Penn Badgley says You can't end with Joe Goldberg being killed

16 February 2023, 16:20

Penn Badgley interviews Joe from You

By Sam Prance

Penn Badgley says there's only one way that You can end.

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Penn Badgley has opened up about how he wants You to end and whether or not Joe will get the punishment he deserves.

Following the release of You season 4 part 1, Penn Badgley revealed how many more seasons of You he thinks there will be. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Penn let slip: "I signed a six-year contract right out the gate. So they could do two more if they wanted." However, he then added: "I think if there’s another season, I think it’s only going to be one."

In other words, You season 5 could be the last season of the show. How will it end though? Penn doesn't want Joe to die.

Will Joe die in You?

Penn Badgley says You can't end with Joe Goldberg being killed. Picture: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images, Netflix

When asked by Variety about what will happen to Joe when the show ends, Penn said: "Is killing Joe enough? Whoever kills him is brought down to his level." He then teased that he has his own idea as to how the show has to end but he's keeping his cards close to his chest for now. Penn said: "I think it’s the only way it can go." Jail? We need to know the answer.

Penn actually had a slightly different answer when PopBuzz asked him if Joe would ever get a redemption arc on the show when season 1 came out. Penn emphatically responded: "NO. Nope. No. There's no redemption for someone who is behaving that way. I think the only redemption is in death."

Discussing people's perception of Joe and the fact that viewers still care for him in spite of his heinous crimes, Penn said: "You forget that he’s irredeemable! And you’re constantly wondering if he can redeem himself."

He then added: "Everybody must have moments when they’re like, ‘How do I like this show so much?’"

Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in You. Picture: Netflix

Penn also revealed that he wasn't keen on playing Joe when he first saw the script. He said he was put off by how awful Joe was and thought that the role was "the tropes of Dan Humphrey, put it in a blender and sort of reconfigured and re-served".

It was only when the creators assured Penn that the point of the TV show was to criticize Joe that he agreed to sign on. He said: "A role in a television show had never offered me that level of collaboration. And that’s what caused me to stop my retreat from the possibility and be like, 'Hmm, that’s cool.'"

How do you think You will end? Will there be any justice or will Joe continue to get away with his crimes?