By Jayla Fields

“You” is a thriller TV series that can be streamed on Netflix loosely based on Caroline Kepnes’ popular novel, “You Love Me.” After 3 seasons, the TV show is loved by many. Joe, the main character, is an obsessive-compulsive man. When he loves a person, he will stop at nothing to get who and what he wants, even if that means murdering someone — or in his case, multiple people. In season three, Joe gets married to Love Quinn, a character who Joe was infatuated with in the previous season. This comes as a shock to viewers, as Joe cannot seem to pick just one woman to obsess over. Love is equally as unstable as Joe, showing her true colors at the end of season two. The couple seems to make a perfect match for each other, as their toxic relationship is fueled by homicides carried out by both. The couple seemingly puts their past crimes behind them and has a baby boy named Henry. The couple then moves to the suburbs for season three. To all appearances, this would be a perfect new start for them, but this proves to be very far from the truth.

There is something about this series that sets this show apart from other psychological thrillers. The show constantly mimics suburban stereotypes but puts a dark twist on the stereotypical trope. Joe and Love try to keep up their “normal” facade and fail miserably. With Love’s jealousy and Joe’s flirty behavior, the two traits inevitably clash and end in multiple murders. Though the couple seems to be in love from an outsider’s perspective, they grow to see the true sides of each other and become disgusted by the actions of one another, which is humorous, as the couple is only mimicking each other. Though Joe and Love thought they knew each other like the back of their hands, this would prove to be very false. The end of this bloody psychological thriller takes viewers by surprise and leaves them at the edge of their seats.

When watching this show, the viewer truly feels like they are there, from Joe’s perspective. For example, the viewer feels they are there when Sherry and Cary, a suburban couple who hold a dark secret, are locked in a cell under Love’s bakery. The bakery, “A Fresh Tart” was opened by Love in an attempt to keep up her “normal life” front. The viewer is led to believe the couple has changed. They started a family, and that should have been enough to curve the couple’s murderous urges. The characters include the traditional suburban families with devious mysteries, new love interests for both Love and Joe, and innocent people fatally targeted by the newlyweds. Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti’s acting in this series has shown their broadening characters through 30 action-packed episodes. There truly is not a bleak moment in season three of the hit series “You.”