Episode 7 of You Season 5, titled "#JoeGoldberg," takes the show into deliciously ironic territory, using the internet and a fickle public to turn Joe’s crimes into a trending hashtag rather than a death sentence. It's a dizzying, Gossip Girl-esque satire—made all the more meta by the fact that Penn Badgley, once Dan Humphrey himself, is again at the centre of New York’s chaotic social media ecosystem.
We pick up with the fallout from Joe killing Clayton—the video of the altercation has gone viral, and Joe is now the city’s reluctant antihero. Public opinion swings wildly, some painting him as a tragic romantic, others condemning him as a monster. In typical You fashion, the internet's ability to absolve, meme-ify, and exploit tragedy is the real villain of the episode.
Joe, meanwhile, is scrambling to get his life back in order. He tries to retrieve Henry through a lawyer, but the legal system moves slowly. Kate (Charlotte Ritchie), now fully aware that Joe’s chaos threatens everyone she cares about, arranges for Teddy to hide Henry. Joe, never one to leave things to chance, secretly gives Henry a book embedded with a locator.
Meanwhile, Bronte (Madeline Brewer) doubles down on her loyalty to Joe, much to the dismay of Dominique and Phoenix, who had once worked with her to bring him down. Her devotion adds another layer to the show's ongoing exploration of obsession and blurred morality. Bronte, who once wanted justice for Beck, now defends the man who could have easily become her killer.
Joe manages to track down Henry at Teddy’s hideout, leading to a tense standoff. Teddy tries to resist, but Joe ultimately gets taken down and removed from the property—a sobering reminder that brute force isn't always his ticket out anymore.
Meanwhile, Dominique and Phoenix are still determined to expose Joe. They dig up every scrap of his blood-soaked history, flooding social media with allegations. Watching the world’s collective short attention span play out in real-time is both horrifying and absurd. In another series, it would seem unrealistic. In You, it’s depressingly plausible. A wonderful array of past supporting characters make cameos, timed well for You's final season.
In a desperate move, Joe threatens Maddie, forcing her to arrange an interview with a journalist meant to redeem him. During the interview, Joe displays vulnerability, tearfully discussing his traumatic childhood. Is it real or is it a calculated performance? Either way, it's one that tugs at the public's collective heartstrings.
The gambit works. Bronte’s public support for Joe cements the new narrative: Joe Goldberg isn't a serial killer. He’s a tragic hero who "did it all for love." And while some corners of the internet remain skeptical, most rally around him.
The show’s scathing take on cancel culture and digital idolatry is razor-sharp here. Justice isn’t served by evidence; it’s determined by which narrative is sexier to believe.
Yet while Joe's virtual war is front and centre, it’s Kate who quietly steals the episode. After spending much of this season operating more as a plot device than a character, Kate finally steps into her own story. She betrays Maddie, loses Teddy’s trust, and—most importantly—decides to fly to London to visit Nadia Farran, still rotting in prison thanks to Joe's manipulations.
Kate’s long-overdue awakening hints at real agency. Whether the writers will let her truly take the fight to Joe remains to be seen, but for the first time in a while, it feels like she’s more than just collateral damage.
The episode ends with another brush with danger: Bronte is nearly kidnapped, but Joe manages to knock out the would-be abductor. It's a small victory, one that reinforces Joe's narrative as "protector," but the foundation under him continues to crack.
As the final act of You looms, "#JoeGoldberg" reminds us that public perception is a game—one Joe knows how to play. But perception is fickle, and with Marienne and Nadia’s lingering presences, true reckoning feels inevitable.
Joe might be trending now. But in You, the fall is always harder—and bloodier—than the climb.
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