We all can collectively agree that Penn Badgley’s performance in ‘You’ deserves an Emmy. It screams range in so many aspects. The audience cannot help but laud and loathe the character at the same time. This brings us to the question of the hour.
Is Joe Goldberg the villain or the hero by the end of it all? Well, his actions left some fans rooting for him, but he is anything but a morally grey character. It all ties in well with Badgley’s truth bombs regarding his character in the series.
Why Joe Goldberg Can Never Be A Morally Grey Character
While the sympathy towards Joe is understandable, he is still vicious. He helped Paco, Ellie, and even Theo many a time, but it also devastated these kids. Paco received closure with Ron’s death, but Ellie’s life was uprooted without her sister. Theo eventually reconciled with his father.
Does that justify his deeds in the series? Not necessarily, so to speak. While Joe freed Claudia from Ron and saved Ellie from a predator, he took countless lives as well.
It all traces back to his childhood and where it all started. From killing his father to killing 20 people, Joe is simply unpardonable. It is often debated whether he is empathetic, and while it can be partly true, he is a rage machine. He isn’t a morally grey character who brings justice or upends institutions.
While he protected children and helped Claudia and Marianne, he also tried to end the latter. Let’s not forget his obsession, which many mislabel and mispaint as love. He never truly cared for his lovers’ interests. Instead of letting them go peacefully, he ends them violently.
So while morally grey characters are in the middle zone between good and evil, Joe isn’t. It also has a lot to do with the truth bomb that Badgley drops by the end of the series.
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Penn Badgley Drops Hard-Hitting Truths In You
We know one thing for sure: Joe simply cannot let go of his predatory antics, and ultimately, he was caught in his own web. He couldn’t escape this route, and neither did he feel any remorse, which strips away any grain of redemption the character might have.
It is not shocking when the truth hits harder than it should, especially with the last scene. When Joe reads the fan letter, it shows obsession, a normalization, and a glorification.
Not to mention the podcast princesses and paparazzi who treat murderers as messiahs. Some believed Joe did the right thing, while others interpreted it differently. There was also a mass section of fangirls who wrote to him daily while he spent his time in jail. Does this remind you of anything? Yes, Richard Ramirez, who was deemed one of the handsomest murderers.
It is deeply disturbing and something even Badgley looked down upon. The actor himself was so perturbed by the entire culture of predator worship that he finally spoke out against it.
And like they say, hurt people hurt people. If you don’t heal, you hurt, and that’s exactly what Joe does. He has underlying issues, which is valid. However, his trauma, pain, and anguish don’t become a free pass in any case. The fourth wall scene isn’t a Fleabag ripoff here. Rather, it is a reminder to the people, the fans, and common folk.
A reminder to choose your heroes carefully and to abstain from hero worship, even if they are murderers! So is he a villain or a hero? He most certainly is the villain!
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