Warning: This podcast contains many, many spoilers for “You” season 4, part 2. It also contains discussion of events in the show that pertain to suicide.

ANOTHER WARNING: DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED “YOU” SEASON 4.

We have been holding onto the knowledge of The Big Twist from “You” season 4 for weeks now. Praise the Netflix gods, now we can finally talk about it.

When part 1 of season 4 wrapped up, we had just learned that Rhys Montrose — Joe/Jonathan’s buddy, the likely future mayor of London, the One Good Man among a group of vapid, selfish, rich assholes — was the Eat The Rich Killer. Except… Rhys Montrose, or at least the Rhys we (and Joe) have come to know, doesn’t actually exist.

It turns out that Joe has channeled his obsession with the real Rhys into a full-on delusional state, in which all of Joe’s worst parts are expressed through a separate character, “Rhys.” Does Rhys Montrose exist? Yes. Does he know Joe/Jonathan? Absolutely not.

Now we know what kind of story we’re dealing with. It’s not just an ordinary whodunnit. It’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Imaginary “Rhys” makes this explicit in a speech to Joe: “You poured all that darkness you hated into a vessel you admired because you knew that the endgame was facing yourself, didn’t you? There you go, all the worst bits in a package you don’t mind having a pint with.”

And that is always what “You” has been about — Joe’s commitment to running from himself and to contorting the narrative to paint himself as the perpetual hero, no matter how many bodies end up lying dead in his wake. Season 4 brings us all into this delusion alongside Joe, and then wrenches us right out of it, and demands we look Joe (and ourselves) in the face.

Nothing about this season was subtle — like, did we really need the dungeon key lodged into a literal copy of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”? — but it added up to a raucous ride, and a really fun conversation. In this episode, we discuss the varying literary genres that the “You” writers played with this season (whodunnit! romance! fairytale!), the usefulness of the detective-as-killer trope, and where we think the show will, and should, go from here. Hope you enjoy! xo

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