by Jeff Alan, Contributing Writer
I was severely let down by the end of the first half of Season Four of You, because I abhor the use of networks and streamers using the “Part One, Part Two” method of releasing content to the masses. The ending of the previous chunk of episodes saw Joe (Penn Badgley) — assuming the moniker of Jonathan Moore — navigating a mystery of someone killing high society Brits and piecing together who the real killer is by the end of the last block of episodes. The ending wasn’t fully satisfying, felt rushed, and didn’t reach a conclusion that I thought was gripping, or which left me wanting more. However, I am surprised to say that the Part Two of this season greatly surpasses the previous section!
After Joe discovers the true identity of the Eat-the-Rich Killer, they approach Joe with the demand of framing another person for the murders so they can put another plan into operation. The killer’s plan starts to come together further when they inform Joe that the one person that stands to get in their way is none other than Kate’s (Charlotte Ritchie) father Tom Lockwood (Greg Kinnear), and is tasked with killing him. At the same time, Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman), a student of Joe’s at the university, grows increasingly wary of Joe having some sort of involvement in the recent murders plaguing their community and decides to investigate, discovering a shocking piece of information that even Joe would be speechless about. Meanwhile, Kate is wrapped up in the drama of stopping Phoebe (Tilly Keeper) from marrying Adam (Lukas Gage), her boyfriend who she discovers is hiding copious amounts of debt and financial struggles and struggles with her estranged father coming back into her life.
This second half of the season introduces a cornucopia of new information and shocking twists that the first half absolutely lacks. At the end of the Part One, I didn’t feel like any true stakes were presented when the screen cut to black and the credits rolled. But as Part Two season started, I realized very quickly that my opinion was right and this season had absolutely no business being split up into two parts. In this batch of episodes, we see the bigger picture in much sharper detail, we see Joe’s life take a turn in a very shocking way, and see him discover something about himself that will change his life drastically for the future.
The stakes get raised, the twists are well executed, and show sticks its landing and sets up a future that will be very interesting to watch! In retrospect, I wish I would have waited until all of the episodes were released watch this season, because I would have found the experience much more enjoyable, and would have watched the complete, cohesive story in one sitting. Watching this as a Part One and Part Two took the wind out of my sails, but thankfully this back half really takes it to the next level and ends extremely well! I look forward to the next season, which I will undoubtedly be watching all at once.
Score: 8/10
You is currently streaming on Netflix
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