Joe Goldberg has his eye on a new love, literally, and you should be very, very worried.
You season two is almost here!
Since season one of the Netflix psychological thriller, fans have been abuzz with theories about where the show, now on Netflix, is heading. Though the freshman season was heavily adapted from the first novel of the same name by Caroline Kepnes, the second season will be loosely inspired by the sequel novel, Hidden Bodies. And while there may be creative liberties taken this go-around, no plot point or character seems safe in Joe Goldberg's (Penn Badgley) world.
Last season came to a head when Joe killed his love, Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), after killing several other people from Beck’s inner circle (ahem, her boyfriend, Benji, and BFF, Peach). Though Joe pinned her murder on Dr. Nicky (John Stamos), another ghost from his past -- his thought-to-be-dead ex-girlfriend, Candace (Ambyr Childers) -- re-emerged with one goal in mind: wreak havoc on Joe’s life. So just what does this mean when the action moves from New York City to sunny Los Angeles, where he meets Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti)?
With You season two dropping the day after Christmas, ET is asking the five biggest questions you absolutely need to keep in mind -- and our best attempts to answer them -- heading into the new episodes.
1. Is Joe going to be held accountable for anything?
At the conclusion of season one, Joe had racked up quite the list of crimes. He murdered Peach, Benji, Ron and Beck. He blamed Beck’s murder on Dr. Nicky. And then there’s his stalking tendencies and his general creepiness to boot. On top of all of that, Joe’s ex-girlfriend, Candace, reappeared in his life, which left him in a state of shock as he thought he had killed her as well. All of this to ask: Will Joe get away with everything?
With Candace’s arrival back in Joe’s life, all signs seemingly point to no, as she could very well be the person who turns the tables on Joe and his avoidance of law enforcement. After all, she knows he tried to kill her. Could she have also discovered that he was responsible for killing Elijah, the music industry executive she had an affair with? (To refresh your memory, Joe pushed Elijah off a building during a season one flashback.)
Other things making Joe’s capture and serving possible jail time a strong possibility are: 1) Dr. Nicky’s innocence (as it’s unlikely the shrink will quietly sit in jail for crimes he didn’t commit), 2) that pesky jar of pee Joe left at the scene of Peach’s murder and 3) the fact that Joe’s neighbor, Paco, knows about his stepfather, Ron’s, murder and also suspects something isn’t quite right with Beck’s death.
2. Does Joe have the ability to feel anything real? Is there any person/relationship who could make him act more human?
Joe’s likability has been a topic of much conversation since season one, as many fans of the show found the stalker, nay serial killer, strangely charming and attractive. Badgley himself cautioned against this response, reminding audiences that Joe’s “a murderer.” But is there any humanity underneath those dark brown eyes at all?
Joe’s interest in Beck always seemed like more of an infatuation than of a true love, but maybe it’s Love, his season two girlfriend, who can bring out real emotions in him. Which brings us to...
3. Who is Joe’s newest obsession, Love Quinn?
Netflix describes Love as “an aspiring chef who doesn't care about social media,” adding that “she's also tending to a deep grief -- so when she meets Joe, she senses a shared knowledge of profound loss.” Maybe being involved in someone else’s pain and grief will lead Joe to discover his humanity? Or maybe Love, whose grief is deeply rooted into her upbringing and past relationships, will simply add another tragedy to her life: death at Joe’s hand.
But don’t expect Love to be Beck 2.0. In fact, as Badgley told ET earlier this year, she is a complete 180 from Joe’s late girlfriend. “I’m really excited for people to get to know Love. She adds a dimension that hasn’t existed yet. There’s a side to Joe that we haven’t seen yet because her character, in some ways, is the polar opposite of Beck,” the actor said. “Joe was always trying to get Beck’s attention, sort of almost against her own instincts and will, whereas Joe is trying to be better. And Love won’t let him say ‘no’ to her, even though he’s trying desperately. It’s very different between Joe and Love than it was with Beck, and thank god, because you can’t do that again. That would just be brutal. To me, that would be irresponsible if we did the same thing again.”
4. What is Candace’s ultimate game plan?
If there’s one person from Joe’s past who could make his life a living hell (and make him pay), it would be Candace. Joe’s no-nonsense ex has a mission and she’s not about to give up. We won’t spoil just how You addresses Candace’s surprise arrival at the end of season one and its consequences, but the explanation is a doozy. There’s a reason Joe picks up and attempts to start anew in the City of Angels, and it may have something to do with Candace.
In Kepnes’ books, Candace’s story wraps up pretty neatly -- for one thing, she stays dead -- but here, the possibilities are endless with regard to where Candace’s arc goes from here. As Childers told ET, “She’s the only one in the show who really comes after Joe. She’s the vigilante and she’s a strong woman and I love that.” The question is: Will she be successful in bringing justice to Joe?
5. Who are the other major players in season two?
While Joe is back in the middle of all the action for season two, don’t expect there to be much overlap with old characters from the first season popping back up again. Outside of Dr. Nicky and Candace, it’s essentially a fresh new start for Joe -- and that’s the whole point. We’ve already covered Love, but who are the other core characters you should maybe pay a little more attention to? There’s at least six.
There’s Forty Quinn (James Scully), Love’s brother who is a bit of the archetypal pretentious L.A. douchebag with questionable dreams of becoming a famous Hollywood writer-producer type. Then there’s Joe’s new neighbors, Delilah Alves (Carmela Zumbado), an investigative reporter desperate to break a new case, and her younger sister, Ellie (Jenna Ortega), a rebellious teen hanging out with not-so-great people. And then Henderson (Chris D’Elia), a popular L.A. comedian who has skeletons in his closet, and Will (Robin Lord Taylor), a smart guy who crosses paths with unsavory people, including Joe, as part of his job.
Sure, there are plenty of other characters popping up throughout the new season, such as Love’s closest friends and the manager of the gourmet grocery store Love works at, but trust us, these are the people you should be paying particular attention to once season two begins.
The first season of You is available to stream on Netflix. Season two drops Thursday, Dec. 26.
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