‘You’: Penn Badgley Says the Series Is About the Ways We’ve Misunderstood Love

You stars Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg. His character, at first glance, seems like a hopeless romantic, but the series shows just how far he will go for “love.” Joe resorts to stalking, murder, and horrific invasions of privacy. He is obsessed with the idea of a perfect love story.

You star Penn Badgley sits on a couch wearing a black long-sleeved shirt. — Penn Badgley | Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Penn Badgley calls out Netflix for romanticizing Jeffrey Dahmer

Throughout Netflix’s You, Joe Goldberg will do anything to end up with “the one,” including stalking and murder. The series often verges on the campy to highlight Joe’s creepy obsessions and turn the usual romance tropes on their head.

You star, Penn Badgley, does understand why some fan crush on Joe. The series’ main character is meant to be an unrealistic portrayal of a serial killer, unlike shows like Netflix’s Dahmer — Monster: THE Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

“You need to look at that inside,” Badgley stood Entertainment Tonight when asked for his message to viewers finding themselves attracted to serial killers. “Jeffrey Dahmer, that is on Netflix. That is squarely on the shoulders of Netflix.”

‘You’ star Penn Badgley says the show is about how we misunderstand love

Although You center’s on a murderous stalker, Penn Badgley still thinks the show is about love. Or maybe it’s more about what love isn’t. “The whole show is an exercise in the ways that we’ve misunderstood love as a human phenomenon,” the actor said during an interview with ExtraTV.

“It’s not about a killer because, at the end of the day, he’s not a clinical portrait of a serial killer,” Badgley added. The actor has previously discussed how Joe is made a more palatable murderer for a TV show. He never hurts children and even goes out of his way to selflessly help them.

“It’s not about mental illness. Of course, that plays a role in it, but it really is about, I think, what we think about love,” Badgley continued. “What is it saying? I think we’re all learning that along the way. I don’t know, but we definitely think some pretty strange things about love.”

“I think by the close of the series, I’ll be able to say a bit more clearly what it has said about love. But for the time being, at least we know what love isn’t,” he continued. Love certainly isn’t stalking, obsession, and murder, which fans see a lot of in the show.

Will Joe Goldberg ever find ‘the one’?

Netflix’s You proves that Joe Golberg will likely never be satisfied in his romantic relationships. In season 2, he finally gets the object of his obsession — Love Quinn. However, when he realizes that she is just like him, he moves on to stalking their neighbor.

Joe constantly tells himself that he is going to do better and put his past behind him, but he never seems able to break his old habits.

You Season 4 Part 1 premieres Feb 9, 2023, and Part 2 March 9, 2023, only on Netflix.

‘You’: Penn Badgley Says the Series Is About the Ways We’ve Misunderstood Love

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‘You’: Penn Badgley Says the Series Is About the Ways We’ve Misunderstood Love

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