Warning: SPOILERS ahead for You season 5.
Joe Goldberg's final scene in Season 5 brings Joe Goldberg's story full circle in all these ways and more, and it manages to honor his victims and drive home some poignant societal commentary in the process.
And You season 5's ending gives Joe a fitting fate after everything he has done. It finally sees him face consequences for his crimes, as Badgley's character is convicted for several of the murders he committed — and the final moments of the series show him in prison. He notes that the punishment is "worse than [he] imagined," mostly because he's stuck alone. But Joe receives a letter from a "fan" during You's last scene, a nod to the glamorization of many serial killers. His response to this letter is fascinating, as it highlights his biggest problem while also calling out viewers.
Joe Goldberg's Last Words In You Season 5 Explained
He Views His Fan Mail As A Societal Issue
As Joe reads the fan mail he receives at the end of You season 5, he makes two accurate points — both of which contradict one another. Joe wonders, "Why am I in a cage, when these crazies write me all the depraved things they want me to do to them?" He goes on to question the obsession with serial killers and men like himself on a grander scale, ultimately pinning the blame for his behavior on other people:
"Maybe we have a problem as a society. Maybe we should fix what's broken in us. Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe... it's you."
Of course, this is a clever way to work the iconic title of the Netflix series into one last moment before the credits of the final season roll. But by having Joe Goldberg question whether he's really the problem, You's series finale drives home other big points. Wildly enough, Joe's observations aren't totally wrong, even if hiding behind them is. With just a few lines, You season 5 simultaneously offers a frustrating revelation about his character and comments on the very people invested in his story.
Joe's Final Line Shows That He Hasn't Actually Learned Anything
It's The Reason He Repeats The Same Cycle Throughout Netflix's You
The reason You.
The entire reason Joe keeps repeating the same violent cycle with the women he falls for is because he's incapable of self-reflection.
The entire reason Joe keeps repeating the same violent cycle with the women he falls for is because he's incapable of self-reflection. Even when he allegedly feels guilt for his actions, it's short-lived. You season 5 does a stellar job of highlighting this, both when Joe's true colors come out during his fight with Bronte and when he's in prison. The reality is that Joe refuses to take true ability for his actions or accept the truth about himself. He needs to shift the blame to maintain his distorted view of who he is.
I'm Glad She Gets Justice, But You Season 5 Makes One Love Quinn Mistake Even Worse
You season 5 makes a point of bringing Joe Goldberg’s story full circle, but when it comes to Love Quinn, it leans into season 4’s biggest mistake.
This is also why he's incapable of loving Love Quinn for who she is, despite the fact that she's arguably the perfect match for him. Joe falls for the idealized version of Love he first meets, but when he realizes how similar they are, he hates her for it. The series repeatedly drives home Joe's inability to learn and grow, and that makes You season 5's ending the perfect way to wrap his story.
Joe Isn't Totally Wrong About The Problem In You Season 5
The Netflix Series Calls Out The Growing Obsession With True Crime
Although Joe's final moments in You highlight how incapable he is of seeing the true problem, they aren't completely wrong about the glamorization of killers. Ultimately, Joe is the one responsible for everything he does throughout the series. But the fact that people continue to defend and idealize him, even after his conviction, does suggest something wrong with a part of society as well. Through this reality, You season 5's finale also criticizes the growing obsession with serial killers and true crime, questioning their part in focusing on the perpetrators over the victims.
And in a way, Joe's final accusation also calls out the fans of You, as we've been following a fictional killer for multiple seasons.
And in a way, Joe's final accusation also calls out the fans of You, as we've been following a fictional killer for multiple seasons, using his crimes as entertainment. By getting invested in Joe's story, the viewer has to connect with him to some extent. He's an unreliable narrator, and we're told that repeatedly, yet we still want to know where he ends up and how. We're also forced to sympathize with him at times, as we get his backstory through his perspective. Unfortunately, that means we're feeding into the same sort of interest You season 5 critiques.
Joe Goldberg's Most Tragic You Season 5 Relationship Isn't A Romance & That Makes It Even Sadder
Joe Goldberg sabotages all of his romantic relationships throughout Netflix’s You, but his most tragic connection in season 5 isn’t a romance.
This parallels the true crime themes of season 5 nicely, which see Bronte's friends exposing Joe on social media and starting a podcast to take down other men like him. Although their intentions are more about saving women and getting justice for victims, it's no coincidence that this is included in the same ending that sees Joe making an astute observation about the genre.
Penn Badgley Agrees With Both Meanings Behind Joe's Last Words
If the double meaning of You's final scene wasn't clear enough, even Penn Badgley confirmed the truth of his character's last moments on-screen in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. When asked whether Joe's last line should be taken seriously or seen as another attempt to skirt responsibility, Badgley responded:
“It's both. It's a cop out from him but it's also true because, at the end of the day, he's not real and we are. And so we've been watching a show about him and he no longer exists, so it is . It couldn't be about him. He's not real. So that's kind of plain and simple to me.”
It's a fair point, and one that puts the entirety of Netflix's You in a different light. While prior outings take viewers on a ride that isn't as on the nose with its commentary, season 5 really drives home the biggest messages the series is trying to convey. Among them is the reality that we, as a society, need to stop being interested in men like Joe Goldberg — even when they're fictional. Although this won't solve the problem entirely, as they're responsible for their actions, it would help prioritize victims and underscore that these aren't figures to idolize.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
- Directors
- Marcos Siega, Lee Toland Krieger, Cherie Nowlan, DeMane Davis, Kellie Cyrus, Marta Cunningham, Martha Mitchell, Victoria Mahoney, Erin Feeley
- Writers
- Justin W. Lo
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