You, A Review

How far would you go for love?

Already being labelled as the show that is making people go private online, You has simultaneously wowed and creeped out audiences alike. This Netflix series follows Joe (Penn Badgley), a book-store clerk who sets his sights on college student and aspring writer Guinevere “Beck” (Elizabeth Lail). The two hit it off when she visits the book shop, causing him to look her up online- hoping he can set up an “accidental meeting”. After a unsuccesful poetry reading Beck drunkenly falls on the subway tracks and Joe, who had been following her, is able to save her. The pair continue to keep in touch and despite the fact Beck’s friends’s Peach (Shay Mitchell), Annika (Kathryn Gallagher) and Lynn (Nicole Kang) all seem to dislike Joe and Beck has only just ended a relationship with ex Benji (Lou Taylor Pucci)– the two begin dating.

What Beck is unaware of however is how deep Joe’s obsession with her really runs. From accessing her social media, watching her through her windows and even stealing her phone, Joe is able to gain the perfect insight to Beck’s life. He is able to use this to his advantage- often planning accidental meet ups or using her stolen phone to spy on her texting and day to day life. As Joe and Beck’s relationship deepens, Joe is able to befriend Annika and win over Lynn but Peach is still highly suspicious of Joe’s motives. Peach begins to dig into Joe’s past- but what will she learn? And how far will Joe go to make Beck his?

You had such a wonderful creepy vibe throughout its first season. Joe’s stalking of Beck and inner monoluge was very reminiscent of a serial killer– especially considering his “underground lair” in the basement of the bookshop which just screamed prison cell. Joe himself was also somewhat of an unreliable narrator due to his numerous hallucinations throughout the series of his ex Candace (Ambyr Childers) who mysteriously dissapeared after the two broke up. Joe’s very unpredictable nature and stalking skills made him a very complex character- a character that just screamed villian, yet Badgley is able to give this serial stalker a very likeable adorableness about him.

You also demonstrates the very real dangers of social media and how easy it is to follow someone/track them down using only their online prescence. Social Media is becoming increasingly popular in the 21st century and You is able to capatilize on this trend and giving it a sinister switch. I don’t know about you guys, but watching You made me want to delete my whole online life and go dark.