You’ve heard of a possessive boyfriend. You’ve heard of an obsessive boyfriend. You’ve heard of an overprotective boyfriend. You’ve even heard of some abusive ones. Tell me my friend, have you heard of a guy who falls in love in the first sight without even letting the other party know about it, then follows them, stalks them, hacks their gadgets, sneaks into their house and slowly induces to date him by manipulating events in their life? Here, have a seat.

The Things You Do for Love

You is a psychological thriller slash drama that will begin on a rather innocent note but with the advancement of every episode, you’ll have no other option but to binge on it. Consisting of 10 very brilliantly constructed episodes with the audience being led by Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) narration, a simple bookstore manager who falls in love with a simple girl named Guinnevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail).

Guinnevere is an aspiring writer barely making through every day with a privileged bunch of friends who are more toxic than the oceans will ever be. Joe Goldberg plays the ‘nice guy’ until he stalks Beck (Guinnevere) until he finds out how the progress of a smart and talented girl like her is stuck in the company of the wrong people without her even realizing it. He decides to follow her and in the quest of winning her heart ‘in his mind’, he goes to impossible lengths to make sure she doesn’t get hurt by them ‘anymore’. *Clears Throat*

Joe might seem like the over protective boyfriend every girl dreams of having, but as the season advances, you’re only expected to realize that he’s not actually what he believes he is. His love for Beck turns into a crazy obsession that slowly brings out the underlying psychopath inside him.

The best thing about You would be the state of unpredictability it keeps you in.

You KNOW Joe might do something crazy but the level of crazy will not fail to amaze you because unexpected turns in this series are very much expected. It also contains some subtle yet strong messages for the millennials today since it shows how easily accessible our personal information are on the internet that too with very little privacy concern. It shows how deadly cyberstalking can be and that it’s not too impossible for a stranger to track us down within minutes. Cast-wise, Badgley finds the perfect balance of just-off-enough charm to sell both Joe’s creepiest tendencies as well as why Beck might find this stranger intriguing enough to consider, once their engagement escalates.

The story is originally based on the book by Caroline Kepnes and the screenplay gives the plot enough charm for people to obsess over it. What actually makes the plot stand out is that people can relate to it at some point of the series and might even realize a fact or two since the story advances with numerous millennial references.

Come for the Stalking, Stay for the Characters

This show gels together so well because it’s populated by characters who are flawed in relatable ways, like most twenty-somethings usually are. Joe often calls out their flaws in hilarious fashion. For instance, He calls one of Beck’s friends, Lynn, a charisma vacuum ‘where conversations go to die a lonely death’.

Beck is not your average Hollywood low IQ blonde, but she definitely makes dumb choices when it comes to men. She is seen with her boyfriend Benji (Lou Taylor Pucci) who is an aspiring businessman that your mom tells you to stay away from. He exploits Beck, cheats on her and crumbles her self-esteem to the level where Beck ends up thinking she deserves nothing better than Benji. Beck’s best friend slash a nightmare dressed like a daydream for her, Peach Salinger (Shay Mitchell) will be perceived as the perfect friend until you advance to the episode where Joe reveals what actually happens behind the curtains. Peach is basically the privileged borderline Kardashian who has issues that give the series a different dimension.

Joe Goldberg on the other hand, needs special attention here.

Joe is into books, sounds smart, has a nice jawline and all things nice, until you realize he’s a psychopath. The type of psychopath you can’t really hate in first impression.

In fact, I don’t think anybody will ever be able to HATE this character because of the way it’s been played by Penn Badgley. Sincere, romantic and passionate, three qualities every girl looks for in a guy, Joe will seem to have it in this series. His unconditional love for Beck and the extreme urge to save her from the distress she subconsciously causes to herself are what fuels the entertainment engine of this series.

One of the great things about You is that almost everyone is flawed, and to an extent, insufferable. Beck often lets men use her, and she isn’t completely oblivious to it, either. Her complex relationship with her father gives some insight into why she keeps falling for men who definitely aren’t good for her. She is also a writer who rarely writes, instead fawning hopelessly over the brilliance of fellow student, Blythe, who has a sense of airy pretension to her that is amusing and annoying in equal parts. In fact, the show takes delight in poking fun at how vacuous twenty somethings can be in this day and age: one of Beck’s friends, Annika, for instance, is an instagram celebrity who posts inspirational quotes.

Not Perfect, But Still Crazy Good

While it is a well-acted out original series and a season 2 is already on its way, the negatives of the series are evident if not overpowering. Although it gives its audience the time to think but I felt there could be less voice overs in some episodes. However the first five episodes are guaranteed to keep you spellbound until you realize you’ve seen too much of the ‘nice guy’ already.

Another drawback I would say would be the wrong interpretation of the expression of love. Some might consider Joe’s point of view to be justified but sadly that’s not how love works in 2019. It shows a rather ugly side of it in a manner that might entice people to look for ways to justify Joe’s actions.

I rate the series a 7.5 out of 10 since season 2 is on its way and I still need answers. The story was good, screenplay was amazing and the actors did justice to the characters they played. I hope this anti-spoilerish review makes you want to watch it if you still haven’t.