THE ROMANTIC VILLAIN: PENN BADGLEY RETURNS TO FORM FOR ‘YOU’S’ DARING FINALE
In a striking departure from his previous stance, Penn Badgley embraced the darker, more sensual aspects of his character Joe Goldberg for the final season of Netflix’s psychological thriller “You.” The actor, who had previously stepped back from intimate scenes, made the artistic decision to deliver a finale that captures the true essence of his character’s predatory nature.
“That was the question again. All right, what am I willing to do?” Badgley revealed in a candid interview with People magazine. Despite his well-documented reluctance to participate in romantic sequences, the demands of storytelling prevailed. “My desire is that [there be] least as possible, but if it’s necessary, that’s the show we all sign up to make. So, let’s make sure it’s vital, let’s make sure it’s important, it’s deliberate. And we did.”
The critically acclaimed series has always walked a delicate line between romance and horror, with Badgley’s character enthralling viewers despite—or perhaps because of—his murderous tendencies. For the fifth and final season, now streaming, the creative team determined that Joe needed to “return to form” as “a romantic icon” to bring the narrative full circle, showcasing the dangerous allure that makes him such a compelling villain.
“That’s actually where he does his worst work, is his manipulation and seduction,” Badgley explained with remarkable insight. “The box is kind of obvious, the box is actually where he’ll put anybody, but he only puts women in the bedroom, so that’s where his most dangerous work is. And it was important for him to be seen, finally, as a sexual predator.”
This artistic choice comes after Badgley’s 2023 revelation that he had requested “no more intimacy scenes” from showrunner Sera Gamble. At that time, the actor cited both professional concerns about being typecast as “the romantic lead” and personal values regarding his marriage.
In this final chapter, viewers encounter a character named Brontë (portrayed by Madeline Brewer), a former student of Joe’s Season 1 victim Guinevere Beck. In a fascinating narrative twist, Brontë sets out to expose Joe but temporarily succumbs to his infamous charm—a character trajectory that cleverly mirrors the audience’s own complicated relationship with the protagonist. The writers position Brontë as our surrogate, acknowledging our collective fascination with Joe despite full awareness of his crimes.
The series culminates in a moment of poetic justice when Brontë literally emasculates Joe, followed by his public humiliation in court. His ultimate punishment? Not death, but the exquisite torture of solitary confinement—a fate particularly cruel for a character who has built his identity around twisted romantic ideals.
This final season of “You” represents what Badgley described to Deadline as “a meta exercise on: Why are we so obsessed with this man?” The show has evolved from a thriller into a cultural commentary on our fascination with charming monsters. “Apart from the superficial reasons, what is it about a protagonist like this that works? And I think we deliver; it’s a true deconstruction of Joe,” Badgley reflected.
As the curtain falls on this controversial yet compelling series, one thing remains clear: Badgley’s nuanced portrayal of Joe Goldberg has redefined the anti-hero for a new generation, forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths about allure, obsession, and the thin veneer of charm that can mask true darkness.
