Rebekah Williams

It’s easy to see why season three of You, with its unexpected twists and turns, has received heaps of praise from fans worldwide after its release on Netflix on October 15. While show staples such as Joe’s infatuations, internal monologues, and of course, murderous ways make a return this season, new family considerations also come into play. As Joe develops and pursues new infatuations, his rocky marriage with Love and the responsibility for their new son, Henry only serve to complicate his dilemma. This review will contain spoilers, so if you haven’t watched this season yet but intend to, don’t read on!

As the tail end of season two alluded to, and fans suspected, moving to a suburban neighbourhood in pursuit of a life as a traditional nuclear family was never going to magically solve Joe’s problems. For instance, by the end of the first episode of season three he has already developed an intense infatuation with his neighbour, Natalie. Despite taking a step back in the interest of his family when she tries to kiss him, he falls back into his obsessive ways when stealing a pair of underwear from her room. When Love finds the underwear hidden in their home she murders Natalie without hesitation, setting the scene for a chaotic remainder of the season.

After the demise of Natalie, Joe’s main obsession of the season becomes Marienne, and this gradually develops in the first few episodes. Interestingly, it deviates from Joe’s previous ‘love at first sight’ (pardon the pun) encounters with Love and Beck, which triggered obsessions that endured for long periods. Meanwhile, Love’s sexual affair with Theo, Natalie’s step-son, marks the second time Joe has been cheated on, after Beck cheated with her therapist in season one. Although, this time the audience are less sympathetic as Joe also decides to cheat with Marienne.

This season also sees a greater delve into Joe’s childhood, and it becomes clear that the lack of a stable maternal figure in his life has been the catalyst for his intense obsessions with women. This further adds to the complexity of Joe’s character, causing the viewer to question whether they should feel any sense of sympathy for a serial killer. Joe’s continued pursual of Marienne even after this epiphany would suggest not.

As with previous seasons, Joe struggles to cope with the many superficial people that surround him. It’s surprising then, that Sherry and her husband Cary survive being held captive by Joe and Love, avoiding the same fate as Peach in season one. However, undoubtedly the most unexpected twist of the season is when Joe murders Love, before burning their house down after she attempts to kill him for wanting a divorce. Here, the audience feels a sense of sympathy for Love, but aren’t quite sure why. As the season ends with Joe moving to Paris in search of Marienne, the question remains: how much time does Joe have left before his crimes finally catch up with him?

Rebekah Williams is a health and lifestyle reporter for The Scoop and a second-year English and Creative Writing student at Queen’s University Belfast.

You season three: more murders, twists and turns