A Look Inside the Head of Joe From You
Warning Spoilers Ahead!!!
You may have seen the show You and jumped on the bandwagon on the opinions of Joe, the main character. At first glance, Joe seems like your typical boy next door, with his charms and people skills. But by the end of the season, you know this is not the case at all. Joe turns out to be a serial killer. But the question is how and why did Joe become like this? Taking a look at his past can help us better understand Joe and his complicated mind.
Joe’s Childhood
Let’s start at the beginning. Joe had a tough childhood, often not being able to rely on his parents and not being able to socialize with others his age. Joe’s father was physically abusive, and his mother often left him alone, choosing the company of other men. Although You doesn’t go into too much detail, you can see that Joe had a very lonely childhood.
Joe witnessed his mother’s many infidelities and suffered from the hands of his father as an indirect result.
As a result of the abuse, he witnessed and suffered himself at home, Joe often felt the need to protect those he cared about or grew close to. In one awful incident of his mother being abused by his father, Joe ends up ending his father’s life by shooting him. Joe’s mother ends up telling him he did the right thing and that he was still a “good boy”, that he was just protecting her. As a result of being told this by his mother, we see that Joe thinks it is okay to go to the extremes to protect others. We see Joe using this same logic later in life to justify his action and behaviors.
The lack of a proper mother and father figure causes Joe to develop attachment issues hat still affect him well into adulthood. He often chooses one person to attach to and freaks out when he feels like that person is starting to distance themselves or lie to him.
Joe’s Actions
A common theme we see in Joe’s thought process is justification. The justification he received as a young boy from his mother when he killed his father, is the same logic he uses as an adult. Throughout You, we see and hear Joe’s thoughts, how he sees and processes the world around him. Every time Joe is faced with an obstacle, especially one caused by other people he doesn’t especially like, he often reacts and responds in violent or extreme behavior. He covers his tracks and tells himself that he is just doing what’s best for him and those he cares about, like his significant other.
For example, in one instant he starts stalking his love interest best friend, Peach. Peach was constantly going against Joe, often in a passive-aggressive way. After a time of stalking and investigating her, Joe discovers that Peach is not only doing what she can to pull Joe and Becky apart, but also keep Becky for herself.
Joe sees this as a threat to his relationship and starts investigating her. He investigates her by unethical means. He stalks her, breaks into her house, and even goes as far as attacking her in a blind fit of rage. After his attack on Peach, Joe justifies his actions and attack on Peach by convincing himself that he did it to protect not only Becky but his relationship with her.
Psycho or needs help?
By the end of season two of You, we see that Joe is not just a crazy psycho individual, but a man who's suffering from the consequences of a bad up-brining. Not only does Joe tend to develop obsessions, but he also suffers from erotomania and attachment disorders. Joe was raised in a broken house and was never taught how to properly express his emotions. How to develop not only friendships but relationships. This causes him to not be able to react as someone else may react in a similar situation.
Thanks to shows like You, the taboo subject of mental health illness is more openly recognized by society and more people are willing to seek help and help those who are suffering themselves.
So what do you think, is Joe a psycho killer or just a victim of a bad childhood and bad upbringing?
Citations:
“Joe Goldberg.” YOU Wiki, Joe Goldberg | YOU Wiki | Fando
Suresh, Akhila. “'You' Season 3: Is Joe Goldberg's Dangerous Obsession Linked to His Dark Past?” MEAWW, 16 Oct. 2021, 'You' Season 3: Is Joe Goldberg's dangerous obsession linked to his dark past? | MEAWW
Naftulin, Julia. “'You' Fans Think Joe Is a Psychopath, but Mental Health Experts Say They're Wrong.” Insider, Insider, 14 Jan. 2020, 'You' Fans Think Joe Is a Psychopath, but Experts Say They're Wrong (insider.com)
Hi as when I watched the show I realized that joe was a victim has from his past experiences is a result of what he does to others.
Omg this show is one of my absolute favorites! I loved how you expressed Joe's childhood. He did suffer lots of trauma which could really impact his mental health. Though, it would be terrifying to meet someone like him in real life.
Hi!!! I loved seeing this blog pop up because I absolutely love this show! I loved how you really directed Joe and his character. When we see a psycho on TV we always tend to idolize them when in reality they are what we fear most in the real world. I really enjoyed your blog and hope to read more in the future!
Super interesting! I would also like to add the fact that, if you notice, Joe tends to be attracted to girls who have some sort of problem with their family, someone who, perhaps, is as broken as him
Very interesting take on Joe's mentality. I watched You around 2 years ago so I dont really remember a lot of what happened but the show was really interesting. I feel like Joe is a victim of what happened to him, and him hurting others is the result of his childhood.