You Season 4 Volume 2, released on Netflix just a month after the first volume, is a rollercoaster ride to say the least. The five episodes follow Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), now Jonathan Moore, as he faces his own demons while trying to catch the eat-the-rich killer. What happens next is a wild game of Joe’s redemption arc coming to a standstill as he uncovers the truth about himself.
Dawn gets arrested
In the first volume, Joe discovers that Rhys Montrose (Ed Speleers) is the eat-the-rich killer but that’s not enough for him to prove that the mayoral candidate is behind the high-profile murders. On the other hand, Rhys blackmails Joe into framing someone for the murders if he has to save his skin. Joe has one of his friends in mind but finds another person to blame it on. Dawn (Alison Pargeter), a fan of Joe’s close friend Phoebe (Tilly Keeper), holds the Instagram influencer hostage, giving Joe an opening to frame Dawn. The minor antagonist is then charged as the eat-the-rich killer, much to the surprise of Nadia Farran (Amy-Leigh Hickman) who starts doubting Joe.
The real identity of the killer is revealed
Joe’s murderous instincts get triggered as he tries to silence Rhys Montrose. The mayoral candidate also doesn’t back down and blackmails Joe regarding the whereabouts of Joe’s previous lover Marianne (Tati Gabrielle). Joe tracks down Rhys and though he doesn’t want to, he ends up killing him, only to discover that Rhys wasn’t the eat-the-rich killer after all. The killer had always been Joe and Rhys had only been a manifestation of his mind that had gone crazy since killing Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). The reality of things hits Joe as he remembers everything he’s done since coming to London.
Nadia investigates Joe
University student Nadia is bent on finding out who Professor Jonathon Moore really is. After rummaging through his house, the 19-year-old comes across a key that leads her to Joe’s infamous glass cage with Marianne stuck inside. This revelation is even more surprising than Joe being the real killer since the previous volume had only shown bits and pieces of Joe’s meetings with Marianne. It turns out Joe hadn’t let his ex go back to Paris and instead trapped her in a glass cage after a mental breakdown brought out his alter-ego, Rhys Montrose.
Nadia, quick to realise the truth, tries to help Marianne out of the glass prison while putting up a facade in front of Joe. Even though Nadia is successful in her plan, Joe doesn’t let her get away and instead frames her for the murder of her boyfriend.
Joe battles his inner demons
Joe’s inner demons aren’t just his psychotic alter-ego Rhys Montrose but the ghosts of his past lovers who died in his hands. The teaser of the second volume of You Season 4 showed Joe coming face to face with Love. His ex-wife is, however, a figment of his imagination as is the ghost of Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Dean Lail),who comes back to haunt Joe while he tries to free Marianne.
A redemption arc
While Joe wants to believe he has changed, the truth is anything but that, which drives him to try and put an end to the cycle. After 10 episodes of fighting his inner demons, the stalker decides to jump off a bridge only to be rescued and revived minutes later. What is meant to be a redemption journey and a possible end to Joe’s murderous ventures is hushed up by his girlfriend Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) who herself falls back into her father’s habits of using money to get away. The power couple, including a clean-shaven Joe and a confident Kate, is what can only be described as Joe’s dream come true. The big reveal lies in the last shot where Joe looks into the window which shows him a reflection of not himself but Rhys Montrose.
