Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 7 of You Season 4.One of the things fans like the most in Netflix’s You is how the series always manages to pull the rug under our feet and completely change the story’s direction. Season 4 of You began as a whodunit, which was already a unique experiment for the show. Part 2 shifted the tone once again by making the series all about the mental chess between two serial killers, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and Rhys (Ed Speleers).
However, while we can always expect You to surprise us, the ending of Episode 7 completely turns the story upside down, revealing Joe is not the hero many fans still think he is. But more than increasing the emotional stakes for Joe, Episode 7, “Good Man, Cruel World,” also proves no one is safe as long as the serial killer remains on the loose. As much as Joe would like to think of himself as a good man, he will always put innocent lives at risk.
Targeting the Father-in-Law
Following the events of Episode 6, Joe is now torn between two worlds. Joe finally took a leap of faith and embraced his love for Kate (Charlotte Ritchie). However, his imposed friendship with Rhys might threaten the first healthy romantic relationship he’s ever had. That’s because Rhys' next target is Tom Lockwood, Kate’s father, an unscrupulous businessman who becomes a political adversary for the aspiring mayor. And since Rhys seems determined to show Joe how they are alike, Rhys wants Joe to kill his new father-in-law.
Joe knows he cannot just ignore Rhys, as the Eat-the-Rich killer knows all about his past crimes. Even so, Joe doesn’t want to hurt Kate, and he knows losing her father might cause some emotional turmoil. So, instead of sticking with Rhys’ murderous plan, Joe decides to test the waters and get to know Tom before making any hasty decision. The opportunity comes when Kate tells Joe she’s leaving London for a few days to avoid meeting with her father. Joe then convinces Kate it might be more therapeutic to meet Tom for dinner, show off her new boyfriend, and prove she’s doing just fine without her oppressive father.
Joe tries to prepare to meet Tom Lockwood for the first time, but despite knowing from Kate that the businessman never refrained from harming others in the name of profit, he still cannot find any information about his father-in-law. Tom Lockwood is filthy rich and used part of his fortune to keep his image clean on the web. Lockwood also put his money at the service of doing his own research on Joe. To our favorite killer’s surprise, Tom calls Joe by his real name during the dinner. And when Kate goes to the bathroom, Tom even questions Joe about Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). Tom aims to show off his power and warn Joe to tread carefully around Kate. The businessman also asks Joe to gather information on Rhys, as the wannabe mayor must be removed from the picture. Lockwood reveals he’ll expose the lies from Rhys’ successful autobiography but would also love if Joe could find more dirt on the writer.
The dinner is not only a setup for Joe, as Tom also wants to lure Kate to accept an ostentatious gift. Tom bought a museum in New York and wants to gift it to his daughter, so she can have a place to expose young artists and work on her charity. Kate is obviously tempted, as this is everything she ever wanted. Still, Kate doesn’t want to owe anything to her dad. As we find out, Kate is the one responsible for covering up the cancerous effects of some of Lockwood's factories' waste, and she fears that accepting her father’s gift will put her once more on the path to becoming a monster like him. Joe tries to reassure Kate she can never be like Tom, and while their relationship is safe now, things get a lot more complicated when Rhys and Tom try to use Joe as a tool.
Choose Your Victim
Impressed with Tom’s reach, Joe tries to make Rhys confess to the Eat-the-Rich murders on tape. With proof of Rhys' involvement in the crimes, Joe can go to Tom and let him handle the deranged writer. Since Tom is already aware of Joe’s secrets, this strategy has no risk of exposure. Unfortunately for Joe, Rhys is much brighter than he looks, and it doesn’t take the writer more than a few seconds for him to notice he’s being recorded. Realizing Joe needs some extra incentive to do as he’s told, Rhys shows Marienne’s (Tati Gabrielle) passport. The Eat-the-Rich killer is holding Joe’s former lover in a cage somewhere, and Rhys promises he’ll kill the woman if Tom Lockwood is not dead in 24 hours.
Rhys flees London once Tom releases to the media the information that proves he has embellished his autobiography. The reveal takes a blow at Rhys’ candidacy, but it’s not enough to stop him for good. So, to save Marienne, Joe decides to kill Tom. First, Joe lures his father-in-law to the university, promising to reveal some nasty secrets about Rhys. When they are both alone in a room, Lockwood tells Joe he believes Love was murdered. He’s not holding this against Joe, though. In fact, Lockwood wants Joe to use his murderous skills to take out Rhys. Tom knows where the writer is hiding and thinks Joe might be the right man to do the job. While Joe is not happy about being blackmailed by Tom, he agrees that killing Rhys will put a definitive end to all his problems. That’s why Joe shifts alliances and decides to follow Lockwood’s orders.
Joe goes to Rhys’ ex-wife’s remote home, and once the writer is alone, he knocks on the door. Rhys pretends not to recognize Joe, but that doesn’t stop our favorite killer from knocking his victim out. When Rhys wakes up, he’s naked and tied to a chair in the garage. Joe tortures Rhys, trying to know where Marienne is being held. Rhys, however, only seems scared and confused. In his rage, Joe ends up choking Rhys to death. A few moments later, a second Rhys shows up, telling Joe he killed an innocent man and that Marienne is still locked somewhere. As it turns out, the villainous Rhys Joe has been seeing is just the fruit of his imagination, a different persona created to take the blame for gruesome crimes. The actual Rhys was indeed an optimistic politician who died a horrible death at Joe’s hands.
Nadia on the Case
Joe’s life is about to get a lot more complicated since he’s not the only one finding out he’s responsible for all of Rhys' supposed crimes. Still thinking that Professor Jonathan is hiding a dark secret, Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman) goes to his office to discuss a story she wrote and get his insight on the arrest of Dawn (Alison Pargeter). Wanting to stop his brilliant student from asking the right questions, Joe just dismisses Nadia’s story as bloated nonsense. However, after a trick question, Nadia becomes aware that Professor Jonathan hasn’t even read her story, making her more suspicious.
Eager to find some clues, Nadia breaks into Joe’s apartment. There, she finds a mysterious key hidden inside a book. The pictures Dawn took while following Joe led Nadia to an abandoned building next to the Indian food joint the professor always visits. While exploring the building, Nadia comes across a heavily locked door. The key she found in Joe’s apartment allows her to enter the sealed chamber, only to discover Marienne trapped in a glass cage. While Joe imagines he let Marienne go after their London encounter, he actually used his old glass cage trick to trap the woman. He then created Rhys to pin the blame for all the crimes he wants to ignore. And now, Nadia knows his secret.
There Are Many Kinds of Predators
Episode 7 also underlines how there are many kinds of predators in London. Rocked by the Eat-the-Rich murders and being kidnapped by Dawn, Lady Phoebe (Tilly Keeper) suffers a mental breakdown. Kate convinces her friend to go to a mental hospital and even helps her to get the medical help she needs without warning the press. However, when they are getting ready to leave, Adam (Lukas Gage) comes to Kate’s apartment with sweet words of love.
Phoebe falls for Adam’s apologies and allows him to drive her to the hospital. The following morning, the couple shows up drunk in Kate’s apartment to announce their engagement. Instead of getting Phoebe the help she needs, Adam takes her to a pub and uses her emotional vulnerability to get what he wants. While he seemed to love Phoebe genuinely in past episodes, now it's clear Adam wants to use her family fortune to evade bankruptcy. It’s a dirty move from Adam, but Kate is well aware of the game he’s playing.
All episodes of You Season 4 are now available on Netflix.