Netflix's 'YOU' Is The Perfect Valentine's Day Mood For Girls With Crazy Exes
Joe Goldberg is a lot more relatable to your ex than you think (warning: spoilers).
Ladies, I'm sure we've all had one or two flings where the guy turned out to be a complete psycho and you then immediately question everything about yourself and why you've gotten to that point. Well now there's a TV show that you can easily relate to, and is also just in time for Valentine's Day.
Just before 2019, Netflix dropped a new TV show titled "You" starring Penn Badgley (also widely known as Dan from Gossip Girl) which is probably one of the freakiest shows I've ever seen. It was capable of constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat, but also was the perfect representation of girls whom have had crazy exes in their lives.
The show follows the story of Joe Goldberg, a young adult working as a bookstore manager in New York City who immediately becomes obsessed (and I mean OBSESSED) with Beck, a girl who walks into his bookstore one day. They have a short but sweet conversation in the store and you can immediately see Joe falling in love with this girl.Joe then makes it his mission to try and weave himself into Beck's life and become her boyfriend, which results in him going to some extreme measures, such as killing her ex-boyfriend and best friend, stealing her old phone and pretending to be her by contacting her friends, following her around the city and waiting outside her house, and so on.
Now, I hope that whoever relates to the story of having a psycho ex didn't have to go through nearly half of the stunts that were pulled off by Joe. But coming from someone who's had a crazy ex, I can easily spot a lot of similarities from how Joe has complete control over Beck.
Joe is a character who doesn't stop until he gets what he wants, which is him and Beck together, so he uses his manipulation skills to prevent anything or anyone from influencing Beck that would ultimately harm their relationship. He continuously lies about who he is and when people are catching onto his act, he makes sure that they are taken care of so they won't expose his true self. And while he's stringing this web of lies, he's always questioning and not trusting Beck on her intentions for their relationship, since he is following her every move, keeping up-to-date with her texts and social media on her old phone that she dropped in the subway (she had thought she left it there, when really he stole it and lied about the entire thing).
When I finished watching this show, I immediately felt like I couldn't trust anyone else in my life or in this world, just from how psychologically intense this show is. It highlights the issue of how a lot of women are afraid of men and why this fear is valid, which is obvious from Joe's entire character. But it's also something that probably any girl who's been in a toxic relationship can relate to, because the way Joe psychologically abuses Beck is strongly present today in the real world that many people experience.
So long story short: if you need a new show to watch that will not only keep you on the edge of your seat biting your nails the entire time, but also can be something that you relate to from previously having a crazy ex, then "You" is the perfect show. Or if you just want to watch Dan from "Gossip Girl" and Emily from "Pretty Little Liars" try to sabotage each other's lives, then this is also perfect for you.
