Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this episode read. Please proceed with caution.

Gossip Girl has gone rogue. My initial reaction to watching this series. The premise of the story is about a bookstore manager named Joe (Penn Badgley), who is the stereotypical nice guy with a twist: he is a stalker, murderer, and really obsessed with his love interest, Beck (Elizabeth Lail). Now what really makes this show work is the inner monologue of Joe and staying with him throughout the entire series.

We cringed, got uncomfortable, and yelled at Beck to get some damn curtains for her apartment. She literally does so many things from undressing to having sex in front of the huge window, it’s like she’s asking for Joe to stalk her and “protect” her. To balance out how creepy Joe is, the writers crafted Beck’s character to also have flaws like sleeping with the wrong men, having her best friend Peach (Shay Mitchell) take care of her, and claiming to be a writer when she barely writes anything.

This does not make Beck a bad person necessarily, but these traits are what lures Joe to her, and how in his mind, he feels it is his duty to make her fall in love with him. The best part about this story is the actor, Penn Badgley, also known as Lonely Boy aka Dan from Gossip Girl. The show is full of twists and turns that Joe sometimes can’t control. When his plans spiral out of control, the show spirals with him, making us the audience wonder if / when Joe will get caught.

This show failed on Lifetime… but thrived on Netflix as a binge-worthy series. YOU has been renewed for a second season as a result, but Joe will be embarking on a new story, as show wrapped up this first season in the most terrifying way possible.

Overall, YOU is a good show. I feel comfortable enough to call it that, and it opens up the audience’s initial thoughts / ideas of a romantic hero and how those traits don’t necessarily make “nice guys” so nice… The point is people lie and nobody can be trusted.

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