Badgley destroys Joe once and for all

Five seasons later, 'You' finally rips off the mask, and Joe's no romantic hero

This article contains spoilers from You Season 5.

After five deliciously dark seasons of Netflix's hit show, Penn Badgley finally got what he always wanted: Joe Goldberg, exposed as the monster he truly is. No more pretending he's the "troubled romantic" or the "misunderstood antihero." In season five, Badgley helped rip Joe's charming mask clean off, and it was glorious.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Badgley pulled no punches about his mission for the final season: "It was critical that Joe finally be undeniably and viscerally perceived as a sexual predator, because that's what he is," he said. No more "aww, he's just lonely" TikToks. No more problematic crushes. Joe is not your dark academia boyfriend. He's the guy who strangles women after stalking them. Period.

And if you thought the show would let him off easy with a poetic death, think again. Badgley was adamant that Joe's downfall happens in the bedroom - the place where he spun his most dangerous fantasies. His twisted seduction finally backfired when Bronte (Madeline Brewer), Joe's final obsession, shot him in the genitals, leading to a public trial and life in prison with no parole.

"Putting him in the box would've been too clean," Badgley said. "It's out there, in the messy real world, where he had to finally be caught."

Badgley got deeply involved in making sure Joe's end felt earned. He worked closely with the showrunners to make Joe as horrific as possible this season. And trust: it worked. From that jaw-dropping first episode (Joe's caught masturbating on a New York street) to his animalistic unravelling in the woods during the finale, it's clear: this man is a predator, not a misunderstood sad boy.

The art of acting evil

Reflecting on his wild ride with the series, Badgley called it a "technical" acting challenge, especially since Joe is basically the whole show. "It's a show called You starring me, and I've never had something like it before. I'll never have something like it after," he said. Over 50 hours of Joe's internal monologue, smirks, and icy stares, Badgley brought his A-game. (Okay, he admits there were a few moments he could've tightened up.)

Even though Joe's downfall was brutal, Badgley was weirdly sentimental about wrapping things up. Filming the final season back in New York, where it all began, felt fitting. And although Joe was second nature to him at this point ("for better or worse"), Badgley trusted the writers to stick the landing. "When I saw the final episode, I thought it was really gratifying," he said. "We did what we came to do and we put this man to bed the right way."

And about that "punishment" for Joe? Don't expect Badgley to be fist-pumping about it. "There's no end that's satisfying," he said thoughtfully. "It's a tragedy. Justice isn't about retribution or vengeance. The only kind of satisfaction comes with time."

Still, Badgley admitted it was refreshing to finally pull the curtain back and shatter the illusion. "There were moments in earlier seasons where it felt like the narrative was letting him off too easy," he said. "We were too close to his point of view. This season made sure we zoomed out."

The show's creators agreed. Executive producer Sera Gamble noted that allowing Joe to be viewed from the outside - not just through his unreliable narration - was the key to cracking the final chapter. Viewers no longer heard his rationalisations; they saw the damage, the manipulation, the trail of ruined lives.

Onset camaraderie

Don't worry, there were still some fun moments on set. Asked if Joe would've had a favourite TikTok trend, Badgley joked that the cat POV videos would've distracted even a serial killer. "There's something feline about Joe," he laughed.

As for Bronte's revenge twist, her true identity as someone avenging season one's Guinevere Beck, Badgley was all in. "I remember feeling a sense of betrayal, just like Joe would have," he said. "You want the love story to work, even when you know it can't. But in the end, it was perfect."

And that ending was a thematic full circle. Joe began as someone who cloaked his violence in romance, and he ended up exposed, grotesquely and publicly. The final courtroom scene, filled with faces of survivors and families of victims, wasn't just a send-off. It was a reckoning. "The audience needed to see what accountability looks like, even if it's imperfect," said Badgley.

Fans may miss the twisted narration and darkly comic kills, but the show's final act didn't compromise. It told the truth. Joe Goldberg wasn't a love interest. He was a symptom of something darker, our willingness to romanticise control, obsession, and violence. Season five held up a mirror, and it wasn't pretty.

So what's next for Badgley post-You is probably a long break from saying "Hello, you" in that chilling whisper. And maybe, just maybe, some actual peace. After all, Joe Goldberg is locked up forever. And Penn Badgley is free.