In a crucial scene in season 4 of Netflix's psychological thriller You, the protagonist Joe Goldberg says: “I am getting too old for this.” One can only nod in agreement as the show takes a fresh turn this season.
Anyone who's watched the past three seasons of You will know that each time you are in a new setting—from New York City to the suburbs of Los Angeles and now in London. What has remained constant is Joe's (Penn Badgley) penchant for murder and his obsession with stalking women, not to forget his sardonic inner monologue that drives the plot.
The first part of season 4 which arrived on Netflix Friday is divided into five episodes. Joe has now left behind demons of his past in the US and hopes to start afresh in London—what he keeps referring to as his 'European holiday'. He is now a bearded, suave English professor, Jonathan Moore, at a London university. Much like the beginning of each season, he reiterates he is not looking for trouble this time and wants a clean life. But trouble comes calling after he is introduced to a group of London's elites, thanks to his rich coworker Malcolm. Though he is drawn to Malcolm's girlfriend Kate (excellently essayed by Charlotte Richie), Joe reminds himself that he is a changed man now.
After a night of partying with Malcolm's group of friends, whom Joe despises, he finds himself waking up at his apartment the next morning—with Malcolm's body on his table. The show takes a turn from here, in an attempt to transform into a whodunit—the genre of fiction Joe, the book-lover loathes. The fourth season turns the show around on its head with the hunter becoming the hunted. Jonathan is being stalked by someone who is trying to frame him for Malcolm's murder; someone who digs up the true identity of Joe Goldberg the sociopath, the sins of his past, and more.
There is another murder, followed by a media frenzy that terms the killings as the works of an 'Eat the Rich Killer'. Jonathan sticks around with the group of super-rich friends to unveil the identity of the one who is stalking him.
With Joe being portrayed as a victim now, season 4 is far different from the previous ones. There is also a notable drop in the graphic crime scenes and intimate sex scenes in the show that's been notorious for these depictions. In fact, Badgely himself is said to have requested Sera Gamble, the show's creator, for “zero” intimacy scenes in the new season. That said, the season drags at some points and feels like a muddled soap opera that is not getting anywhere. There are twists and thrills thrown your way, but they are no longer thrilling enough.
There is a huge lineup of new characters and season 4 attempts to shed light on the lives of the super-rich in London's posh society. But in doing so, it often becomes more caricaturish than it possibly intended to. The depiction of the phoney elite, their quirks and total lack of empathy towards fellow beings is on point but the narrative does not seem to move beyond that in many scenes. A similar approach was taken in season 3 to portray life, marriage and friendship in suburbia, but season 4 has taken it too far. Strong performances by Badgely and Richie carry the season forward.
The first part ends on a cliffhanger, setting the stage for some interesting events in the second half that arrive in March. If you thought Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) was the perfect match for Joe, season 4 brings in an antagonist that leaves you perplexed about how you feel about Joe. Do you want to root for him with all his flaws or wish for him to rot for his sins? That said, the show has gone on for too long now, and it might be best to end it with this season.
