Warning! Spoilers for the You season 5 finale!
You showrunners, Michael Foley and Justin L,o revealed that they originally wrote a different ending for the show’s final season, which saw a much different fate for Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley). You season 5 ends with Joe spending life in prison, finally facing penance for the seemingly countless murders he has committed throughout the show. After yet another season of deception, obsession, and violence, Joe’s killing spree has come to an end.
In an interview with the New York Post, Foley and Lo explained their alternative ending for Joe. He almost met a grisly end “at the hands of” his season 5 romance, Bronte (Madeline Brewer). Foley elaborates on this particular ending, which would have left Joe dead and gone, left to face his “comeuppance” only after death. Furthermore, Joe would have been a ghost during the final episode, a far reach from his story’s actual ending.
We went through many different options, one of which being that he did die at the hands of Bronte. I was even remembering a version where he was shot. And [the audience] didn’t realize that he [got] shot until the very last episode, and then he realizes he’s a ghost.
Foley adds to Lo’s comments, saying that You season 5’s official ending wasn’t confirmed until “late in the season.” He explains that the finale forces Joe to “face himself” and be entirely alone in a way that death would not have allowed.
We liked putting him in a veritable cage [in prison]. We liked him not knowing the touch of a lover.
Throughout the series, there was a shared belief among the writers and the creators that Joe wouldn’t get away with his crimes. 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.
What This Means For You Season 5’s Ending
Joe Finally Faces Repercussions For His Actions
You season 5 shows Joe finally facing consequences for his dangerous and deadly behavior. The showrunners’ decision not to redeem Joe highlights their intentions for him to confront himself and what he’s done. The alternative ending in which Bronte kills Joe would have allowed him to essentially get away with his actions, because he never would have faced the long-term punishment of prison time. Loneliness is one of Joe’s biggest fears, and incarcerating him forces him to come to terms with the reality of being alone.
Every Season Of Netflix’s You, Ranked
The fifth season of Netflix’s You may not be its strongest, but it’s a welcome reminder of how just entertaining this show can be at its best.
Joe’s final showdown with Bronte in You season 5, episode 10 leaves him physically injured but also emotionally battered when he is finally arrested. Foley and Lo chose to keep Bronte as a key player in putting Joe in his place, but did not have her kill him. The showrunners effectively lock Joe “in a veritable cage” by sending him to prison, spinning the narrative on a character who frequently used a cage as a way to capture both his enemies and objects of his desire.
Our Take On You Season 5’s Alternative Ending
The Actual End Is A Stronger Conclusion For You
Foley and Lo made the correct decision by choosing to end You with Joe in prison. It would not have been as satisfying to see Joe simply die at the hands of one of his victims. Bronte is also a new character in You season 5, so the audience may not have been as interested in her killing Joe compared to longer-term characters like his wife, Kate (Charlotte Ritchie), or ex-girlfriend, Marienne (Tati Gabrielle).
Additionally, making Joe a ghost would have felt like a cop-out way to conclude You, akin to the “it was all a dream” cliché that can ruin a television show or film. Going to prison at the end of You makes Joe “face himself” as Foley and Lo intended, crafting a satisfying ending that finally turns the tables on the show’s villain.
Source: New York Post
You
7/10
- Release Date
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2018 – 2025-00-00
- Showrunner
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Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti
- Directors
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Marcos Siega, Lee Toland Krieger, Cherie Nowlan, DeMane Davis, Kellie Cyrus, Marta Cunningham, Martha Mitchell, Victoria Mahoney, Erin Feeley
- Writers
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Justin W. Lo
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Penn Badgley
Joe Goldberg
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Elizabeth Lail
Guinevere Beck
