'YOU' Season 4 Part 1 Review: Netflix blockbuster series returns with another exhilarating chapter
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Since 2018, the Netflix series has been telling Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) story in the most riveting fashion and it continues to get better with each passing season. The third season of the blockbuster series found Joe in a peculiar position and had to kill his own wife in order to save his child. But he knew that he wouldn’t be able to give his son a good life, so he left his child at Dante’s house and left the US. Now, everything has changed. The location has changed, people have changed, and most importantly Joe has changed as well. Season 4 sees Joe living in London and teaching English Literature at a university. However, the curiosity of having a new obsession is still there. With everything he’s been through in the recent past, Joe would want to keep himself away from all the trouble, but does he manage to do so? Well, the answer lies in the masterfully crafted Season 4.
The show just keeps on getting better and better with each passing season and we would have to bow down to the creators and writers of the show in giving viewers something new every single time. So, Season 4 starts with Joe traveling Europe in order to find Marienne (Tati Gabrielle). After a lot of searching, Joe finally finds Marienne and for a moment, we felt Marienne was happy to see him but everything changes when she realizes that Joe is a murderer. Well, we fast-track to Joe’s present life and are now living in an area of London where all the rich people live. A fellow professor named Malcolm Harding is his good friend and neighbor as well. One night, he saves his girlfriend, Kate Galvin, from robbers. So, as a good gesture, he takes Joe to the Sundry House to meet a group of filthy rich people and that’s how Joe’s life becomes a nightmare.
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Now, we won’t go into further details of the story because it will ruin the viewing experience, but there’s no doubt that something really wild happens that puts Joe in trouble. The most exciting part of Part One is how Joe is the victim here and is being stalked by someone who is as intelligent and clever as Joe. He uses an app where messages are deleted after a few minutes and people can’t trace the messages. However, that’s not a problem for Joe, the problem is that his stalker knows everything about what he has done in the past. All the murders and crimes Joe has committed have come back to haunt him. The scenes where he is being stalked through messages are really well-shot and show viewers how frustrated Joe really is that someone is beating him in his own game.
Frequent flashbacks that we see throughout the series introduce us to Joe’s stalking skills and how he researched everyone he was about to meet at the part at Sundry House.
Penn Badgley once again proves why he should be leading a feature film. This is his best performance of the series so far and explores another side of Joe Goldberg that we have never ever seen before. He feels more vulnerable than ever before and doesn’t shy away from using his skills even when he feels that he shouldn’t get tangled in this situation once again. Meanwhile, Charlotte Ritchie as Kate Galvin is simply outstanding. She plays her character with utter precision and never lets her guard down.
However, the standout performer in these five episodes is undoubtedly Tilly Keeper who portrays the character of Lady Phoebe. At first, you’ll feel that she’s just a rich, spoiled brat who is just spending her father’s money for fun. Well, she is doing that but she is also pretty considerate to people who are close to her. She meets Joe for the first time and takes a liking to him, calling him a friend she never had. Keeper has shown both sides of her character quite magnificently. She is vibrant in her nature, but also never shies away from showing her true emotions in certain sequences. Loved her performance to the core.
Other actors such as Lukas Gage, Ed Speleers, Ben Wiggins, Niccy Lin, Stephen Hagan, Amy-Leigh Hickman, and Ozioma Whenu are outstanding in their respective roles. The cast takes this season to a whole new level and every person has been cast perfectly.
Apart from the acting, the strongest part of this season is how it has been written. The writing keeps you intrigued and viewers will be guessing till the end about who is the killer this time around.
All in all, ‘YOU’ continues to be a force to be reckoned with and tell another enthralling story featuring Joe in his most vulnerable state. The series remains perfect escapism. A soapy psychological thriller that satisfies everyone and proves to be the extraordinary dessert after a good meal.
**** for ‘YOU’ Season 4 (Part One)
'YOU' Season 4 (Part 1) is currently streaming on Netflix.