technique. Regarding the lovers he has destroyed, Joe finds various reasons to rationalize their demise: Beck was unfulfilling, Love also turned out to be a murderer, Kate never accepted him, and though Marienne didn’t actually die at the end of the fourth season, Joe might consider her overdose an accident. Ultimately, what makes Joe a monster isn’t his sexual desires but his romanticism and sense of righteousness, qualities that make him intriguing as a symbol for real-life men.

If the first season of “You” had been its conclusion, the payoff would have been more satisfying. The art of constructing a story around a villain requires swift justice to maintain the narrative’s moral integrity as an opposition to the central character. However, the series extended for four more seasons, making it increasingly challenging to deliver a proportionate punishment for Joe’s actions. Moreover, the series is captivating due to its sympathetic portrayal of Joe, his relatable class critiques, and the parade of naive characters that serve as obstacles or targets in his journey.

Balancing Joe as both the protagonist and the subject of deconstruction is tricky, especially when the more story “You” gives Joe, the harder it becomes to critique the myths that protect dangerous men like him. It also gets tougher to blame society for enabling such behavior when it essentially means blaming viewers for rooting for a character like Joe. The series cannot reap the benefits of making him the protagonist while simultaneously criticizing the audience’s response, which fuels his popularity.

In simpler terms, the argument could be made that castration symbolically represents Joe’s crimes, but to fully support this claim, more time should have been spent showing Joe’s descent into monstrous behavior. Instead, this was only briefly touched upon in the final episode of the series. If the goal was to explore Joe’s self-mythologizing, a full episode dedicated to him confronting his own evil deeds would have been more effective, perhaps drawing inspiration from how Seinfeld handled its final episodes.

As you developed Joe’s character more deeply, the chasm between him and his symbolic representation widened: the unsettling possibility that any man appearing benign could suddenly unmask as a monster, one who fervently believes himself to be the hero of his own romantic tale, persuading others to share in his delusion. In the climax, Bronte ponders, “What is it about me that I see through you, yet still feel this way?” despite her intention to bring Joe to justice. “Yet who doesn’t enjoy being loved?” Indeed, it’s not entirely her fault, nor any of the women ensnared by his destruction. As she later cries out, the allure of men like him is how women cope with the harsh truth about men like him – a fantasy he’s more than willing to help manifest. She should have targeted his mouth instead.

Read More

2025-04-25 22:55