The fourth season of “You” (rated TV-MA) premiered on Netflix in two parts, with the first five episodes airing Feb. 9, 2023 and the later five March 9, 2023. After the death of his wife, Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) moves to London for a fresh start. As he navigates his new life as a college professor under the name Johnathan Moore, roles are reversed after a fellow colleague mysteriously dies. No longer the killer, Joe must figure out the murder mystery while accidentally falling in love once more. 

I really liked how the tropes were reversed in this season. It was super fun to see Joe no longer being this genius, serial killer mastermind, but instead a pawn himself, manipulated into covering up the murders of his friends as he tries to figure out the murderer and their motives. I think this was an interesting way to still keep the current vibe of the show while also feeling fresh.

This season’s love interest, Kate (played by Charlotte Ritchie), was intriguing as well, and I found myself really enjoying her and Badgley’s scenes together, but she sadly pales in comparison to the previous seasons’ love interest, Love Quinn (played by Victoria Pedretti). Nonetheless, their relationship didn’t feel forced and they worked off each other perfectly. 

While I enjoyed the first half of the season, it was mostly a build-up to a phenomenal second half. There is a specific twist revealed in the middle of the later half that changes the entire perspective of the season, and it was nicely hinted at and foreshadowed in previous episodes. I did predict the twist before it happened, but that does not mean the pay-off was any lesser than it was.

Though the new ideas and plot presented in this season were refreshing, I think the real shining moments of the newest season is Penn Badgley’s acting. You can see the intensity and madness not only in his tone of voice, but in sudden movements of his eyes and body language. There are some scenes where his range of acting is amazing, and his understanding of the character he plays is deep and rich. He is deeply complex in this season, and his mannerisms were mesmerizing. You could feel the tension and anxieties from the screen.

Despite these positives, I did not like how the season concluded. It sets up a gateway and a nice bridge for another season to come, but I felt as if it was anti-climatic and almost too fairytale. I also find myself wondering how much longer they can drag this show on, though I enjoy it, I feel as if they have covered almost everything possible. This makes me anticipate the new season, but at the same time I feel slightly tired as well. Nonetheless, “You” is a super fun show to casually watch and enjoy, but not something to fully immerse yourself into. I do love “You”, but there is only so much one can do with the plot before it gets stale, which I fear may be happening soon. This season went above my expectations, though, and I’m excited to see what happens next to Joe Goldberg.