‘You’ makes its long-awaited return to Netflix

Miriam Frim

The long-awaited third season of the hit Netflix series ‘You’ was released worldwide on October 15th after seeing a prominent delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic – but was it worth the wait?

The season continues the story of Joe & Love in the quaint suburbs of Madre Linda, where they moved to start fresh with their child, and repent of their gorey and shocking past.

Nevertheless, Joe & Love’s twisted nature means this fresh start does not last long, as we see them revert back to their old ways – if not even worse.

While Joe Goldberg has been the striking, obsessive criminal in previous seasons, this season we see his match met in Love Quinn-Goldberg, as her true cunning, yet impulsive and obsessive state is developed in this season.

The storyline keeps viewers engaged as it takes us through the rollercoaster of the Quinn-Goldbergs marital relationship, while tackling infidelity, parenting, therapy, polyamory, jealousy, insecurity, glass cages, and of course – murder.

What ‘You’ does incredibly well is perplexing the viewers in a state of empathy for the worst of characters, and this season is no different.

While both Love and Joe wreak havoc and mayhem in the once quiet and safe suburb, their self-awareness and willingness to “get better” traps the audience into a glass cage of their own.

Season three had the risk of being repetitive as the end of season two teased a new obsession for Joe. While obsession is certainly a prevalent topic in the new season, in the show’s true fashion, plot twists hit us from left and right as Joe & Love flip constantly from being a team to being enemies, as well as introducing a range of new characters that prove troublesome for both.

The season does an excellent job, as usual, of incorporating psychological thriller elements with tinges of comedy, as well as exploring the main characters’ twisted minds and what led them to become this way. What makes this season particularly gripping is the bubbling tense battle between Love & Joe, which builds up to the series’ most intense, twist ending yet.

The season has been incredibly well-received, garnering 96% percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and 77% on Metacritic – and rightfully so, as the show does an incredible job of tackling such complex, intense characters and plotlines, while out-smarting viewers and keeping them on the edge of their seats.

Miriam Frim

Image Credit: Netflix