Why you should watch the TV series "You"

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The story of the charming maniac will teach you a lot.

Back in mid-2018, the American cable channel Lifetime released the first season of the series You, based on the novel of the same name by Caroline Kepnes. It was aired in the traditional format, one episode per week.

The audience accepted the novelty with restraint, the total audience barely exceeded 500 thousand viewers. Then Lifetime sold the series to the streaming service Netflix.

The platform released "You" over the Christmas holidays, and suddenly it was a real hit. It was watched by about 8 million people.

Now it makes no sense to figure out why "You" failed on the air of the channel, and became so popular when it was released online. The only important thing is that it is really worth seeing.

What is the series "You"

The humble but charming Joe Goldberg works in a bookstore as a salesman. One day, among the visitors, he notices a lovely girl - the aspiring writer Guinevere Beck. The heroes get to know each other, the girl casually announces her first and last name, and Joe decides that they are meant for each other.

Their next meeting takes place under dramatic circumstances. Joe saves a girl from under the wheels of a train. And from that moment on, passion flares up between the heroes, which cannot be prevented by any obstacles.

But behind the thin shell of romance lies a completely different story. In fact, Joe is a possessed maniac. From the very first meeting, he begins to track down Beck, using her geotags in social networks and other open data for this.

And after "rescuing" the girl, he steals her phone and monitors all the correspondence. Further - more: Joe begins to believe that all Beck's entourage is unworthy of her. And in attempts to make the life of his beloved ideal, he will not stop even before cruel crimes.

At the same time, Joe herself does not ask the opinion of the girl herself.

Love story and the story of a maniac

Charming maniacs have been popular on small screens since the days of Dexter, where the protagonist only killed more nasty villains. But in "You" the authors offer a completely different story: they inscribe the theme of stalking and toxic relationships in the entourage of traditional romantic melodrama.

If we remove all the offscreen experiences of the hero and his inclinations, it seems that he is really in love with Beck, believes in sincere feelings and wants to help her.

Not only that, even the series' visuals are often more reminiscent of a romantic comedy than a hard-hitting drama. There are scenes of kissing against the backdrop of lanterns and sun glare, moments of sweet lovers' everyday life with watching TV, sex and breakfasts. In general, everything that belongs to the genre.

But this only adds to the brightness of the main story: Joe, behind the back of his new girlfriend, begins to "correct" her life. He constantly tracks down the girl, tries to separate her from friends and relatives. And if it doesn't work out, he resorts to illegal and even terrible methods.

In this case, the entire action is accompanied by a voiceover on behalf of the protagonist. So you can find out that Joe has no remorse and can always justify himself. Besides, there is a huge difference between what he says and what he thinks. Joe is used to hiding his true nature.

Charming villain and annoying victims

To make the action even more ambiguous and attractive, the authors took on the main role of the charismatic Penn Badgley (he is known from the TV series "Gossip Girl"). As a result, the maniac, who by his behavior should cause rejection, turned out to be the main sex symbol of the series.

At some point, a scandal even broke out. Netizens and even young stars like Millie Bobby Brown began to confess their love to the villain. And Penn Badgley himself reminded the audience of the terrible deeds of his character.

Of course, the authors here can be accused of romanticizing maniacs. But in fact, it fits perfectly into the idea - to show that even a pleasant-looking person can be a deceiver and a criminal.

On the other hand, many of the minor characters, and even Beck herself, were portrayed as not so positive. They are often annoying with their actions. Beloved Joe lies, cheats, hides the facts of her biography and substitutes him at work. And friends take advantage of Beck's gentleness and try to rule her life.

And at some point it may really seem that Joe is right: she needs to be saved from such an environment and help build a life and career, since she herself is not capable of this.

And again, this is exactly the idea of the creators of "You". At such moments, you need to remember that the main character here is a scoundrel and a maniac, and there can be no excuses for his actions.

Drama and detective

But all these relationships and experiences can hardly hook the viewer to all ten episodes. Therefore, a detective component is quickly added to the plot. There are many unknowns in Joe and Beck's stories. There is even an episode where the offscreen text is replaced by the reflections of the heroine and it turns out that she is deceiving everyone even in one of the most important moments of her life.

Plus, each episode ends with a cliffhanger - an unexpected twist. This is sometimes annoying (the series was created for a television schedule and it was impossible to do without it), but it forces you to immediately include the next episode.

And in the course of the plot, many questions really arise. What happened to Joe's ex-girlfriend who is mentioned throughout the action? When does Beck tell the truth and when does he lie? What evidence will a private detective find? How will Joe's tragic Neighborhood line play?

The series will give answers to all this, but not immediately. You can only speculate and guess. The main thing is to understand that there are no superfluous characters and elements in "You". All Chekhov's guns shoot at the right moment, and every little thing will play a role.

What the series "You" teaches us

But the new series isn't just good drama and a twisted detective story. In addition to the pleasure of watching, it reminds of some important truths of life. Some of them have become relevant only in recent years, while others have always been important.

1. Keep an eye on the safety of the Internet and your devices

Joe easily finds a new acquaintance on Instagram, knowing only her first and last name. A geotagged photo allows you to track down where Beck lives. A girl's social network friends list helps to find out a lot about her boyfriend's activities. And this is not a fantastic story about cool hackers, but real open information that many do not even think about.

By stealing an unlocked phone, Joe gains access to Beck's photos, correspondence histories and much other data that can be used to harm. Further, this idea slips repeatedly.

In reality, it is often not difficult to find a password for someone else's laptop or smartphone, knowing the minimum data about a person. And access to personal information can allow a maniac or even just a bully to seriously ruin your life.

Passwords cannot be composed of friends' names, dog nicknames, or important dates. Ideally, they should be generated randomly, which eliminates the possibility of guessing.

2. Be careful with the halo effect

In simple terms, people tend to endow someone who is outwardly pleasing with positive qualities. This is called lookism or halo effect (by analogy with the optical glow effect). A handsome person is considered smarter, kinder, and it seems that he is not capable of bad deeds.

In fact, facial features or a beautiful body have nothing to do with intelligence or character. The crowds of fans of the charming maniac Joe on the Web only confirm that such an effect exists and works.

And if the charismatic hero of the series only tunes in to the wrong perception of the plot, then in life the consequences can be much worse. For example, in the seventies in the United States, the maniac Ted Bundy, using his attractive appearance and ability to communicate well, raped and killed more than 30 girls.

3. Victim behavior does not justify the perpetrator

All the heroes of the series constantly do stupid and bad things. The guy Beck treats her completely consumerist, and in general he is an unpleasant type. The best friend tries to completely subjugate her, constantly portraying problems in life and even imitating a suicide attempt.

Beck herself cannot start working on the book. And if at first there are really good reasons for this, then then it seems that she is just lazy.

But none of these actions justify Joe's crimes. In this regard, the series even echoes the recent work of Lars von Trier "The House That Jack Built". There, the killer, too, every time declares that the victims themselves asked for it, and he even tried to save them.

Heroes can be annoying and literally asking for it. But only the maniac is to blame for all the atrocities. This should not be forgotten in reality and we should not learn from the habit of blaming the victims of rape or robbery with the traditional “our own fault”.

4. Even good intentions do not justify trying to control someone else's life

It might seem that if Beck had trusted Joe completely and relied on his opinion, she would only get better. He really broke up her toxic friends and helped her get started. But this is precisely what destroys the freedom of choice and the personality itself. Perhaps he saved her from some trouble, but even if we forget about the criminal methods, he did it without the consent of the girl herself.

Moreover, Joe constantly monitors his beloved, leaving her no personal space. He wants the girl to fully comply with his ideas, ceasing to be independent and individual. The trouble is that Beck herself thinks that she is better with Joe, so she reaches out to the maniac even after breaking up. But she just doesn't know how cruel he can be.

“Your life has been a torment.

- Yes, but this is my life!

Joe and Beck

5. Just be careful

The most simple and seemingly obvious idea. Joe walks behind his girlfriend and her friends just behind his cap. It may seem that the authors of the series are exaggerating: after all, this makes it too invisible. But in fact, too many are now immersed in their own thoughts and do not notice either those who follow, or even the strange behavior of someone they know.