What far would you go for your crush? Sure, you’d stalk him/her over social media but would you take a step which is clearly immoral and criminal? This question is put to test when a bookstore manager develops an unhealthy obsession over a writer.
What LIFETIME’S YOU is about?
Based on a book of the same name by Caroline Kepnes, You is an American psychological thriller series that premiered on Lifetime on September 9, 2018. In this series, a brilliant make bookstore manager crosses paths with an aspiring female writer and the two hit it off instantly. What starts as a harmless, romantic crush starts becoming sinister when Joe, the bookstore manager played by Penn Badgley becomes obsessed with Beck, the writer played by Elizabeth Lail. Every week we dig deeper into the lives of these two characters as obsession becomes criminal. Using social media and the internet, he uses every tool at his disposal to become close to her, even going so far as to remove any obstacle, including people that stands in his way of getting to her.
PENN BADGLEY AS JOE GOLDBERG
Penn who is widely popular as Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl had already become TV’s favorite stalker when he was revealed as the blogger who stalks everyone on the series. If you thought the Dan Humphrey was creepy, wait till you see Penn as Joe Goldberg. It seems as if Penn was born for this role as he plays it with perfection. His creepiness will make the hair at the back of your neck stand up.
How creepy is Joe Goldberg in YOU?
The most terrifying aspect of the show is perhaps how Joe looks like any ordinary guy at the beginning which just shows how possible it is for fatal stalking to happen in our real life as well. He starts as an ordinary boy with a crush who stalks the girl’s social media. And let’s face it, we’ve all been there. But things starts to go south when he doesn’t stop there. He takes spying to next level as he watches Beck from outside her apartment, remembers her routine, follows her around and even eavesdrops on her conversations.
What YOU depicts in first few episodes?
Since the first episode is told through Joe’s point of view, all these acts are justified with rather smug remarks. For instance, Joe believes that Beck wants him to know her name just because she uses her credit card. He also believes that she wore loud bracelets to get his attention and took a book from the top shelf because she wanted to show off her body. As absurd as it may seem, we can see these types of justification in our society all the time where they believe women dress and act a certain way to get the attention of men. This assumption generally leads to harassment and assault or like in Beck’s case, stalking. All these creepy sides of Joe are more terrifying because we can see different men we’ve come across in him.
SHAY MITCHELL IN LIFETIME’S YOU
To add more spice, Shay Mitchell who is widely popular for her role as Emily in Pretty Little Liars stars as Peach in Lifetime’s You. In this series, Peace is a rich and sassy girl who makes it her mission to expose Joe. Shay Mitchell and Penn Badgley’s appearance makes the series a blend of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl with a little more dash of creepy; both of these series are based around the idea of stalking, only You is a lot creepier.
You could very well be your next obsession, just make sure it is a healthy one!
Is “YOU” available in Netflix?
Yes, you can watch “You” in Netflix as it was already premiered in September.
