" You make love he ’s doing it , correct ? You require to see it ? You demand to witness it ? "
This article carry references to depictions of rape and sexual assault .
The fifth and final season of the hit Netflix seriesYoufinally hit our screens last month, and it’s fair to say that we saw the show’s protagonist — serial killer Joe Goldberg — like we’ve never seen him before.
Over the years, we have watched Joe stalk and manipulate women into being in a relationship with him, hurting or even killing those who get in his way, as well as repeatedly masturbating in public — leaving absolutely zero doubt that he is a total predator.
Despite this, Joe has remained pretty beloved by fans of the show, largely thanks to the fact that he is the narrator, which gives him the power to manipulate viewers with his charm in the same way that he does his victims on-screen.
But that all changes in the show’s last episode, where he goes head-to-head with his Season 5 love interest Louise “Bronte” Flannery, played byMadeline Brewer. While Joe thinks that he is getting away with his crimes and escaping for a new life with Bronte, she pulls a gun on him when they are in the bedroom together and demands answers over the death of her friend Guinevere Beck, who Joe murdered in Season 1.
And in the scenes that follow, viewers are explicitly exposed to the reality of just how terrifying and powerful Joe is for the first time. Ridding the character of all of his trademark charm, Joe is shown physically attacking Bronte, including violently punching her in the face. He also strangles her, mimicking how he killed Beck — which wasn’t shown on-screen at the time.
Because Bronte confronted him when he thought that they were about to have sex, Joe is only wearing his underwear throughout the anxiety-inducing chase, which makes him look even scarier as it highlights how much stronger he is than Bronte, and also adds a feral undertone to his appearance.
And in a recent interview withPeople, Penn revealed that he fought for this specific outfit choice for his character because he thought it added to the implication that Joe could rape Bronte, which would reiterate just how monstrous of a person he is.
Referencing the infamous “box” that Joe held many of his victims in over the years, Penn said: “The key is, Joe is not caught in the box. He’s caught in the bedroom, that’s actually where he does his worst work — his manipulation and seduction. The box is kind of obvious, the box is where he’d put anybody but he only puts women in the bedroom, that’s where his most dangerous work is.”
“It was like: ‘In order to see this man as a sexual predator, what do you need to see? Do you need to see him do it? Is that what it’s going to take?’" Penn continued. “Because you know he’s doing it, right? You need to see it? You need to witness it? Like, how graphic do you need us to be for us to understand what he really is? So, finally, he’s the closest you’ve ever seen him to, like, crossing that threshold, and really in the act of sexual abuse.”
SPOILER ALERT!#YouNetflixstar#PennBadgleyexplains why it ’s “ key”#JoeGoldbergis not catch in his glass box & more . See the full consultation by clicking the link in our bio !
Referencing Penn’s interview, one TikToker made avideowith the caption: “penn badgley having to spell out explicitly in interviews that joe is a r@pist because people still aren’t picking up on the subtext after FIVE seasons,” which quickly went viral with almost half a million likes at the time of writing.
However, while manyYoufans could understand that the women who Joe had seemingly consensual on-screen sex with throughout the series couldn’t actually consent to it because he’d manipulated his way into their beds, some were confused by the implication that Joe had more overtly been raping his victims off-screen.
Some also referenced the fact that Joe is clearly an unreliable narrator, explaining: “I always had a feeling that was being alluded to, since it makes sense given Joes overall behavior, but Bronte’s ankle really drove the point home for me. He doesn’t tell us as viewers the whole story. Even he doesn’t come face to face with the worst of himself.”
Meanwhile, some fans were just confused as to how others had missed the subtext, with one popular comment reading: “it worries me that people think a man who stalks and kills women will just draw the line at rape.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault , you could call theNational Sexual Assault Hotlineat 1 - 800 - 656 - HOPE ( 4673 ) , which routes the caller to their nearest intimate ravishment service provider . you could also search for your local centerhere .
