On December 26th (Boxing day) the Netflix original series 'You' graced our screens once again with its second season. Don't worry you can binge-watch this all in one sitting with your takeaway and glass of wine because all 10 episodes have been released at once. For the few that haven't watched or even heard of this juicy psychological thriller then you’ve come to the right place. Both series are based upon the novels of American writer Caroline Kepnes, season one is based upon her novel ‘You’, I’m sure you probably could have guessed that one. Then this latest season is based upon her other novel 'Hidden Bodies'. Both follow the life of sinister bookstore owner Joe Goldberg who is played by 'Gossip Girl' star Penn Badgley. It is a love story but not the Cinderella type that we all know and love. It is very very twisted and like some crazy messed up stuff happens to say the least. If you don’t want spoilers, then you are in the wrong place.
Who is Joe Goldberg?
Well, that's a complicated and difficult question. In season one we meet this mysterious, young and handsome bookshop owner who lives in New York but we don't find out a lot about the real him or his past. This all changes just a few episodes into this new season. We get to learn about Joe’s troubled past, of an abusive father and a mother who is lost in life. We also find out that Joe’s sinister murderous ways started from a young age. Joe is a lost man just wanting to be loved, he loves hard and deep, meaning he will do anything and I mean anything to protect and have the one he wants. After last seeing Joe when he killed his girlfriend Beck played by Elizabeth Lali and then framing her therapist/lover for her death, he had to change his name. So it's bye-bye Joe and hello to Will Bedalhime (the name depends on his mood, to be honest).
Is it now set in LA?
You are correct. Joe had to run away from his past and create a new name for himself when his surprisingly alive ex-girlfriend Candace played by Ambyr Chiders makes a return in the last 5 minutes of season one, talk about a cliff hanger. She is a big part of season two and is ready to make Joe pay for what he did to her. So there is no better place to run to than the place Joe hates the most, the sunny city of Los Angeles. It is the last place Candace would look because Joe despises everything LA is about, so hence the change of scenery.
So who is Joes next victim/love interest?
An aspiring chef working as a produce manager in a very high-end grocery store. Her family is mega-rich and mega-powerful. Her name is Love Quinn; unique name isn't it? With a name like that it can get confusing at times but after a while you will get used to it. Love doesn't care for social media which makes ‘Joe the Stalker's’ life a bit hellish but also in his eyes a breath of fresh air in a social media crazed city. Love married her childhood sweetheart young but lost him to an illness, making her a widower. Joe and Love bond over apparently similar losses which are completely different circumstances, but she is totally unaware. Joe becomes intertwined not only with Love, who is hiding a dark past of her own, but also with her twin brother Forty Quinn who Is obsessed with fame, money, and recognition in a city and in a family that seems to keep swallowing him whole and spitting him back out again.
Has Joe changed at all?
Yes, but no if that makes sense. This season answers so many of the questions we were asking from the moment the credits started rolling at the end of season one. Just go watch it. Make sure you clear your schedule though cause once you start you won't be able to stop.
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