Warning: SPOILERS below!
The finale of season 4 left viewers feeling deceived. Joe embraces his identity as he discovers the real ‘Eat-the-Rich’ killer and returns to America with his current girlfriend, Kate. Part 1 was a build-up of a stereotypically crafted whodunnit, and Part 2 defied all possible conclusions and reminded us of the lesson to never trust the narrator of the story.
The first part of the season focused on the wild goose chase named ‘Eat-the-Rich Killer’. Professor Jonathan Moore (Penn Badgley) fights his inner demons to protect his newest crush Kate Gavin (Charlotte Ritchie), and her elite posse, as well as Joe’s old flame Marienne (Tati Gabrielle). But the venture comes crashing down in the 2nd part of season 4 in an unexpected turn of events. Previously, we knew Rhys found out Joe’s questionable history in the States, blackmailed Joe, and forced him to kill Kate’s friends or whomever Rhys seemed necessary. It turns out that the British crime novel setting was all in Joe’s head. Episode 7 reveals that Joe has developed a split-personality disorder. Rhys Montrose was purely an aspiring mayoral candidate with a stellar memoir on his record. Joe rigorously studied the righteous public image of Rhys. Inspired, Joe becomes delusional as he latches onto his moral side and tries to suppress his homicidal tendencies (or at least he thinks so). But his mental health had already deteriorated. So, a part of his mind broke away to make a violent personality that duals alongside the awake Joe.
The sweet romance of Joe and Kate is an odd phenomenon in the background of the continued killings and emerging dead bodies. Amidst the petrifying rampage, Lady Phoebe (Tilly Keeper) becomes a victim of the show’s own Kathy-Bates-of-Misery moment when a neurotic fan kidnaps Phoebe and holds her hostage. Adam and Phoebe’s tumultuous relationship, the arrival of Kate’s dad Tom Lockwood (Greg Kinnear), and Nadia’s suspicion of Joe keep the plot on tenterhooks. The story would have met a less dramatic fate if the hero was not an anti-hero at the same time. He grows crazier with each passing episode as he struggles to learn who murdered Kate’s high-profile friends. In time, Joe comes to a boiling realization regarding his personality, his actions, and their subsequent impacts.
Joe’s internal monologue always helps us understand his psychological warfare. From the get-go of season 1, Joe kills people because either they pose a threat to his shot at a loving relationship, or the woman decides to abandon him after discovering his wrongdoings. He believed it was a fair gesture to play God with people’s lives to eliminate the hindrances and give people what they deserve. Every season, he would begin a fresh chapter of his life and steers clear of having blood stain on his hands. Eventually, he would get involved and endanger himself and the people around him- all for love. He is a twisted version of a hopeless romantic. However, viewers would only emphasize the ‘hopeless romantic’ to sympathize with this ticking time bomb of a character.
This time, his dark endeavor might be the last straw for the viewers.
Joe forgot he killed Malcolm, Simon, and Gemma. Marienne never returned to her daughter. Instead, Joe abducted her and put her in a built-in cage during his psychotic haze. On the other hand, the love of his life, Kate, remains oblivious and disinclined towards his father’s wealth. Some soul-searching leads Joe to attempt committing suicide. Hilarity reaches its height when Joe gets rescued after all the melodrama. As he rises through the ashes, Joe welcomes his evil side without guilt or question and returns to the States with Kate.
Half of the filler characters from Part 1 became irrelevant and the newest character exited as fast as they arrived- courtesy of Joe. The story reaches a full circle with Joe returning to his roots, clean-shaven and ready to commit more crimes in the future. One thing is for sure writers had no intention to portray Joe as a redeemed and retired serial killer. He has only gotten terrible and will only grow worse in the next season.
Impaired plot twists, the same old excuses for love, and the casual showcase of murders make the show daring and addictive. Huge applause to Ed Speleers for convincing us he is a true maniac in the first half with his charismatic performance. Penn Badgley is as sleek as usual in his humor and pro at being crazy. We are already counting the last days of paradise because who knows, maybe Kate will end up like Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti), or together they will become the Killer Couple. Logic and reality are the two elements that are never present in the show.
