This is a spoiler-free ‘You’ review. ‘You’ is a television series on Lifetime and Netflix.
I am lucky to work with a few people who share my taste in television. Discussions about dark dramas, offbeat comedies, and cult classics fill our shifts. This week the office has been discussing a new addition to Netflix called ‘You’. In order to keep with the water cooler talk, I decided to give the show go this weekend.
Originally, Lifetime Network showed ‘You’ in September of 2018. Netflix added the series in December of 2018. The series currently has one season consisting of ten episodes. ‘You’ is created by Greg Berlanti (Riverdale, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and Sera Gamble (Supernatural, The Magicians).
Based on a novel by Caroline Kepnes, ‘You’ tells the tale of two young adults looking for success and love in New York City. Well, at least one of them is. Beck is an aspiring writer whose life changes after she bumps into Joe at the bookstore. This is the classic romance meet-cute scenario. However, unbeknownst to Beck, Joe is actually a brilliant and psychotic stalker.
Our worst nightmares when it comes to paranoia surrounding social media and technology come true in this story. This topic has been growing in popularity, especially since the success of Black Mirror and Creeped Out. Stalking in the modern age is made easy when you can pull up anyone’s personal information. Joe is able to find enough information about Beck that he could find her any time he wants.
‘You’ has the general tone of a dark drama. The show also has a smart and sarcastic narration similar to shows like Dexter. We get to see Joe for who he really is while he wears a mask to the rest of the world. The privilege of knowing him is what fuels the show’s intensity. Much like our other favorite dark antiheroes, such as Walter White or Dexter, Joe could be found out at any moment.
The series does a few cool things with the camera in each episode. Some scenes seamlessly blend flashbacks and present day, or fantasy and reality. The series’ blurred lines bring us as the viewer closer to Joe’s psychosis. The editors of the show also do a great job of juxtaposing scenes with similar themes.
I have not watched all of ‘You’ at the time of writing this article. However, I am hooked on the series and will definitely continue watching. It has the brooding tone of a great dark drama. The drama is tad campy, which is understandable based on Berlanti and Gamble’s past work. The show has a lot of great twists and turns that keep your eyes glued to the screen.
It looks as though the series has been picked up for a second season. Since I have not read the novel, I am not sure what this means for the trajectory of the show. I am not sure how much season one of ‘You’ covers the overall story.
However, there is still an entire season just sitting on Netflix waiting to be binge-watched. I would recommend this show to fans of dark dramas, especially dark teen dramas like Riverdale. Fans of psychological thrillers such as Gypsy might also have a great time watching ‘You’.
What did you think?
I hope you enjoyed this ‘You’ review! What do you think of this series? For those of you who have read the book, are you happy with the way the series is going so far? Reach out to us on social media and let us know what you think!
