The Eagle Reviews: You offers capturing glimpse into a stalker’s mind
Lifetime’s newest thriller features a murder mystery that explores the question of how far a person would go for love
Like many of my peers, I’m a self-professed Netflix binger. And Hulu binger. And Amazon Prime Video binger. If there’s a streaming service, you can bet I’ve found it, and you can also bet I’ve finished a minimum of 3 series on each.
That being said, I’m always on the lookout for a great show to watch. Sometimes, I go off a recommendation a friend gave me. Other times I hear about a show from the proverbial grapevine and do the digging myself. However, most of the time I find these shows through happy accidents. Such was the case for You, a Lifetime network series based on author Caroline Kepnes’ You: A Novel. It was the end of Christmas break and I walked into the living room to find my mom on Netflix. She was three episodes deep by then, and when I asked her what she was watching, all she said was, “Sit down and find out.”
The show stars Penn Badgley (of former Gossip Girl fame) as the titular character of Joe. Joe is a bookstore manager in New York City that’s smart, attractive and awkwardly charismatic. He seems normal enough when he meets Guinevere Beck, an MFA student who wanders into his shop looking for a specific book. Joe falls in love with Beck the moment he sees her, and from her receipt he looks her up on the internet to find out more.
This is where things get weird. Joe is able to find Beck’s Facebook and Instagram pages through a simple Google search, but as he digs deeper he finds her apartment address and begins to spy on her. He memorized her schedule, follows her wherever she goes and eventually plans “coincidental” meet-ups that result in a relationship. Beck has no knowledge of this, but as the pair spends more time together Joe becomes increasingly attached to her and goes to drastic lengths to “protect” Beck and their relationship. As her friends begin to catch on to Joe’s unsettling behavior, he has to find ways to quiet them and keep himself off the radar and in Beck’s life.
It will be easy to finish You in a matter of days (or day, if you’re really serious and have 10 consecutive hours to spare), and for a lot of reasons. Firstly, the acting and casting is top-notch. Penn Badgley as Joe and Elizabeth Lail as Beck was a great pairing, and the two offer just the right on screen chemistry to make the relationship feel real and terrifying. Supporting actress Shay Mitchell (of Pretty Little Liars) steals the show in every scene she’s in, and a surprise cameo by John Stamos is the cherry on top.
Secondly, the show does not paint Joe as the stereotypical “bad guy”. At times, you’ll feel sorry for Joe. In scenes like the one where his abusive foster parent locks him up in the bookshop’s basement for days on end, you’ll try to rationalize Joe’s behavior and might find yourself pitying him. In others, you’ll believe he’s a grotesque monster that needs to be put down. Either way, Joe’s character isn’t a simple one, and he’ll have you going back and forth throughout the series.
Finally, You digs not only into Joe’s psychopathic mind, but also into other character’s headspaces. The show makes use of inner monologues and social media screen casts to help their first-person narration, and it does it well. We get a rounded story, not just a one-sided look into a creep’s brain.
If you’re looking for a series you can dive into head first, You is it. Check it out on Netflix if it’s up your alley, and even if it’s not your typical choice, give it a shot. Find out what someone will do in the name of love.