The end is near for You, Netflix’s twisted psychological thriller. As we prepare for Season 5—Joe Goldberg’s final act—it’s a good time to revisit the wild ride that was Season 4. A lot happened, and things got darker (and more confusing) than ever. Here’s a quick, clear breakdown of what went down:
Season 4 starts with Joe in London, trying to escape his bloody past. He’s got a new name—Jonathan Moore—and a new job as a college professor. He tells himself he wants to start fresh, live quietly, and stay out of trouble. (Of course, that never really works with Joe.)
Soon, Joe falls in with a group of wealthy London elites, including Lady Phoebe, who takes a liking to him. But when members of the group start turning up dead, Joe becomes the prime suspect—and thinks someone is framing him. He fixates on a charismatic political figure, Rhys Montrose, believing he’s the killer.
Eventually, the truth unravels: Rhys isn’t real. He’s a figment of Joe’s imagination, a personality Joe created during one of his psychotic breaks. The real Rhys existed—but Joe never actually knew him. All those conversations with “Rhys”? Hallucinations. It turns out, Joe was committing the murders himself—Malcolm, Simon, Gemma, and others—without realizing it.
Joe believed he had freed Marienne, his Season 3 obsession. But in reality, his darker self had locked her in the infamous glass cage. Nadia, one of Joe’s students, discovered this and managed to help Marienne escape by faking her death. Joe never found out the truth.
Later, Nadia and her boyfriend Edward uncovered evidence of Joe’s crimes. Joe responded in classic Joe fashion: he killed Edward and framed Nadia for everything, making himself untouchable once again.
Joe also killed Kate’s powerful father, Tom Lockwood, after “Rhys” (aka his darker self) convinced him it was the only way to be with her. Kate never learns the truth—and when Joe tries to end his life out of guilt, she rescues him.
The season ends with Joe fully embracing his dark side. With Kate’s wealth and influence shielding him, Joe returns to New York, now a respected public figure instead of a man in hiding. But with that kind of visibility comes a whole new set of risks—and enemies.
With Joe no longer running from his past and instead living in plain sight, Season 5 is set to explore how far he’ll go now that he’s out in the open—and what (or who) might finally bring him down.
