It's over! We'll explain the ending to you.

The finale of You, awaited after seven years of suspense on Netflix, brings Joe Goldberg's bloody journey to a close. This fifth and final salvo of episodes promised to bring a masterful conclusion to one of the small screen's most famous anti-heroes. We explain the end of an emotional escape.

In this final season, Joe returns to New York, protected by his wife Kate and surrounded by his son Henry. Despite his efforts to lead a normal life, his old demons quickly resurface. He falls back into his obsessions when he meets Bronte, a new employee at his bookstore, who will play a decisive role in his downfall.

The Revenge of the Former Victims

Joe thought he had found a new soulmate in Bronte, but he will ultimately realize that she is playing a double game. The young woman is intimately linked to Guinevere Beck, and has allied herself with other survivors and relatives of the victims to trap him. Through cunning, she manages to lock Joe in his own cage. After a failed escape attempt, and a fire that nearly kills him, he is finally rescued by Bronte, who accepts his marriage proposal, before betraying him again and turning him over to the police.

No Happy Ending

Joe's trial becomes a media event. For the first time, he is found guilty of all his murders, including those of Love Quinn and Guinevere Beck. He is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Behind bars, Joe receives fan letters and feels sorry for himself. Until the end, he refuses to admit his guilt, presenting himself as a victim of a corrupt society.

The end of You is marked by a reflection on collective responsibility: as in real life, while Penn Badgley was outraged by fans' fascination with his neurotic stalker character, the series points the finger at the media's glorification of criminals and the public's fascination with toxic antiheroes. After having been presented for a time Like a romantic predator, Joe finds no redemption and remains trapped by his narcissism and illusions. This doesn't stop him from paying for his crimes. Kate gains custody of their son Henry and rebuilds her life, while Bronte rehabilitates Beck's memory.