Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the season four finale of You, “The Death of Jonathan Moore.”
Netflix has finally dropped the second half of You‘s fourth season, which undoubtedly took viewers for a spin. Unsurprisingly, Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) plan to relax into a new identity as a university professor came crumbling down. New and old obsessions held the protagonist’s attention over the course of the season, as people kept dying in his new social circle, presumably killed by Rhys Montrose.
As it turns out, nothing is exactly what it seems in this show, and Joe is forced to confront the harsh truth about himself. Anyone who wishes to remain unaware of what transpires at the end of season four should look away now.
Warning: Spoilers to follow.
The one that got away
Believing Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) had overdosed on painkillers, Joe leaves her body on a public bench, so that she may be found later. Thankfully, the former librarian was one step ahead of the protagonist and was able to fake her own death with the help of Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman).
As Nadia revealed to Edward (Brad Alexander), while being held captive in the cage, Marienne had taken a few tranquilizers which put her into a deep sleep state. This was enough to make Joe believe she had taken her own life and after the stalker abandoned her body, Nadia come to the rescue. She injected Marienne with stimulants, waking her up from slumber, and allowing her to finally escape London. In the end, Marienne found her way back to her daughter, getting a much happier conclusion than Joe’s previous victims.
The end of Tom Lockwood
In the finale, Kate shares with Joe that her entire life has been controlled by her father, Tom Lockwood (Greg Kinnear). The man had been stalking and interfering with his daughter’s life since before they parted ways, and simply continued that pattern after. Naturally, Joe’s savior complex, as well as Rhys’ dead body being discovered, lead him to the decision of murdering Tom.
After setting up a meeting with Tom in his plane hangar, Joe traps him there and confronts him with his belief that the man intended to expose him for Rhys’ murder. Tom is quick to deny it, offering Joe the opportunity to return to his old life, free of any suspicions of crime. At that point, though, nothing can convince Joe to let the man go free.
When one of Tom’s bodyguards enters the hangar, Joe kills him, before doing the same to Kate’s father. He then proceeds to frame the bodyguard for the murder and robbery of Tom, before burying his body, never to be found again.
The rebirth of Joe Goldberg
After dealing with Kate’s father, Joe prepares to confront his biggest enemy — himself. On a bridge, the protagonist has a final heart-to-heart with his vision of Rhys, who tries to convince Joe to remain alive. Joe embraces his other self and thanks him, but throws him off the bridge quickly after, effectively shutting down his own survival instinct. Despite that part of Joe wanting to live, he believes that taking his own life is the only way to keep Kate safe; so that’s what he does next.
Luckily for Joe, he is rescued by police officers and taken to a hospital, where he reunites with Kate. Now in possession of all her late father’s money, influence, and resources, Kate makes sure that Joe’s tie to Rhys’ murder is brushed under the rug, and the two make a vow to be better people — together. That goes down about as right as anyone expects it to, which is to say, not at all.
In order to start fresh (again), Joe needs to tie off loose ends. Confirming his suspicions about Nadia being onto him, Joe catches her as she’s leaving his home with pictures of evidence that would betray his obsession with Rhys. He promptly deletes the images from Nadia’s phone, and she backs away from Joe in fear, she stumbles on Edward’s corpse, who had been helping her investigate. Joe gives the murder weapon to Nadia and tells her exactly how he’s going to frame her for his kills.
With Nadia imprisoned for Joe’s crimes and Kate’s elite circle of friends back to living their lives, the protagonist can finally rest. He and Kate use the money at their disposal to bring Joe Goldberg back from the dead, while snuffing any suspicions about the end of his relationship with Love. Now, the killer is free to do as he pleases with no consequences.
All seasons of You are available for streaming on Netflix.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.