You Recap: Trust Exercise

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It turns out I was right; Joe’s understanding of romance seems to have been skewed by the twisted impact of “Jane Eyre,” a story about a cruel man and his naive bride-to-be who is unaware that he is still married to another woman in the attic. Here’s a funny montage showing every woman Joe has dated telling him it’s him, not them, who needs to change. Aha! That explains why he hasn’t found genuine love – he’s been too afraid to reveal his true self to his partners! Absolutely, my dear, you’ve hit the nail on the head with that observation.

Fantastic news! Joe considers Louise as his soulmate, though if she isn’t, he might have to resort to something drastic – possibly harming her. When Louise wakes up, Joe explains that the handcuffs were to prevent her from accidentally walking on her injured ankle. It’s just another normal action for this ordinary guy, which I find quite endearing. He then removes the handcuffs, and her ankle does seem severely hurt. (I was anticipating a twist where he caused the injury, but it seems we’re taking a different path here.)

In this episode, the back-and-forth between Joe and Louise feels tedious. Typically, we excel at maintaining momentum on You, but in this instance, we seem to be rehashing information that’s already been established – Bronte’s past with Beck, Joe’s psychopathic tendencies, their attempts to understand each other. I found myself repeatedly urging Louise to signal for help by dropping a pin or texting Dom, but she fails to do so and instead focuses on driving me mad from a distance.

In another part of the ranch, we’re witnessing some advancements. There was DNA evidence linking Joe to Rhys’ murder, yet somehow Kate managed to suppress it. This isn’t about advocating for penal justice, but Teddy is correct about Kate – she should be held accountable for this! Nadia suggests that Kate must be aware that Joe was the “Eat the Rich” killer. You may recall that Kate had a boyfriend when Joe entered her life, and then this “eat-the-rich” killer targeted not only that man but also some of Kate’s wealthy friends. Strangely, it never crossed Kate’s mind to consider Joe’s involvement in these murders. It seems like an idiotic plot twist indeed. Some viewers speculate that the episode titled “Folie a Deux” might be named so because everyone appears to be acting like a joker! Nadia expresses our collective thoughts: “I assume it’s now becoming clear to you how obvious this is all is?” Kate promises Nadia that she will secure her release from prison and ensure Joe is locked away for good. However, considering her past actions, such a promise wouldn’t exactly inspire confidence.

At Joe’s home, he and Louise are intimately sharing their deepest feelings, each hiding their darkest secrets. Louise confesses that she wants to stay with Joe; he’s the one who has kept her in this town rather than returning to Ohio. Despite her injured ankle, she allows Joe to guide her into the basement because she feels foolish compared to others. As if on cue, Dane, the man from the van, appears in the room. Much like a cat bringing home a dead rat, Joe has brought Dane back here as a surprise.

Joe aspires to be true to himself, so he shares with Louise what living with him would entail: A constant stream of unsavory characters, subjected to pain, death, or disappearance. In a more positive light, he presents it as protecting her, ensuring no one harms her ever again. Embracing empowerment, Joe subtly manipulates; he motivates Louise to reclaim her power by making decisions with Dane at her own discretion. Eventually, she chooses to part ways with him, albeit cautiously. However, rather than abiding by her decision, Joe tracks down this man and attacks him on the street.

Previously, I’ve encountered a similar predicament with you: It’s widely recognized that there are many violent misogynists in our world, and they’re indeed well-known and not particularly fascinating. However, what truly captivates me is the subtle form of misogyny that Joe exhibits, as Maddie puts it, which might seem less abhorrent compared to the crude “you’re a worthless whore” type of behavior – until we witness Joe pushing a corpse through a meat grinder. I find it tiresome that there’s always the recurring narrative suggesting all these violent men are driven by their mothers’ nurturing or withholding nature, while their fathers are seldom mentioned in the discussion. This is just another way of attributing male violence to women. Additionally, I could have done without the continuous debate about Dane having potential redeeming qualities, only to realize that he’s the one who placed zip ties in the back of his van for kidnapping a woman he learned about online.

Joe can’t look after Dane and Louise as Maddie has called him with an emergency (911 call). After witnessing Harrison being a loving father to Gretchen, Maddie, disguised as Reagan, felt attracted to him. However, in the heat of the moment, she accidentally referred to him as “baby,” revealing her true feelings. Unfortunately, confused and still recovering from a concussion, Harrison eventually realized that Maddie has been posing as Reagan all along.

In a surprising turn of events, Maddie struck Harrison, causing him to lose consciousness. However, she’s puzzled about the next steps. Upon regaining awareness, Harrison finds himself bound with duct tape on a chair, a common occurrence in the You-verse. Joe, inclined towards murder, suggests they proceed as usual, but Maddie urges him to spar Harrison’s life and utilize his “mental abilities” instead. The narrative slows down as we revisit familiar ground (the boat plan, societal norms against murder), and witness actions that seem illogical. One might wonder why Harrison wouldn’t pretend to cooperate with Joe’s plan to escape alive. Maddie criticizes Harrison for his immoral past actions towards her, while Harrison laments his guilt over infidelity. These relationships certainly make a strong case for solitude. In the end, Maddie and Harrison decide to stick with their plan, expressing their monstrous nature but capacity for love simultaneously. Despite being rather uneventful, Joe’s violent act of destroying the chair and his excited exclamation, “Whooo! Okay, don’t make me regret this,” stood out.

In London, Kate and Henry meet up with Lady Phoebe again. (Aside: I can’t help but roll my eyes at the overly precocious child who requests sushi for dinner yet never asks for a minute of television!) Kate updates Phoebe about Joe’s situation involving multiple murders. Later, Kate arranges for Nadia to be released from prison and enlists her as a witness to help capture Joe once and for all. If I were in Nadia’s shoes, I’d be running for the hills, but she goes with Kate to the hotel instead. Henry leaves – he isn’t scared of his father, who threatened Uncle Teddy with a large knife, no worries! – and finds Phoebe’s phone, which he uses to contact Joe. I may not be one to nitpick, but in what world would Phoebe’s phone not have a passcode?

Henry shares his location for the following 48 hours with his father, also informing him that his mother believes he’ll be imprisoned. Since there seems to be no clear strategy among those involved, Kate opts to have a video call with Joe instead of simply ending the connection. Joe expresses anger towards the “once-adored vindictive woman”; to clarify, he reviews the surveillance footage in the basement, notices that Louise has freed Dane from his cage, and concludes that this indicates she’s not suitable, leading him to decide he must eliminate her. It appears there isn’t much difference between Dane and Joe in their actions… surprising!

When Joe returns, Louise is still present, and I’m flabbergasted. She shares her concept – perpetual vigilance for Dane, but no unlawful executions – and hints that the ordeal was a test. It crossed my mind she could’ve been instantly attacked by Dane once he escaped, given the room is loaded with weapons, and she struggles to move. So, she chooses to confine herself within the cage, believing this transparent prison is a unique sanctuary where one cannot deceive. After addressing Joe’s inquiries to his contentment, Louise steps out and requests me to enter. I secretly wished she was orchestrating an elaborate scheme that would stretch over eons, but alas, it turns out she uncovers details about his past in the forlorn asylum for boys (long-term readers of these recaps may recall this as the Queen’s Gambit Tranquilizer Den, a place where the weak were separated from the merely abandoned). Remember, it’s always a woman’s fault! Joe also swears on his pinky that he’s never taken an innocent life. If she’s so convinced this cube is a human truth detector, why not simply ask him directly if he killed Beck?

Joe admits he finds pleasure in taking lives, yet Louise strongly disagrees with this claim. Louise believes that Joe feels compelled to murder as a means to earn love, which seems strange given what she knows about Beck’s book. I can’t help but question how she reconciles all of this information. She releases him, and they resume their relationship, transitioning from adversaries to lovers, leaving me feeling quite uncomfortable with the phrase “she fixed him.” At this stage, I don’t wish for either of them to make it through the story.

In London, it becomes evident to Kate that the legal system moves at a snail’s pace. Nadia’s testimony will be crucial, but it will take years to finalize. Consequently, Kate realizes that the most logical course of action is to eliminate Joe. I strongly advise Nadia to leave before she finds herself in prison once more.

Joe video-calls Kate – why on earth is she answering his calls? – to give the impression that she’s lost her mind, hinting that she’s responsible for the deaths of children due to her faulty pipelines. Kate retorts by telling Joe that she will inform her son that he is a “rampant serial killer.” REPEATEDLY, I QUESTION: If she firmly believes Joe is a serial killer, why does she keep provoking him? Is there not an ounce of common sense or self-preservation in these unfortunate souls who are part of this program?

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2025-04-25 15:54