With the previous season of You ending on a cliffhanger and an indelible plot twist, the promise of a Season 3 brought with it hope of even crazier shenanigans by the killer couple. As the body count piles up, so does the anticipation.
In the latest instalment of the infamous psychological thriller, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and his wife, Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) with their son, are somewhat domesticated as they navigate their way through a ‘white picket fence purgatory’, as Joe calls it. The show is set in Madre Linda, a picture-perfect representation of American suburbia. Whilst the couple tries to adapt to life in unfamiliar surroundings, the difficulties of having a child chip away at the walls of the Goldberg-Quinn marriage.
However, that doesn’t seem to be the only thing causing a rift between the lovers. Joe’s stalking tendencies are incessant as he soon becomes obsessed with his neighbour and local librarian. As for Love, her only flaw seems to be loving Joe a little too much- So much that she’s willing to kill for him. Although Joe tries to control his stalker tendencies keeping in mind his wife and son, Love’s impulses frequently fly off the rails making Joe seem relatively normal. It’s even slightly comedic to see Joe struggling to appease Love.
In previous seasons, Joe was the focus of the show along with his psychopathic narcissism and carefully calculated plots to kill anyone that came between his latest obsession and himself. But Love steals the spotlight in season three with her frustrating choices, sharp intellect, and profound jealousy.
An insight into Joe and Love’s past is also featured in the series. This helps you connect the dots and understand why Love is so comfortable with murder.
The pair really try to work at their toxic relationship through couples counselling, rekindling their hobbies and attempting to fix their sex lives, but it has no impact whatsoever on their debilitating marriage. The show even reinforces the popular notion that marriage is hard and visualizes it through another couple called Sherry (Shalita Grant) and Cary (Travis Van Winkle). It highlights the fact that even the happiest looking couples could still have secrets to hide.
The show also attempts to be more relatable as it aligns with the current pandemic with regard to anti-vaxxers and momfluencers. The anti-anti-vaxxer rhetoric sheds light on the importance of vaccines and the detriments of not getting one, and momfluencer Sherry is also thrown in the mix to relate to influencer culture in our reality.
The show takes you on a rollercoaster that doesn’t hold back on any front, whether it’s drama or death. The seed of doubt which morphs into distrust, the overprotective motherly urges which transform into revenge, and the usual grade A creepiness, are wonderfully portrayed by the actors who have successfully kept the franchise afloat.
The real question now is, Can Joe really give up his stalker ways for his new family? Or does his not so perfect marriage come crashing down around him and burn up in a fiery inferno?
5/5
Credit: TheMovieDB
