robby #15

A couple of days ago, I finished the second season of You, the now Netflix Original about hopeful romantic, Joe, who becomes an unintentional serial killer after continually justifying violent and criminal behavior in order to obtain/stay with the woman he loves. How 🙂 heartwarming<3 is that?

This new ten episode follow up to the previous first season was amazingly impressive. Even in hindsight, I can’t believe I liked some of these characters in the moment as much as I did, such as Forty. Until the last episode, I fucking liked Forty and I definitely felt bad for him at his parent’s vow renewal. I was also not disappointed by the twist they decided to do this year, although Nick is very displeased with that style of twist. That style of twist being an outcome that is literally impossible to guess by the audience due to their being zero on-screen evidence/dialogue that hints to that outcome. Yeah, sure, I thought about Love being a murderer early on in the season, I even thought about her being the one that killed Delilah, but that was all vibes, nothing concrete to really base it off of. I get were Nick comes from, his brain wants to solve the puzzle, he wants to feel the ultimate sensation of bringing together all relevant information in order to reveal the Big Picture in an intricate manner, as long as the writer gives exactly the minimum he needs to get it done. I get it. I also don’t give a shit.

Not once until we had our post-watch analysis together at the gym did I realize that I was never truly concerned whether or not this show was going to be a “legitimately perfect murder mystery, a once-in-a-generation level complex story.” Of course I wanted everything to make sense, and oh am I fucking glad no glaring plot holes made it’s way to my mind, but if the first season was carried by novelty, then really all I wanted was for the second to remind of that magic, even if just a little bit. You can follow the same formula I really don’t care.

Just give me the new girl, give me Joe falling in love, give me realistic conflicts but unrealistic in how they keep fucking coming one after another, compounding upon each other until Joe reaches his breaking point. Give me a little luck element, and then boom give me the ending where Joe gets away with it and a circle of local acquaintances is absolutely decimated. Simple magic.

The strongest addition to You Season 2 by far is the quality AND quantity of characters this time around. After Joe and Guinevere, there’s only like two names I remember from the first season, Peaches, Candace, and Dr. Nicky. The last two don’t even really count because they were both in this new season and for sure reminded me that that last guy exists.

But this season? But this season? But this season? BAM! Forty shows up and he’s annoying for one episode then he gets AN ENTIRE DEVELOPMENT AS LIKE MAIN #4 OR #5. BAM! Henderson is played by Chris D’Elia and he’s back in a child predator role baby. Love to see him actually act. BAM! Delilah is fucking hot and has DEPTH, she’s career driven, family focused (just sister I guess), progressive ideals, probably the 3rd or 4th most intelligent character, AND gets to die handcuffed. BAM! Ellie turned out to be WAY more important than I thought she’d be. The acting is at least 6/10 and all of her shit is believable. Bam, Candace whatever she’s pretty brainless actually. BAM!!!! LOVE! LOVE, MY BABY. How foolish I was to appreciate Guinevere Beck’s personality and looks, how ignorant I was to not foresee a future where Love Quinn is a person. I texted Nick before the end of the final episode, telling him that this fictional woman portrayed by that girl is without a doubt the most I’ve loved a Television Character EVER. Miles ahead of Betty Cooper, Rachel Green, and the wife from Cake Boss. I will debate anyone who does not think Love is possibly as smart or smarter than Joe. Her plans and her execution…my God is she not exactly what this show needed. The way her kills are chaotic…risky…passionate …sexy. She is the prototypical example for what I personally find magnetically and instinctively attractive. The achievement of You Season 2 was how much I bought in to the characters. I rooted for each one and hoped for a peaceful, storybook ending between all of them, except that bitch Candace.

With Joe, I found myself really cheer leading for him in this one guys, he really plucked at my heart strings. I wanted him to be better, just as he wanted for himself. I wanted him to have Love, just as he wanted for himself. I wanted him to kill Henderson, just as he probably wanted for himself too but ultimately pussied out, then did it anyway.

As to the ending, Joe’s symptoms and mental health has only gotten more severe throughout this entire story, he caught what he was hunting and it doesn’t taste as good as he thought it would, time to hunt again. Or maybe do we have this backwards? Did Joe really get what he wanted? Or did Love just get hers?

Eh 8/10 @AngiesList