Fans of Season 1 of 'You' will love its second season on Netflix, but others might find it tedious
The second season of 'You' is also its first as a Netflix original, and along with a new network, comes a new city and a slew of supporting characters.
At the start of season 2, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) moves to Los Angeles after Candace — the ex whom Joe thought he killed — shows up in New York after realizing that Joe "did it again" on reading Beck's posthumously published book.
Los Angeles is the last place Joe wants to be in, but he is forced to. Taking the name Will Bettelheim, Joe promises that "this time will be different". Unfortunately for him, he meets Love and Forty Quinn and finds himself drawn to Love, despite promising that he will not go down the same road this time.
What does happen is a repeat of the circumstances from Season 1. And if Joe in the first season did not put you off, he will this time around, seemingly addressing the complaints from a set of viewers who opined that Joe's stalking behavior was glamorized by the then-Lifetime show.
Being in a new city does not seem to defer Joe, however, as he gets right back into his old ways soon enough. But this time, he chooses to be a part of the social media world in order to glean information about the people he does not know.
With this new season, we also got a whole bunch of new characters who can be seen as equivalents of their season 1 counterparts. While these characters seem older and maybe somewhat more mature, they are steeped in LA stereotypes. You've got references for Moon Juice, wellness camps, and so on.
Joe, of course, is as condescending as always and the end of the season takes a turn that raises the stakes — not just for the viewers, but for Joe himself. Readers of the book this season of 'You' is based on ('Hidden Bodies' by Caroline Kepnes) might know some of the key plot points.
However, they too can expect a completely different ending that is sure to take them by surprise. If Joe did not disgust you in Season 1, he most certainly will this time around, or rather, come close to it.
If, however, you were tired of Joe's antics in the first season itself, don't expect the second season to make it better. What the second season does manage to do is reveal what makes Joe tick and though he comes close to realizing how messed up his ways are, he does not quite get there.
Penn Badgley has once again taken a role that is so bizarre and managed to make it his own. 'You' worked well in its first season because of Badgley's performance and it is the same for the second season. That Badgley can look handsome and approachable in one take, but gaunt and terrifying in the next is what makes him best suited for the role.
All episodes of 'You' Season 2 will release on Netflix on December 26.