Warning: This post contains major spoilers for You season 4, part 1!You season 4, part 1 reveals the Eat The Rich killer, but there were some clues that Rhys Montrose was the killer all along. In You season 4, Joe isn’t doing the stalking and killing for a change. Instead someone else is killing elitists around him. To make matters worse, the killer also knows his identity and texts him from a disappearing message app. It is a clever twist to have Joe feel what it’s like to be watched, but ultimately Joe must decide how much he really is like Rhys Montrose.
At the end of You season 4, part 1 Rhys confronts Joe and confesses to being the Eat The Rich killer. Rhys leaves Joe and Roald to die chained up in a fire, insisting that all Joe has to do is kill Roald to survive. Luckily, Kate saves the two, and Joe returns to find that Rhys is running for mayor. While Rhys wasn’t one of the prime suspects, Joe immediately found him interesting and ironically genuine. Joe’s interest in Rhys is a small clue that he and Rhys may not be so different.
Rhys And Joe Connect Upon First Meeting
At the beginning of You season 4, episode 1, Joe first learns about Rhys from a student who schools him on the successful British author who grew up poor. While this is a minor clue, it is worth mentioning Joe meets Rhys pretty quickly after reading his book. Since Joe is a fan of books and writers, it makes sense that Joe would connect with Rhys before they even meet. Joe meets Rhys at the first elitist party he attends, and the two are relieved for each other's company.
Upon learning that he was Rhys Montrose, Joe talks to him about his book, only to find out that Rhys lied about the length of jail time. However, this can be chalked up to writers’ tendencies to embellish the truth. Throughout You season 4, part 1 Joe continues to trust Rhys, but it is likely because he recognizes a part of Rhys in himself. The two share a cynical outlook on the rich, but their instant connection hints that they share more. When Rhys begins to stalk Joe, it becomes all too apparent that Joe has found someone a bit too much like himself.
Rhys Makes It Clear He Doesn’t Trust The Rich
In their first conversation, Rhys confides in Joe that he believes his friends are “dancing while the world burns.” He despises their behavior but insists he stays friends with the group because they were friends at Oxford. While Rhys may be one of them now, he still mistrusts those born wealthy. On the surface, Joe sees Rhys as not a killer but someone normal who is disgusted by his friend's behavior. Rhys hid his true intentions successfully, but as the only one in the group who wasn't an out-of-touch socialite, he didn't seem to fit with the group.
At the end of You season 4, part 1 Rhys discusses the Eat The Rich killer on television, expressing sympathy for the lower class who are tired of the rich's nonsense. Rhys uses his status as a successful novelist to put himself in both worlds: the upper and lower classes. While he didn't intend it originally, Rhys' Eat The Rich Killer ends up giving him fuel to announce his mayoral campaign.
You Season Part 1 Proves Rhys Has Motive
Out of the elitist friend group, Rhys is the only one with strong motivation to destroy the rich. Rhys is the only one who isn't born into money and isn't as jaded as the rest of the group. Netflix's You season 4 depicts the group's small squabbles with each other, but it is not enough for an elaborate murder/stalker plan. This only becomes more apparent when the group slowly falls apart at the murder mystery party. Additionally, most are too self-involved to think of anything other than themselves.
Another clue is when Nadia is discussing detective novels. She tells Joe that murderers always have one of three motivations: sex, money, or revenge. Rhys' motives are a bit of both revenge and money. Since Rhys grew up poor, he resents the rich and finds pleasure in seeing them suffer. However, Rhys' motives go beyond revenge, but the very nature of money. While Rhys does have money from his successful memoir, he knows how important money is to those who don't have it and how his rich friends squander it.
Rhys Is Absent During The Murder Mystery Party
In You season 4, episodes 4 and 5, Rhys is mysteriously missing from the murder mystery party. While it may seem like Rhys' absence from the party would prove him not a killer, the opposite is true. Rhys was at the country house, trying to frame Kate for Gemma's murder. Since Rhys is such a good friend of the group and is usually present during their parties, it is strange that he is missing from the murder mystery party they do together yearly.
One of You season 4's first misdirects is Roald (Ben Riggins) who not only has suggestive photos of Kate on his camera but seems a little unhinged. After Roald pushes Joe out the window, Joe believes Roald is the killer, which isn't a bad guess considering he did try to kill him. However, Joe doesn't realize it is Rhys until he appears on the country grounds, looking like he came to Joe's rescue. Instead, he knocks Joe out and chains him up, which is a very Joe move.
While Joe doesn't solve the mystery in time, he is still aware of Rhys' true intentions. Unfortunately, what Joe does with this information won't be revealed until You season 4 part 2 releases on March 9. You season 4 part 1 places Joe in his victims' shoes, a scenario which may just be what Joe needs to grow. He may never be able to escape his past, but he can actively try to be better than Rhys.