You, produced by Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti, is a grim, psychological thriller on Netflix that has received worldwide rave reviews and feedback. The first season of You was initially a cable series on Lifetime, but they immediately took it over to Netflix after the producers saw the subpar ratings. It ended up being a very wise call because it got 40 million views in the first four weeks. You has recently been one of the most binge-worthy shows with its unsettling yet riveting plot that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

The first season of You was based around a novel of the same name by Caroline Kepnes. The show revolves around the anti-hero, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a New York bookstore manager who encounters an aspiring young artist, Guenivere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), walking around Logos Bookstore. He falls in love immediately and becomes obsessed to the point of stalking her. The first season shows Goldberg going to great lengths and getting rid of all obstacles to get Beck to fall in love with him. During the last scene in the first season, it shows one of Goldberg’s old exes coming back for revenge.

The second season opens with Goldberg in Los Angeles trying to hide away from his murderous past. This season was really trying to be self-aware of the constant Los Angeles clichés and stereotypes. It starts off with Goldberg meeting his social media-obsessed neighbor, working at a trendy, upscale grocery store and going to Hollywood parties with Instagram influencers. The producers filled this season with satire comedy about Los Angeles while providing diverting commentary about women and desire. Even with his disastrous past with love, he finds himself instantly obsessed with the chef at his workplace, Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). In this season, the audience will get a look at Goldberg’s flashbacks to his childhood. Those scenes of his childhood play out throughout the entire season giving the audience some closure on why Goldberg is the way he is. It also helps him with the realization of his actions. This show is a great picture of male violence, and how it can affect people. Goldberg shows charm and gentleness with the women in his life, but he would also turn quickly on anyone who got in the way of his desires.

The series as a whole shows a great commentary on attraction and the expectations of women. Quinn, the main love interest in the second season, is the perfect “cool girl” trope or manic pixie dream girl stereotype. She is shown in Goldberg’s eyes as the most perfect person. She is seen as funny, great at cooking and does not play into the Los Angeles stereotype. She is so perfect that Goldberg eventually overlooked his prior love interests. Because Goldberg had been abused by his parents as a child, he sees Quinn through a different lens. He sees no error in her; the media likes to portray women that way. The audience can also see a “crazy girl” stereotype that is played by Goldberg’s ex, Candace Stone. Since the show is seen through Goldberg’s eyes, Stone seems crazy, but it’s only from the trauma that Goldberg made her experience.

You has been a really popular topic to discuss. Senior Shannon Smith said, “I was surprised at how often I found myself unconsciously supporting and justifying Joe’s clearly wrong actions. I think it’s a good show to watch because it’s entertaining. It also raises awareness of how easily people may forgive a manipulative person’s actions.” She went on to talk about how easy it is for people to not realize that they are in toxic relationships. After hearing her response, Senior Kaia Elstad also added, “It’s a good show for females to watch out for red flags.” The show has had some speculations that there will be a third season coming out in 2021, but nothing has been confirmed so far. The second season ended with a cliffhanger of Goldberg discovering a new person to obsess over and a few loose ends from the second season, leaving fans hoping for a third season.