We debriefed the finale of season 4 of You with Penn Badgley, the interpreter of Joe in the hit Netflix series. The opportunity to return to the cliffhanger of episode 7 and the last scene.
Warning, this interview contains spoilers on season 4 of You (parts 1 and 2). If you haven’t seen it, move on.
You took everyone by surprise in part 2 with a reversal of the situation that could hardly have been predicted: Joe (Penn Badgley) realizes that he has been stalked from the start by an imaginary person and that he is the “killer of the rich”.
He then understands that he suffers from a kind of schizophrenia and that this split personality has endangered Marienne’s life.
AlloCiné was able to discuss this event with Badgley and how it will affect the rest of the series.
AlloCiné: If fans were still wondering if Joe was a psychopath, they finally have the answer. How did the writers come to create this fake Rhys character?
Penn Badley: You should know that the two creators of the series write things backwards: “What if he lost a finger? What if she was the killer? And IF IT WAS HIM FROM THE BEGINNING??“. They start from this premise to write an entire season.
The revelation of episode 7 was the logical continuation. The series is called You because of Joe’s inability to self-reflect. So he’s fixated on someone else. We arrive at a moment when the problem is really centered on HIM.
The series could end at the end of season 4, what can we imagine for a possible season 5?
That would just be speculation on my part. The creators told me a few years ago – well before season 4 therefore – how the series would end. I thought that ending was brilliant, although I can’t tell you anything (laughs).
If there is a season 5, the action would pick up where we left off. Joe has power. And that’s a terrifying thought. It opens the field to a lot of possibilities but it will also mean that his fall will be harder. If season 5 there is, it will be interesting!
It was thought that Love was his soul mate, a monster just like him. But we can say that Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) is his true alter ego. How can we imagine their future together?
No, I do not think so ! Why think such a thing? (laughs). It is true that he is more honest with her than with his previous conquests. But he still hides things from her, doesn’t he? This is his main problem.
It happens from season to season to be more vulnerable and honest but never totally. The question we should rather ask ourselves is: why would Kate be different from the others? The real problem is that he IS the problem. So no, I don’t think she’s his soulmate. But she still has a better chance than the others of surviving (laughs).