The popular Netflix series “You” has started off with a strong first half of the fourth season. The show is known for its formula of having the charming and well-read main character, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), develop an obsession for a woman which eventually leads into stalking her before actually making a move. Once they become romantically involved, Joe’s obsession consumes him and he goes to great lengths to maintain his relationship (i.e. murder). The show’s audience is used to seeing both the charming and murderous sides of Joe, yet still feel empathy towards him as his internal dialogue narration makes it easy to understand his actions. 

This season deviates from its familiar layout, not only taking place in London, but also following a whodunit plot, in which our beloved protagonist serial killer is actually framed for a murder. Joe finds himself being manipulated by an anonymous enemy who’s looking to disrupt Joe’s new life by exposing his past. This season also entails the struggle of staying afloat within an environment full of ridiculously wealthy and entitled people (similar to season three’s rich suburban location, only heightened), thus making the audience side with Joe even more than before as his position is the most relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed watching part one and am anticipating an even better part two. 

The creators did a great job keeping audiences engaged with a completely different structure of the show; mysteries and thrillers seem to be all the rage this year, especially those with whodunit plotlines such as “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Death on the Nile” and  “See How They Run.” I find that a lot of shows following the same pattern season after season become pretty boring and predictable, but seeing “You” shift to something different while maintaining its lovable attributes is refreshing and makes for a great viewing experience. We as the audience get a whole new experience while still seeing the recognizable traits of a show we love. On top of that, a result of this murder being pinned on Joe is a form of interesting character growth. 

We’ve seen Joe, every season, committing the same horrible actions for the preservation of his relationships and every time, there’s a little hope that maybe this time it’ll be different (for Joe’s sake). Season four finally introduces a different Joe where he’s dealing with a murder that isn’t his doing, leading to a change in his self awareness. Joe recognizes he has to work on himself rather than depending on someone else to fix his problems. This is seen with yet another love interest; however, his approach to this one is quite different. Overall, I found myself still rooting for Joe’s success, though I haven’t forgotten about his past actions, but that’s the fun of this show. The moral dilemma of rooting for a bad guy to defeat another not so great guy is the pulling factor “You” continuously pulls off. This season’s strong start makes me excited for what the second half entails. Maybe we’ll see Joe lean into the character growth, or maybe we’ll see him get what he deserves.