‘You’ Season 5 Review: Netflix’s Best Romantic-Thriller Series Ends With a Killer Goodbye

Since its premiere on cable in 2018, You has been one of those series that has managed to stand tall amidst thick and thin. Going for several years and two different networks (thanks, Lifetime and Netflix!), You really kept us hooked with its unique presentation of Joe Goldberg’s mischief. Yet, with all of the “girlfriends” Joe’s had and the inner monologue that narrated his devious actions, Joe was simply impeccable. Now, with You Season 5 officially out, Joe’s story has finally come to an end, but goes on all in on delivering an impressive finale.

You Season 5 is the culmination of this series, based on Caroline Kepnes’ original books. Though Joe (Penn Badgley) and his new wife Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie) have found a comforting life, Kate’s twin sisters seek to claim her position. As Kate tries to approach things ethically, Joe tries to hold back his murderous instincts for the better. Meanwhile, in Joe’s private life, he meets the free-spirited Bronte (Madeline Brewer), who takes an interest in Joe’s literary knowledge.

As Joe tries to balance his two lives between Kate and Bronte, he finds himself in a new mess involving new lovers, old relationships, and uncovered secrets.

As Season 5 comes around, the show really makes the collision between Joe’s opposing personalities very clear. From the get-go in the first episode, Joe and Kate’s trust in one another to do right slowly pushes him to accept that he can be both. Despite everything that they’ve gone through in Season 4, they’ve truly gotten to know each other in a way that’s deep, providing that emotional framework. It’s why they’ve been able to have an actual family, with their own son, when they’re finally back in New York.

Of course, not all good things last forever and that gets proven when Kate’s sisters, Raegan and Maddie (both played by Anna Camp), come into the picture. While some might expect their involvement to be relegated to a stereotypical position, You Season 5 actually puts a twist on their role through this switch-up. Sure, it’s initially played off for that shock factor. However, as Joe gradually gets to know and manipulate Megan into embodying her sister, it leads to some nerve-wracking predicaments that surprisingly work. Camp really does a great job with this dual role, capturing a sense of both empathy and ruthlessness to a tee.

Similarly, like Joe, Kate also is focused on making sure her sisters don’t replace her. However, she’s constantly shown to be taking the moral high ground, which has its shining moments. Though she’s done some bad things herself, Kate, with the aid of her stepbrother Teddy (Griffin Matthews), wants to prove that she can do this without Joe’s involvement. This especially shows after the second episode as Joe’s hesitancy to admit what he’s done creates this turmoil. This resonances throughout the season, further intensifying as Joe and Kate are unable to fully come to terms over their son.

In the midst of Joe and Kate’s conundrum is Bronte, who may seem like your usual Joe Goldberg girl in the beginning. Of course, Season 5 plays up Joe and Bronte’s romantic moments to a high point and considers her a side piece. However, by the mid-season, the show throws another unexpected twist in that Bronte isn’t actually Bronte, but rather someone else. She’s been putting up this facade for Joe, which was initially done through an accident. Yet, as the two get to know each other, there’s this unique chemistry and heat between the two that’s never felt between Joe and his lovers, including Kate.

Given how Season 5 is the culmination of everything in You, it doesn’t disappoint with how it ties everything together. This is mostly done through Bronte (real name Louise), who turns out to be a close friend of Elizabeth Lail‘s Guinevere Beck from Season 1. As Joe, and thus us, start putting the pieces of everything together, it really becomes a case of whether or not Joe can prove himself as a “good guy”. While many have come to adore Joe as a character in their own way, there’s this lingering reminder that he’s doing this out of his need to be loved.

He was in an abusive family, which resulted in him being sent into foster care. Considering this, alongside a plethora of factors which also includes multiple social media movements to cancel and un-cancel him, Joe’s incel-ish behavior really starts to peak itself through the cracks. Bronte is the catalyst for this transformation and the way that the show slowly puts her into this position of power over him has the complexity it needs to be compelling. All of this wraps around the idea that we must have ethical and proven ways to deal with obsession.

This gets heavily presented in the final episode, where we actually get Bronte’s full perspective and not just Joe’s. What results is a powerful conflict of interest between the two, where Joe’s overly-obsessed egomania is put to the test when Bronte tries to do the right thing. It’s incredibly intense and, though Season 5 is filled with some scary sequences and confrontations, the ones presented here are on a higher level. Here, the show’s psychological breakdown of Joe’s mantra is finally revealed in the best way possible, giving us both a thrilling ending and the title drop we’ve been waiting for.

You Season 5 lives up to its title of being “the killer finale”, with an impressive story, intricately woven character arcs, and classic Joe Goldberg-isms to satiate your hunger. Though Netflix might’ve ended another series on a positive note (first was Arcane back in 2024), we can hope that Penn Badgley can grace our screens again in the future. Whether it be as a killing mastermind or another role, Badgley certifies himself as one of the best leading men for a show ever.

You Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.