'You' Season 4's Tonal And Story Shift Is A Major Improvement
The better-structured shift of the story is an improvement from previous seasons.
Penn Badgley in season four of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
The longer a series of the nature of You goes on, the easier it becomes for each season’s story to feel repetitive and formulaic. This is a quality that the fourth season of You narrowly avoids. The latest entry into Netflix’s psychological thriller series, You, picks up where the third season left off, with our protagonist Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), finding himself in a new territory, continuing his latest pursuit. The season sees the show turn on its axis and reverses the roles that we’re used to, giving Joe his very own stalker as he is forced to navigate new social dynamics, a new identity, and the occasional murder.
Penn Badgley in season four of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
The most exciting thing about this season is the complete shift in structure and position, leading to a less repetitive, more intriguing story, unlike the varied repetition in previous seasons. New seasons can easily become formulaic, advancing character arcs without a unique story. This allows our protagonist to put himself under a new spotlight while introducing a new cast, new locations, and a new plot for the show itself. That said, there is a thin line that the writers have to find themselves on to avoid too harsh a restructuring, leading to the season not feeling like the same show, but a completely different title. This is why the new tone of us flowing with and following the protagonist works so well, as it’s reminiscent of previous seasons while feeling fresh and exciting. The downside to this comes from the fact that this will turn away viewers who enjoyed how the series played out before while keeping those who fully commit to the new structure generally interested in the aspects of the mystery that they can’t predict, even if there are aspects that they can.
(L-R) Ozioma Whenu, Ben Wiggins, Dario Coates, Lukas Gage, Tilly Keeper, Charlotte Ritchie, and Niccy Lin in season 4 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
As in the previous seasons, Penn Badgley continues to shine in the leading role, efficiently portraying Joe’s thought process and emotions while demonstrating different emotions and capturing the new dynamics presented in the season. Even though Badgley is the clear standout, many of the new additions to the supporting cast are notable watches, with Charlotte Ritchie, Lukas Gage, and Ed Speleers being the ones to watch. The performances behind these characters match the dynamics and motivations written for them and nail the absurd and, frankly, sometimes dark comedy. The absurdity that’s played out generally stems from the rich versus poor dynamic that’s been played out on TV before and doesn’t truly add anything new to the conversation but highlights how extreme the behavior of the elite can be. This only works because of the fish-out-of-water main character, who we see reacting to these actions as he adapts his persona as to not stick out.
(L-R) Ben Wiggins, Charlotte Ritchie, and Penn Badgley in season 4 of You. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
If you enjoyed previous seasons of You, it’s likely that you’ll enjoy its newest entry, the second half of it, even more, releasing in March. These first five episodes feel more accessible to new viewers while maintaining the best qualities that the show has distributed thus far. It may be best for people who find the newest season appealing to skip out on the past three and fly through recaps, as they may not be the type of series that will pique their interest immediately. Overall, this season is easily the show’s best and most interesting, and it only gets better in the second half.
The first five episodes of the fourth season of You are now streaming on Netflix. Keep an eye out for our review of the second set of episodes coming March 9th.
