‘You’ Season 5 Ending Explained: Unpacking Joe Goldberg’s Finale

Spoiler Warning: This article unearths main plot main points from You Season 5.

The ultimate bankruptcy of Joe Goldberg’s twisted saga has arrived. You Season 5, now streaming on Netflix, brings the hit mental mystery to a dramatic and darkish conclusion. With Joe’s previous in any case catching as much as him, longtime lovers are left with one burning query: did he in truth get what he deserved?

In an interview with TV Insider, co-showrunners Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo spread out about how they landed on Joe’s ultimate destiny. “Coming into Season 1, we started to zoom in and discuss, and we found ourselves on the same page… Joe’s going to get his comeuppance,” Foley defined. “We are not going to redeem Joe. Joe is not going to get away with it.”

As for the main points—whether or not Joe would die, cross on trial, or finally end up in jail—the ones selections got here later within the writing procedure. But the finishing, they mentioned, used to be at all times transparent: this will be the finish for Joe Goldberg.

From the discharge date to the finale, right here’s the entirety you want to find out about You Season 5.

You Season 5 Release Date

The 5th and ultimate season of You premiered on April 24, 2025, with all 10 episodes launched concurrently on Netflix.

You Season 5 Cast

Penn Badgley returns within the lead function, as soon as once more portraying the obsessive and manipulative Joe as his previous in any case catches up with him. Charlotte Ritchie reprises her function as Kate Lockwood-Goldberg, Joe’s spouse and the tough CEO of the Lockwood Corporation.

Joining the forged is Madeline Brewer as Bronte, a mysterious playwright who turns into entangled in Joe’s internet. Anna Camp takes on twin roles as Reagan and Maddie Lockwood, Kate’s bold dual sisters, whilst Griffin Matthews performs Teddy Lockwood, Kate’s half-brother and Joe’s brother-in-law. Nava Mau steps in as Detective Marquez, a pointy and made up our minds investigator eager about exposing Joe’s crimes.

Several fan-favorite characters from previous seasons additionally go back, bringing long-running storylines complete circle. Elizabeth Lail seems as soon as once more as Guinevere Beck, Joe’s old flame, whilst Tati Gabrielle returns as Marienne Bellamy. Amy-Leigh Hickman reprises her function as Nadia, the coed who used to be wrongfully imprisoned in Season 4. Saffron Burrows makes a temporary look as Dottie Quinn, and each Luca Padovan and Zach Cherry go back as Paco and Ethan, characters from Joe’s previous days in New York.

One notable absence is Ellie Alves, the aspiring filmmaker performed via Jenna Ortega. Fans hoping for her go back had been disenchanted, as Ortega used to be not able to movie because of scheduling conflicts with Wednesday.

“With Ellie, she was filming Wednesday in Ireland,” showrunner Foley defined. “So even though we went down the road of trying to figure out a way to get her in, it ultimately just became impossible logistically.”

You Season 5 Ending Explained

In the collection finale, Joe Goldberg’s previous in any case catches up with him. After a war of words with Bronte—who survives and exposes his crimes—Joe is arrested and convicted for more than one murders, together with the ones of Beck, Love Quinn, Benji, and Peach. He’s sentenced to existence in jail, the place he continues to deflect blame onto society as a substitute of taking duty.

“So in the end, my punishment is even worse than I imagined. The loneliness, oh my god. The loneliness,” Joe mentioned in a voiceover. “No hope of being held. Knowing this is forever. It’s unfair. Putting all of this on me. Aren’t we all just products of our environment? Hurt people hurt people. I never stood a chance.”

He added within the ultimate scene, “Maybe we have a problem as a society. Maybe we should fix what’s broken in us. Maybe the problem isn’t me. Maybe it’s you.”

Meanwhile, the folks left in his wake to find closure. Kate turns her focal point to artwork and creates a solid existence for Joe’s son, Henry. Marienne reveals good fortune as an artist, and Nadia returns to educating after being wrongfully imprisoned in Season 4.