Episode 8 of season 4 of Netflix's thriller You, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is another clever episode, offering up a big plot twist and changing the game entirely. It's possible that fans will be divided on this reveal and it will change how they feel about the season in general. However, You still manages to shock four seasons in, which is definitely no small feat given the show's reputation for plot twists and dark storytelling.
What episode does so well is give viewers the kind of twist they have been waiting for while still telling a moving story and offering up the character development that You is celebrated for.
Episode 8 of season 4 of You has a major reveal that some fans had guessed: yes, Joe is the Eat The Rich Killer. This feels like it's both obvious and also a shock, which is what makes it so smart. The best thriller series like You have big twists but they have to make sense. It does seem logical that Joe has been the one behind the murders, given his gruesome and disturbing history.
You wanted viewers to wonder if Joe really had become a kinder person and if his new life in London could allow him to forget the evil acts he committed in the past. In some ways, it seemed like he had succeeded, as he was chasing the supposed killer Rhys Montrose (Ed Speeler) and maybe really falling in love with Kate Galvin (Charlotte Ritchie). But, no, Joe has been killing people, just like he did in the previous three seasons.
Season 3 of You has great twists, including Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) being just as horrifying as Joe, and some might not like Joe being the Eat The Rich Killer as this changes the events of part one of season 4. However, it could also be argued that it's smart that You decided to do something different this time around, as it's impossible to say that it's telling the same story over and over again.
When Rhys tells Joe that he killed everyone, it also becomes clear that Rhys is a hallucination, and he is also Joe's inner voice, suggesting the darkness that he can't really hide. Rhys says "you're a master of denial" and "You knew that the endgame was facing yourself." This cements what fans had been thinking: that Joe has a lot of trauma from his childhood that he hasn't faced or explored, and this is why he seeks love but is never able to be in a healthy relationship.
Season 4 episode 8 has a beautiful structure, with Marienne telling a fairy tale story about a nightingale and a fox who has stalked, hurt, and tortured her. It's a beautiful yet sad and eerie choice. Part one of season 4 of You featured Marienne briefly, as it seemed that Joe had followed her to Paris and then let her go. However, episode 8 rewinds and tells the story from Marienne's perspective, sharing that Joe drugged her and kidnapped her, putting her in the cage that fans had been waiting to see.
This episode serves one main purpose: to show that Joe hasn't changed at all. When he put Marienne in the cage, he said "I would never hurt you" and "This isn't me. I'm not that man." He then gave a terrifying grin like one of the scariest horror movie smiles and said, "I'm not Joe. I'm just keeping you here until he finally comes back to kill you." Joe really believed this, as every time he starts over, he believes he can be done with his past.
However, You does something different here, as Joe has been in an altered state and didn't realize what he was doing. This suggests that his trauma is serious and allows the show to move into a deeper direction. While there has been talk of Joe being truly punished for his actions, and fans wonder if the show will end with Joe's death, there is a lot going on here. Joe may be evil, but he has been in pain for his entire life, and his mother's poor treatment and abandonment of him can't be ignored. Of course, the fact that he's a killer can't be ignored, either, and Joe is worthy of memes because he is such a complex character.
The episode is emotional and tough to watch at points, as it really delves into Marienne's mental state and how afraid she is that she will never see her daughter Juliette again. This is a smart choice, as You doesn't shy away from the fact that Joe has hurt people in ways that he has never even really thought about. While Joe thinks that he has done the right thing because he hasn't killed Marienne, he doesn't realize the psychological torture and trauma that he has set in motion. Marienne has had a tough life as she fought her terrible ex for custody, and she is haunted by the threat of losing her child, due to her history of substance abuse.
While it was scary to watch Beck in Joe's cage back in season 1, there's something even more devastating about Marienne in this episode. She looks completely broken down and lost, and the episode becomes even sadder when Nadia wants to call the police and Marienne says "He always gets away with it." It's hard to believe that Joe won't kill Marienne the way that he murdered Beck and Love, and that inevitability lends an overall sadness to the tone of the episode.
Episode 8 of season 4 of You proves that one or two earlier episodes could have been omitted entirely and this would have resulted in a stronger season overall. It's more compelling to watch Joe back to his usual tricks, with a love interest in a cage, instead of the boring social lives of Kate's friend group.
Given that season 4 ofYou has been split into two parts, and You has needed to answer some big questions, it also would have been better to end part one with the reveal of Joe as the Eat The Rich Killer. This would have set up the next few episodes perfectly and suggested that the darkness inside of him has never left.