Season four of the hit Netflix thriller series “You” has transported Joe Goldberg, now masquerading as Professor Jonathan Moore, to the bustling streets of London. But before diving into Joe’s European escapades, a crucial question lingers in the minds of many viewers: Why Did Joe Kill Love?
To understand Joe’s drastic move and Love Quinn’s grim fate, we need to rewind to the tumultuous events of Season 3. This season saw Joe and Love, the seemingly perfect yet deeply disturbed couple, navigate the complexities of suburban life, parenthood, and their shared homicidal tendencies. Let’s delve into a recap of Season 3 to unravel the reasons behind Love’s shocking demise.
Suburban Nightmares and New Obsessions in Madre Linda
Season 3 of “You” opens with Joe and Love relocating to the idyllic, yet suffocating, suburb of Madre Linda, California. They are now parents to baby Henry, a child born into a world of secrets and violence. Joe, ever the brooding narrator, immediately despises their new surroundings, describing it as a “fake, plastic suburban hell.” This sets the stage for Joe’s growing discontent and his inevitable search for an escape, or rather, a new obsession.
Their new neighborhood is populated with a cast of characters ripe for Joe’s judgment: wealthy entrepreneurs, social media influencers, and seemingly perfect families. However, it’s not the neighbors who truly capture Joe’s attention, but rather, a new woman.
Natalie Engler: The First Casualty of Love’s Jealousy
Just as Joe starts to settle into his suburban routine, he finds himself captivated by his neighbor, Natalie Engler (Michaela McManus). Natalie, much like Joe’s past obsessions, embodies an idealized version of the woman he desires – beautiful, intriguing, and a fellow book lover. This sparks Joe’s familiar pattern of infatuation, leading him down a path of fantasy and ultimately, betrayal of his marriage to Love.
However, Joe underestimates Love’s possessiveness and her own capacity for violence. Love, deeply insecure and fiercely protective of her relationship with Joe, discovers Joe’s hidden collection of Natalie’s belongings. Fueled by jealousy and rage, Love acts impulsively and brutally murders Natalie.
Victoria Pedretti and Penn Badgley in "You."
This act of violence underscores a crucial aspect of Love’s character: she is Joe’s twisted mirror image. Love is not just a partner in their dysfunctional relationship; she is a killer in her own right, often acting on impulse and driven by her intense emotions. The murder of Natalie is a stark reminder of Love’s volatile nature and foreshadows the deadly conflict to come between her and Joe.
Marienne Bellamy: A New Hope and a Familiar Pattern
Despite the chaos and bloodshed, Joe, in his relentless pursuit of an idealized love, soon finds another object of his affection: Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle), his intelligent and independent boss at the local library. Marienne, a single mother with dreams of escaping her past and building a better future for her daughter, represents a new fantasy for Joe – a chance at redemption and a “pure” love, untainted by the darkness of his past with Love.
Their connection deepens as they bond over their shared struggles and their love for literature. A romance blossoms, offering Joe a glimmer of hope for a life beyond the confines of his toxic marriage. However, their burgeoning relationship is threatened by Marienne’s complicated situation with her ex-husband and the ever-present shadow of Joe’s secrets.
Ryan Goodwin: An Obstacle Removed
Marienne’s ex-husband, Ryan Goodwin (Scott Michael Foster), a local reporter, stands as a significant obstacle to Joe’s pursuit of Marienne. Ryan is portrayed as manipulative and controlling, using his influence to prevent Marienne from gaining custody of their daughter. Seeing Ryan as a threat to his newfound happiness with Marienne, Joe resorts to his deadly instincts and murders Ryan.
This act highlights Joe’s inability to break free from his violent patterns. Despite his desire for a fresh start with Marienne, he consistently chooses murder as a solution to his problems. It also sets the stage for the ultimate showdown with Love, as his actions further destabilize their already fragile relationship.
The Deadly Dinner and the Ultimate Betrayal
With Ryan out of the picture, Joe believes he can finally be with Marienne. He tells Love he wants a divorce, unaware of the deadly trap she is setting. Love, unwilling to let Joe go and sensing his growing detachment, prepares to eliminate Marienne, just as she did with Natalie.
In a dramatic confrontation, Love paralyzes Joe with aconite, a poison she cultivates in her garden, mirroring her past attempt to kill her first husband. However, in a crucial twist, Joe reveals he anticipated Love’s move. Having observed her gardening habits, he ingested adrenaline to counteract the poison’s effects.
This moment marks the ultimate turning point in Joe and Love’s relationship. It is a battle of wits and a horrifying realization for Joe: Love is not just like him; she is a threat to his freedom and his idealized vision of love.
Why Joe Killed Love: Self-Preservation and the Pursuit of Fantasy
So, why did Joe kill Love? The answer is multifaceted, rooted in self-preservation, Joe’s insatiable pursuit of his romantic fantasies, and his ultimate inability to accept Love for who she truly was.
- Self-Preservation: Love, in her final act of desperation, was about to kill Marienne and had already paralyzed Joe. For Joe, killing Love became a matter of survival. He was trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse, and eliminating Love was the only way to escape.
- Rejection of Love’s “True” Nature: Despite their shared darkness, Joe never truly accepted Love’s violent tendencies as equal to his own. He consistently saw himself as a “good guy” driven to extreme measures by circumstance, while he viewed Love as impulsive and uncontrolled. Love’s mirroring of his own behavior became a source of revulsion for Joe, further pushing him away.
- The Fantasy of Marienne: Marienne represented a clean slate for Joe, a chance to escape the messy reality of his life with Love and pursue a new, idealized romance. Love, as a constant reminder of his past sins and his own dark nature, became an impediment to this fantasy. Killing Love was, in a twisted way, Joe’s attempt to clear the path for his envisioned future with Marienne.
In the end, Joe doesn’t just kill Love; he meticulously frames her for all their crimes, fakes his own death, and escapes to Paris in pursuit of Marienne. This final act of betrayal and manipulation solidifies Joe’s character as a narcissistic and deeply flawed individual, forever trapped in his cycle of obsession and violence.
The question of why Joe killed Love is not just about a single act of violence; it is about understanding the complex and toxic dynamics of their relationship and Joe’s fundamental character flaws. Season 3 of “You” culminates in Love’s death as a tragic but inevitable consequence of their shared darkness and Joe’s relentless pursuit of an unattainable ideal of love. As season 4 unfolds in London, Joe’s past actions and the ghost of Love Quinn are sure to continue haunting him, shaping his future obsessions and potentially leading to more bloodshed.
