Penn Badgley‘s Joe Goldberg has stalked, schemed, and sweet-talked his way over five season of You, but his story has officially (and thankfully) come to an end. For many fans, the series finale felt fitting for a character who mastered manipulating everyone around him and masking violence with charm — but in a new twist, You‘s showrunners have dished that ending could’ve looked pretty different.
Heads up that we’re entering spoiler territory here, in case you haven’t binged the last season of You yet.
The finale kicks off with Joe waiting on fake passports to cross the border into Canada with his partner and former catfish Bronte/ Louise (Madeline Brewer). But, little does he know what’s in store, with Bronte/Louise plotting his downfall for all his crimes. (We’ve got all the details about what went down HERE).
Sparing you a long recap, the finale ends with tons of fighting and gore, tense chases through the woods, and even an (admittedly unintentional) shooting off of Joe’s dick that all adds to a *chefs kiss* well-deserved ending for this creep.
Reflecting on how season five of You went down, showrunner and executive producer Michael Foley told the New York Post there was a lot of back-and-forth on how to neatly wrap up Joe’s twisted tale. The one thing they did know was that Joe was about to get everything that’s coming for him.
“We hadn’t landed on [his ending] until very late in the season. Throughout the series, there was a shared belief among the writers and the creators that Joe wouldn’t get away with his crimes,” Foley explained.
“We came into the season knowing that we didn’t want to redeem him, that he would get his comeuppance, that he was going to face some of those whose lives he ruined. And most importantly, we knew he was going to be made to face himself.”
Turns out, it was later on that they finally locked their ideal ending down, after discussions of whether he’d die, be captured, or go on trial.
Ultimately, they figured death would be “too easy” of an ending for Joe, Foley explained. (So fair.)
“We liked putting him in a veritable cage [in prison]. We liked him not knowing the touch of a lover,” he told the publication.
Co-showrunner and exec producer Justin W. Lo also dished there were a few other alternate endings in mind for this walking red flag.
One even included delving into the supernatural, ghosts and all.
“We went through many different options, one of which being that he did die at the hands of Bronte,” he told the New York Post.
“I was even remembering a version where he was shot. And [the audience] didn’t realise that he shot until the very last episode, and then he realises he’s a ghost.”
NGL, I’m honestly glad they decided to scrap that one.
Lead actor Badgley seemed to agree with how his deeply troublesome character wrapped things up, telling Deadline the “right choice” was made in bringing this abuser to justice.
“What is best, not just for Joe, but the person who then has to do it? If somebody was to kill him — and it would be a woman, right — well then actually now what you’ve burdened her with is having committed murder,” he said.
“That’s not just, I don’t think. Torture? Uh, same thing. Prison? Eh, feels a bit not enough. So what do you do? Take. His. Balls.”
True redemption also meant ultimately ditching one of co-creator Greg Berlanti‘s idea for Joe’s comeuppance, as in actually letting him get away with it, Badgeley shared.
“It was to let [Joe] get away with it – to let him have everything he thought he wanted and just be absolutely miserable,” Badgley told Vanity Fair.
“Where that starts to fall apart is that it doesn’t take ‘her’ into account, whoever the ‘her’ is.”
Ultimately, we see ol’ mate Joe end up in a cage of his own making, but the show’s signature voiceover lets us know he still reckons he’s been wronged by a cruel and unjust world, rather than, you know, acknowledging he’s a SERIAL KILLER. (Although, if you think about it, a sudden point of self-actualisation at this stage would’ve only been disappointing).
We bid adieu to the binge-worthy creepiness of You with a scene shows Joe receiving a letter from a ‘fan’ who expresses her desire to become his next victim, resulting in Joe looking right at us as he goes: “Maybe the problem isn’t me. Maybe… it’s you.”
I mean!!!
