An irredeemably trashy series about an affable sociopath who stalks and murders young women, Netflix’s You has managed to make it to a fourth and final season without facing cancellation of any kind.
Possibly sensing that the premise risks appearing more tasteless with every passing year, the new instalment moves away from these darker aspects and leans more heavily towards low-hanging social satire. There’s even a touch of whodunnit cosiness this time round.
The story picks up a few months after the third season finale, in which Joe (Penn Badgley) killed his equally homicidal wife, faked his own death and went off to pursue his latest crush, Marienne, in Paris. But when we catch up with Joe it’s in London where he’s now happily hiding out as Professor Jonathan Moore. Not only is he teaching literature — and so indulging his intellectual pretensions — but in the most far-fetched scenario that this consistently ludicrous show has served up yet, he’s somehow renting a mansion flat in Kensington on an academic’s salary.
Living nearby is his “royal-adjacent” colleague Malcolm (Stephen Hagan), who, in an ostensible act of neighbourly goodwill, invites Joe along to a party at an exclusive members club. Among the pampered socialites on display here are characters so cartoonish that they make the widely ridiculed VIPs in Squid Game look Shakespearean. They sneer at “peasants” and “scum” and casually talk about killing the homeless.
Nuance is not the only thing under violent attack as, before long, some of the elites meet their ends in grisly fashion. Joe suddenly finds himself in an unusual position of vulnerability, tormented by a mysterious texter who seems to know his real identity. Increasingly contrived developments follow, which are at least partially mitigated by Joe’s wry narration. But even as brain-bypassing entertainment this series feels like it has run its course. I don’t think it’s me. It’s You.
★★☆☆☆
Season 4 part 1 is on Netflix now. Part 2 will be available from March 9
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