Review
You season 5 may have forced Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) to finally face the music and be held accountable for his crimes, but two characters still have yet to answer for their worst deeds. The hit Netflix series saw the bookstore manager descend into obsession with an aspiring writer, pushing him to even darker deeds to make her his. With each season, Joe has found new loves and committed many new lies, taking him from New York to LA, before escaping to London in You season 4.
Posing as an English Professor at a respected university, Joe comes into contact with his next obsession, Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), a gallery manager whose family’s business dealings have left her ashamed of associating with them. After dodging a murderer’s killing spree and Joe taking her father’s life, Kate inherited her family’s wealth, returning to the USA with Joe and clearing his name.
However, You season 5 showed Joe and Kate’s happy ending wouldn’t last, as a plot by Kate’s half-sister Maddie (Anna Camp) and her other siblings reawakens his darker half, leading Joe into a downward spiral.
You Season 5's Ending Lets Kate & Maddie Lockwood Off The Hook Way Too Easily
Despite Aiding Joe, Kate And Maddie Are Given Bright Futures
As Kate fends off hostile takeover bids from her sibling and Joe grapples with darker urges and new obsessions, the distance grows between the couple. Questioning whether what she knew about him was the whole story, Kate becomes wary of the lengths he will go to, leading to her uncovering the truths about his past crimes and planning to stop him by any means necessary. Ultimately, though her initial plan falls apart, Kate plays a key part in finally bringing Joe to justice in You season 5’s ending, helping raise Joe’s son Henry (Frankie DeMaio) while he is sentenced to life.
Despite being victims of Joe, however, neither Kate nor Maddie emerges from the story with their hands completely clean. Kate still played a part in rehabilitating Joe’s reputation in You season 4’s conclusion despite having an inkling of what he was capable of, and was willing to use his lethal side to fend off the hostile takeover. Meanwhile, in order to survive Joe’s plotting, Maddie kills her twin Reagan, and ends up taking her place in her family. As such, it is hard to believe both Lockwood siblings could enjoy a happy ending without some form of reckoning.
Joe Goldberg Is The Focus Of The Series Finale, But Kate & Maddie's Fates Don't Add Up
Can Kate And Maddie Actually Resume A Normal Life?
You has always been focused on Joe and his misdeeds, so it is understandable why his comeuppance was the final season’s main story. With the many people he has hurt and left living, viewers would have likely been unsatisfied if the season wrapped without a definitive conclusion of Joe’s story, and Kate did ultimately play a part in bringing him to justice. Kate was even willing to potentially give her life to put a stop to him, suffering gunshot wounds and severe burns.
While her heart may have been in the right place, it does not erase Kate’s actions, as not only did she give Joe a chance to continue his dark deeds when it benefited her, but she let his other victims, including Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman), pay for his crimes. Similarly, many may be left scratching their heads as to how Reagan’s husband, Harrison (Pete Plaszek), and their daughter were able to reconcile with Maddie, not only killing her, but effectively taking her place in life. You has left these characters in places where it feels they should be held more accountable, and not left to prosper without some form of karma.
There's One Silver Lining Of The Lockwood Family's Season 5 Ending
The Lockwood Dynasty Has Met Its End
However, just because Kate and Maddie were able to escape scrutiny for their crimes does not mean that they will be living their lives in the comfort they once held. After having attempted to guide her father’s legacy in a more positive direction, Kate ultimately resolved to turn the T.R. Lockwood Corporation into a nonprofit, presumably with the blessing of Maddie and Teddy (Griffin Matthews). While they may not be held accountable, their relinquishing their influence could be a sign of them attempting to do better ing You’s conclusion,
