Did Joe Goldberg Get What Was Coming to Him in the Series Finale of You?

I think not. The show should have been for women, not against them.

Who is Joe Goldberg?

On the surface level, he is a character in Netflix’s show You. Penn Badgley is the one playing him. Joe has an abusive past where he had to defend his mother by killing his father, and violence has followed him around ever since. He stalks women and dates them, which sounds creepy. However, it’s obvious the show has dark romance themes, whether intentional or not, I can’t say. But it makes the show both interesting and murky. If you don’t know, dark romance is a genre of romance books inspired by men going to any lengths (even murder) to protect women. It’s taking the violence of men and twisting it into something to benefit women—basically, it’s a fantasy for women.

Is Joe Goldberg a Good Guy?

Yes … and no. In soap opera land, murder isn’t a big deal. Think of Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives). It’s an entertaining plot point, but it should be obvious it’s not life advice. Most of the time, Joe Goldberg kills horrifically bad people, so the audience is on his side. It’s important to remember this. We are in Soapy Land as of season 2. Art is meant to build empathy, and that’s exactly what happens.

Not to mention, tons of the writing endorses Joe Goldberg and his conscience. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Helping Paco escape his mother’s abusive boyfriend, Ron

• Saving Ellie from assault

• Seeing the ghost of Beck everywhere he goes (clearly, showing his guilt)

• His constant inner monologue, which is Penn speaking to the audience about what Joe’s good intentions are

So it’s safe to say he has plenty of good qualities. Before you get too excited, he does kill disappointing girlfriends, so I wouldn’t add him to the blind date recommendation list. But that is what makes his character complicated.

What is the Problem with Joe’s Ultimate Fate? (Spoilers Ahead)

Season five was a great soap opera, but it didn’t have great messaging. I think they wanted a Seinfeld ending where the cast got what they deserved. Unfortunately, that’s not what we got. This ending is akin to Jerry being arrested while Elaine, Kramer, and George prance around, pretending to be more moral than Jerry.

A cardinal rule was broken. The writers and the actor himself hated their audience. An interesting choice …. So they broke the fourth wall, changed the show and their plot, to make sure the audience knew they were hated. They did this in two ways.

First, they imprisoned Joe, giving us a dissatisfying end to our protagonist.

The soapy dramatics started in season two. By season four it was clear that any deeper meaning for this show was abandoned. Season four made no sense and had no moral themes. The character development wasn’t even consistent. Joe, our sexual, “romantic icon,” became almost asexual with delusions completely detached from reality. Prior to this, the thoughts in his mind were closer to fantasies. During season four, Joe had a mental breakdown akin to someone with schizophrenia, not sociopathy, his original mindset.

Then, in season five, we are expected to believe he has found reality again? But we have to see him punished despite there not being a single moral character in the show? What kind of lesson is that?

The answer is: it’s not. They hated the audience and wanted to punish them for rooting for … their protagonist, Joe Goldberg. Art should create empathy, not a hateful mob looking for hypocritical justice. At any point in time, Joe could have evolved as a person. Or some other crazy, dramatic, campy plot. Instead, we see him tried and thrown in prison in mere minutes. If that wasn’t bad enough, the second “shame on you” punch came at the very end.

To paraphrase, Joe said, “Look at all the fan mail I got. And I’m crazy. But really am I the problem? I think it’s you.” “You” clearly refers to the audience that likes THE PROTAGONIST, Joe Goldberg.

What Makes This Take on Joe Goldberg So Toxic?

Not only does it shame women, it alleges that we have an epidemic we don’t have: women who are asking to get abused. A few women sent Ted Bundy and other killers mail, now it means all women who like a fictional show want to be abused? What? Season one was about women's empowerment. Season two onwards, like I said, didn’t have much of a point, but how did we end up with such a misogynistic ending?

Bronte, a new girlfriend of Joe’s from season five, screams at Joe, something along the lines of, she needs to read fairy smut to deal with the fact that he exists. Except she read it before she met him. She stalked him. She decided to take what she read and pursue it in real life. No one told her to take someone else’s coping mechanism and to make it her life story. Or to make her own coping mechanism manifest, or whatever she was trying to say.

It needs to be said: this show in no way talks about real abuse. It’s a campy show. Even season one was a satirical thriller, not a hard look at what it means to be in an abusive relationship. The only real depiction of abuse was in seasons one and two. Joe’s neighbor was dating an abuser named Ron. And another neighbor hung around someone who liked to drug and take pictures of young girls. Those were more realistic depictions. Both of whom were murdered by Joe. How sad.

Nonetheless, Beck was not being abused; she was lied to. The murder element was satirical in season one. What made it relatable is that many women have been lied to in relationships—babe, I really do love you! I just forgot that I shouldn’t be five hours late and forgot your birthday.

I’m going to repeat this: NO WOMEN ON ANY DATING SITE IS LIKING FOR A KILLER. Nor is that even written in the script prior to season five. If Penn Badgley has a problem with women, it’s his problem alone. Well, and maybe the problem of whoever wrote the ending. While there can be criticism of dark romance, this wasn’t it.

Sidenote: Battered women, who fake their deaths to escape murderous men, do not track down the aforementioned men later on. Nor do women stalk killers. Also, women do not break into killers’ homes because they “can’t trust the police.” Last but not least, good women do not frame other women for crimes. The last seasons did not represent female empowerment, just plot holes and odd choices. Apparently, this needs to be pointed out, as the ending of the show was called too woke by some, and amazing by others, both of which never acknowledge these facts.

So Why Was Joe Goldberg Seductive?

Because he’s not real. And I don’t mean he’s a fictional character. I mean, his whole psychosis was made by women for women and then twisted into a thriller. As I said before, dark romance is twisting the horror of a violent reality into a fantasy that benefits women. We have to deal with threats, so it’s nice to think that, for once, the violence can be to defend us instead of hurt us.

Joe’s mind comes from dark romance. He exists to help women. He is the perfect boyfriend. He respects boundaries, remembers birthdays, plans dates, doesn’t cheat (on Beck), and he always does what is best for his girlfriend. He even cooks breakfast and can give her a job or money if she needs it. As for the murder, he is doing it to benefit his love interests. That is all dark romance. It’s not real. Ted Bundy wasn’t killing to help his girlfriend. That’s dumb and NOT REAL. Neither was Luigi, for that matter. The twist comes in because it turns out Joe was lying to us all. He didn’t do it for her, and it’s the shocking revelation of season one. He broke a trope, but this can only ever be a metaphor as no woman requires murder to date her … that’s fiction.

In real life, abusive men aren’t something that’s a surprise after they’ve been perfect. It’s a slow descent into lower standards and an increase in toxic behavior. Something Joe Goldberg never does because it’s a thriller, not a drama. Abusers do not respect boundaries in real life. The first act of abuse is not murder, as it would just be called murder, not an abusive relationship. This is what abuse would actually look like.

As for rooting for Joe Goldberg after we see what a liar he is … he’s the protagonist. Seriously. In many ways, he’s fighting the evil elite—a noble cause also made up by writers, NOT TED BUNDY. This is an especially important piece of commentary that is ignored by people too obsessed with hating Joe. One only needs to read the newspapers lately to understand what people feel for the rich elite at the moment. Hint: it’s not admiration.

The show also plays with the “will he change” trope. Another trope for fictional purposes. If you don’t want to humanize someone, don’t make them a protagonist. Certainly don’t write stories for them for a decade over five seasons. And probably don’t give them fake good qualities that no serial killer has ever had.

Not to mention, women looking for the best in someone isn’t something that should be shamed. We’ve been to therapy to deal with it, Penn. Promise.