Warning: Contains SPOILERS for You season 4You season 4 part 1 exhibits some of the wildest moments in the entire series. Under the guise of Jonathan Moore, Joe enters an elite friend group, only to find out they are being murdered by a mysterious Eat The Rich killer. Their deaths are more than just an inconvenience to Joe, as the killer begins to stalk him. You season 4 flips the script and Joe becomes the victim. This is just one of the many shocking reveals in the new season.
You season 4 features a cast of colorful characters who grew up in wealthy families. Despite their comfortable upbringing, the group seems to be full of unhinged sociopaths. This provides many possible suspects for Joe’s stalker. Yet, You season 4 keeps the audience guessing, with misdirects in Kate, an art gallery owner (Charlotte Ritchie), and Roald, a violent aristocrat (Ben Wiggins). However, the real identity of the killer is revealed in You season 4, episode 5. Here are the seven wildest moments from You season 4 part 1.
7 Malcolm's Finger Is Sent In The Mail
After a night of drinking, Malcolm is last seen alive taking Joe home. Malcolm is found in Joe’s apartment with a knife in his body and his pinky finger missing. Joe assumes he murdered Malcolm and disposes of his body. However, the killer texts him through a disappearing message app that he was surprised by Joe’s reaction to the dead body.
In You season 4, episode 3, Malcolm’s finger is sent to the London Dispatch with a note that reads “THIS IS NOT A KIDNAPPING. THIS IS A MURDER.” At this moment, it is obvious that the Eat The Rich killer wants to send a message that confirms the existence of a murderer. When it is revealed that Rhys is the killer, this action makes sense because Rhys uses the Eat The Rich killer as an example of how the people are tired of the rich. He uses his alter identity’s fame to support his campaign run for mayor.
6 Phoebe Attempts To Seduce Joe (With Sex Molds)
The You season 4 trailer gives a sneak peek of Phoebe's attempt to seduce Joe. This isn't unusual for Joe Goldberg, despite his dangerous nature, he usually does okay with the ladies. Joe gets by with his "nice guy" persona, in fact, Phoebe calls Joe "the most honest man" she's ever met. However, not only is Phoebe not his type, Joe knows she is dating Adam. Additionally, Joe is determined to find the killer in the group and doesn’t have time for any distractions.
When Joe enters her boudoir, he notices several phallic candles. Before Phoebe gets on top of him, she tells him she makes molds of all of her lover’s genitalia with body-safe wax. The penis candles understandably make Joe a little more nervous, but he is able to stop the situation before it escalates. At first, Phoebe is dejected, but Joe tells her a lie about how much Adam adores her. While Phoebe describing Joe as the "most honest man" she's ever met might seem strange, he actually may be so compared to her group of friends from You season 4.
5 Roald's Photos Of Kate Are Revealed
At the group’s murder mystery party, Joe discovers that Roald is obsessed with Kate. Despite being a childhood friend of Kate's, he never confessed his romantic feelings and is particularly possessive of her. Throughout the evening, Roald appears to become increasingly unhinged. He chastises Kate at dinner for not accepting herself as one of them.
Joe eventually finds his camera which is full of creepy photos of Kate that appear to be taken from afar. Even though Joe is guilty of similar crimes, he is disgusted and immediately suspects that Roald is the killer. After all, his love for Kate gives him the motivation to kill Kate's lover Malcolm. Yet, as Joe is slowly learning, women do not take kindly to being stalked and photographed without consent.
4 Adam's Urine Kink Reveal
You season 4 first reveals Adam’s kink in episode 2. At first, Joe believes Phoebe's boyfriend Adam (Lukas Gage) could be the killer, so he follows him, only to discover that he enjoys being peed on by men. After this reveal, Joe no longer believes Adam is the killer and instead almost feels bad for him.
When Phoebe attempts to engage in Adam’s fetish, he admits it’s not the same because he doesn’t believe she is below him. Adam gains pleasure from being degraded by those who are below him. This is an interesting departure from Lukas Gage’s role in The White Lotus season 1 where he plays a member of the lower class.
3 Gemma Forces A Staff Member To Be A Human Hoop
While the majority of the group reveals themselves to be awful human beings, Gemma shines as a particular jerk in You season 4, episode 4. Not only does she tell Joe to his face that he is boring, but she also enjoys tormenting the staff. This is best depicted when she forces a staff member to be a human hoop for their game.
You season 4 provides commentary on the upper class and their complete disregard for those they consider below them. Gemma’s actions demonstrate how she sees the staff as less than human. This separation in her mind allows her to treat them terribly. Since Gemma also dies at the end of this same episode, it is likely this action was shown so that the audience doesn't feel bad for her brutal murder in You season 4, part 1.
2 Joe & Kate Hide Gemma's Body
In an attempt to frame Kate, the killer places Gemma in her boudoir along with the murder weapon. Joe finds Kate holding the knife and coldly looking at her friend’s lifeless body. Despite suspecting her, Joe helps her hide the body. Up to this point, Kate seems to be pretty normal, despite the immense wealth she inherited, but her insistence on hiding the body reveals more about her character. She doesn’t want to be in debt to her father for covering up a murder she will be framed for.
It is also surprising that Joe would be so eager to help Kate hide the body, especially because she suspects him almost immediately after. Instead of coming up with a lie, Joe is honest with Kate about Malcolm’s murder. As Joe did with Love, he becomes a partner in crime with Kate.
1 You Season 4's Killer (& Joe's Stalker) Is Revealed
You season 4 part 1 takes its time to reveal the killer. At first, it seems that Roald is the killer. After all, he has suggestive photos of Kate and pushes Joe out a window. However, in the last 20 minutes of the same episode, Rhys appears in the woods seemingly out of nowhere. After he knocks Joe out and chains him up, in true evil villain fashion, Rhys tells Joe his motivations.
While Rhys on the outside seems the least destructive, his disdain for the upper class is made clear pretty early on. Rhys is the only one in the group who wasn’t born wealthy and climbed up the ladder through his successful memoir. However, Rhys clearly harbors hatred for the rich and his “friends” aren’t immune. Rhys’ Eat The Rich killer is part of a bigger plan that he does not reveal to Joe. You season 4, episode 5 closes with Rhys announcing his run for mayor.
Rhys’ Eat The Rich killer was a way for him not only to get rid of his selfish friends, but to create a movement that he could use for his campaign. What else Rhys is planning won’t be revealed until You season 4, part 2 releases on March 9th. Overall, You season 4, part 1 provides a clever departure from its usual formula and gives Joe the shot to be a hero. Joe may fail to catch Rhys in part 1, but he will likely be stalking the stalker in You season 4 part 2.
All episodes of You season 4 part 1 are now available on Netflix