Review of You: Season 5 (2025) – Netflix's Unsettling and Thrilling Final Chapter

Netflix’s You has captivated audiences with its chilling portrayal of Joe Goldberg’s toxic obsession and dark journey through love, murder, and manipulation. As the final season in the series, You: Season 5 (2025) brings an unsettling and dramatic conclusion to Joe’s story, blending suspense, psychological twists, and emotional reckoning. Using the series' signature "vocal media" storytelling approach, this final season gives fans an intimate look at Joe’s inner turmoil while delivering a nerve-wracking exploration of obsession, guilt, and the consequences of his past actions.

Plot and Premise

You: Season 5 opens with Joe (played by Penn Badgley) at a crossroads in his life. After years of running from his past, he is now forced to confront the demons he’s spent his entire life avoiding. The season picks up where Season 4 left off, with Joe attempting to leave behind his old life and settle into an idyllic existence with the woman he believes he’s destined to be with. However, as is typical in the world of You, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

As Joe becomes increasingly obsessed with preserving his fragile new life, his past sins start catching up with him. This season sees him grappling with the fallout of his previous murders, complicated relationships, and his inability to escape the darker parts of himself. What makes this season particularly gripping is the constant tension between Joe’s desire for redemption and his deep-rooted inclination toward violence and manipulation. The series forces Joe to reckon with the consequences of his actions in a way that feels inevitable but still deeply unnerving.

The plot unfolds in layers, with flashbacks to Joe’s previous transgressions, emotional confrontations with old and new characters, and a series of darkly comedic moments. The show mixes suspense with moments of introspection, challenging the audience to simultaneously empathize with and recoil from Joe as he goes through a dramatic personal reckoning.

Vocal Media Storytelling: Unveiling Joe’s Inner World

In You: Season 5, the vocal media storytelling approach is used to brilliant effect, giving a new depth to Joe Goldberg’s character. Throughout the series, Joe narrates his thoughts, feelings, and justifications directly to the audience. This narrative technique allows for a deeper, more personal connection to Joe’s psyche. His internal monologues are chillingly reflective, offering insight into his growing self-awareness while maintaining his warped sense of reality. The "vocal media" style creates a sense of intimacy that feels almost voyeuristic, as viewers are invited to peer directly into Joe's troubled mind.

Joe’s voiceovers, as always, are a mix of self-rationalization and dark humor, but in this final season, there’s a noticeable shift. As the consequences of his actions begin to unravel, his thoughts are tinged with a sense of regret and confusion. He questions whether he can ever truly change, but he also wrestles with a sense of inevitability, as though his darker instincts are a fundamental part of who he is.

The series doesn’t just let Joe’s voiceovers stand on their own but uses them in conjunction with other characters’ reflections, creating a complex narrative web. For example, the voices of people from Joe’s past—victims, lovers, and friends—are heard in key moments, offering an eerie contrast to Joe’s justifications and showing the toll his actions have taken on others. These layers of narration build a portrait of a man at war with himself, ultimately leading to a tragic and cathartic conclusion.

The Evolution of Joe Goldberg

As much as You is about Joe’s obsession with others, it’s just as much about his relationship with himself. Season 5 delves into his inner conflict, and we see a side of Joe that we haven’t seen before: a man beginning to confront the morality of his actions while still struggling with his need to control and manipulate. His obsessive tendencies have always been a central part of his character, but this season forces him to reckon with whether he is truly capable of redemption.

The evolution of Joe in Season 5 feels like the culmination of everything the series has explored. He isn’t just a killer anymore; he is a man who has made choices and now must live with them. This internal struggle is powerfully portrayed, with Badgley’s nuanced performance bringing the character to life in ways that feel both haunting and tragic. Joe’s journey is one of both confrontation and denial—he wants redemption but also feels incapable of truly changing.

Cinematic Tension and Thrills

You: Season 5 builds tension with the same finesse that made the earlier seasons so addictive. The pacing is impeccable, offering just the right balance between action-packed sequences and the slow-burn suspense of Joe’s personal downfall. The cinematography continues to enhance the feeling of dread, with shots that often make the audience feel as though they are trapped inside Joe’s head. The use of lighting and close-up shots keeps the atmosphere claustrophobic, emphasizing Joe’s internal chaos.

The stakes are higher than ever in this season, as Joe faces not just physical danger from those who seek to expose him, but also the emotional consequences of his past relationships and murders. The show’s trademark twist-heavy narrative is in full force, and the twists and turns are as shocking as ever, keeping viewers on edge until the final moments.

Supporting Characters and the Final Showdown

In addition to Joe’s internal battle, Season 5 introduces a few new characters that further complicate his quest for a normal life. These individuals are pivotal in forcing Joe to confront his past, whether they are former lovers, family members, or unexpected adversaries. Their interactions with Joe, especially in the context of his desire for redemption, add both tension and emotional weight to the season.

Without giving too much away, the final episodes of You: Season 5 deliver a nail-biting conclusion that ties together the series’ central themes of obsession, consequence, and the possibility of change. The finale is as darkly satisfying as it is unsettling, leaving viewers questioning whether Joe can ever truly escape his past or if he is doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

The Verdict: A Dark, Perfect Conclusion to Joe’s Story

You: Season 5 is a fitting and gripping conclusion to one of Netflix’s most beloved (and hated) antiheroes. The show blends intense psychological thrills with moments of self-reflection and regret, exploring the complexities of Joe Goldberg in a way that feels fresh and compelling. Through the use of vocal media storytelling, we are granted an intimate window into Joe’s mind as he tries—and ultimately fails—to escape his darker tendencies. This final season doesn’t just wrap up a story of obsession and murder; it leaves us with questions about human nature, redemption, and the price of our actions.

For fans who have followed Joe’s twisted journey from the very beginning, Season 5 is a must-watch. It’s a heart-pounding, thought-provoking, and emotionally resonant farewell to a character who, despite everything, has kept us hooked from the start.

Rating: 4.5/5