You season 4 part 1 review: Effectively transforms into a murder mystery

In You season 4 part 1, Joe faces problems while starting a new life in London when a killer starts framing him for murders he didn’t commit. The first part of the fourth season is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

Joe has settled down in London as a professor of literature at a university. Love’s father had hired a man to kill Joe, but this assassin struck a deal with Joe and offered him a new identity as Jonathan Moore.

As Jonathan Moore, Joe has to keep a low profile; no one should find out that he is still alive. Joe reluctantly befriends his colleague Malcolm Harding and almost falls back into his old habits when he notices Malcolm’s girlfriend, Kate.

When Joe saves Kate from some robbers, Malcolm thanks him and invites him to Adam Pratt’s Sundry House, the most exclusive club in Soho, where Joe meets Kate and Malcolm’s friends, who are some of London’s most fortunate and privileged.

Toward the end of the night, Joe gets heavily drunk and also drugged. When he wakes up at his apartment, he finds Malcolm’s dead body right on his table, leaving him to wonder what happened last night and how he ended up killing Malcolm.

Performances

Penn Badgley returns with a new look for Joe, who has moved on from his dark past. The look is acceptable given how much Joe has been through, and he definitely needs to hide from the world.

Overall, Badgley has continued to embrace Joe. This time around, Badgley gets a chance to portray this character in a good light. The character transformation is commendable.

Charlotte Ritchie brilliantly executes the cold and ambitious nature of Kate. Furthermore, Kate’s backstory gives more depth to why Ritchie’s character is the way she is.

Ed Speelers’ Rhys Montrose comes out as quite a genuine character, one that the viewers will hardly suspect throughout the show while the murder mystery is unfolding.

The rest of the cast so far is just an add-on to Joe’s story. The show, like most of the time, has continued to be a Badgley show, and there are only a few instances where supporting characters have taken over.

Positives

You season 4 part 1 has placed its twists and turns carefully at the appropriate times. The show progresses through smaller plots that serve to flesh out the setting and characters.

The creators know when these scenes start becoming stale. The moment the viewers find themselves disconnected, the show drops a shocking revelation or a turn of events that will once again grab their attention.

For a show that has been more of a psychological drama, the fourth season in particular becomes a well-executed murder mystery. It is aware of the cliches of ‘whodunit’. You uses these cliches too and still remains unpredictable at every turn.

The show spends a lot of time with every other suspect in the mystery. It presents equally convincing facts for each character. This way, the viewers are left guessing who the killer is while the show keeps this mystery together till the very end.

Negatives

Some of the motives behind the murders or accusations are plain boring. For example, Simon’s assistant ruined his art show because he stole her work. It’s a story that has been recycled for years.

The writing here could’ve been better, and it feels like the show didn’t want to go in-depth with Simon’s arc or focus on minor details to make things more interesting about other characters.

Similarly, towards the finale of You season 4 part 1, one can notice some lazy writing. Kate explains to Phoebe everything that has been going on, and Phoebe, in seconds, accepts this truth. She doesn’t even opt to take the time to process the information fed to her.

Verdict

You season 4 part 1 has a few flaws, but they are minor. One can certainly enjoy the whodunit mystery that this season brings, which is fresh and quite different from what viewers have seen in past seasons.

The viewers get to see a new Joe who is using his skills for some actual good work and stopping evil, unlike before.

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Also Read: You season 4 part 1 ending explained: Who is stalking Joe?