Netflix's hit series, YOU, may be a story about a serial killer and his murderous exploits in his quest to find the one, but that hasn't stopped the show from garnering a huge fanbase. Every season, fans tune in to see what absurd things Joe does and who he kills一all in the name of "love". With three seasons of material, the show has been scrutinized by the most loyal fans who notice every little detail that others might miss or get some extra information on Joe and the ill-fated women he sets his affections on.
Most fans fill the gap between the seasons by rewatching the episode and digging deep on the internet to find out how the show they love came to be or what's next for Joe. While most are content with what they see in each episode, only the die-hard fans know the most intricate details of the show and go beyond this to find out more.
You Is Based on A Series Of Novels
You is based on a series of novels written by Caroline Kepnes with the first sharing the same title as the series, while the second is titled Hidden Bodies and the third is You Love Me. When the show first aired, only the first two books had been published, and according to TheHollywoodReporter, Caroline plans to write a fourth book as well.
While the series is based on these novels, there are several notable differences as with many books to TV show adaptations, from the characters to major storylines. This offers fans something that's simultaneously familiar and unique enough to entertain those who need something to fill the gap while waiting for new episodes.
Amy Adam Is An Actual Character In The Books
At the end of season 1, Candace returns to wreak havoc on Joe's life and he moves to L.A. to escape her, where he meets Love Quinn. During the second season, Candace shows up again pretending to be Amy Adam and starts a relationship with Forty to get close to Joe and expose him.
Fans who read the books recognize the name Amy Adam, but not as Candace's alias. Amy was another woman Joe met in Hidden Bodies who broke his heart, leading to him following her to L.A. to find her. Candace's use of the name was a great callback to the book character who influenced Joe's move in a completely different way from the show.
Ellie & Paco Were Created For The Show
In season 1, Joe had a touching relationship with Paco, the kid from next door, and he played a similar protective role in season 2 with Ellie. Both characters, however, didn't exist in the books and were only created for the show.
Joe's relationship with the two of them showed a softer side to him, making fans actually like and root for the serial killer. Due to his troubled childhood, he identified and sympathized with Ellie and Paco and actually treated them decently unlike other characters such as Peach.
Two Characters Initially Auditioned For Different Roles
Victoria Pedretti might have been Joe's love interest in seasons 2 and 3, but she initially auditioned to be his first love, Guinevere Beck, in season 1. Dylan Arnold also auditioned to be Joe in season 1 and later, for the role of Forty in season 2, before finally landing the part of Theo in season 3.
While they didn't get the roles they initially tried out for, they played the ones they got to perfection. Love, especially, played her role of love interest transitioning into You season 3's biggest villain in a brilliant way and she and Theo got to show off the chemistry that the two actors would have displayed if they'd bagged the roles they initially auditioned for. According to Cosmopolitan, the two might actually be in a relationship in real life.
Mooneys Is Real & Was Used In A Movie
Throughout season 1, Joe worked at a bookstore called Mooneys. It was the place he first met Beck and also housed the underground basement with the infamous glass cage where Joe kept his victims. According to UntappedCities, the bookstore is based on a real one called Logos, and many fans visited it after You was aired.
In addition to this, the bookstore was also featured in another major movie called Can You Ever Forgive Me? starring Melissa McCarthy, where she forges letters from deceased creatives as part of a get-rich scheme. The movie earned her a second Oscar nomination and is one of her best works.
Books Are Usually A Common Theme Whenever Joe Meets A Woman
One of the defining traits of Joe's character is his love for books. In the first season, he works in a bookstore, similar to the second season, and in the third, he works in a library. Apart from his love for books and the many literary references in YOU, books are usually present when he meets a new woman and starts obsessing over her.
In season 1, he met Beck in a bookstore and recommended a book to her. Season 2 had him working in a bookstore located within a store called Anavrin where Love worked as a chef. At the end of season 2, he and Love moved to a new place where a woman next door reading a book caught his eye, and finally一in season 3一Marianne caught his interest in the library. In some ways, it seemed like Joe was interested in fellow bookworms like him, which may explain why he eventually lost interest in Love who didn't really like books as much as the other women he fell for.
The Word "You" Was Said Almost 4,000 Times in Two Seasons
Fans of the show recognize the word "you" as Joe's catchphrase. From the first season, he turned the simple word into something memorable through his hilarious inner monologues as he talks about his current obsession and ponders over his interest in them.
According to a Netflix post on Instagram, the word "you" was said 3,857 times in seasons 1 and 2. This includes Joe's fascinatingly creepy rendition of the word and other ordinary uses from the rest of the characters. The dedication that went into calculating that is truly impressive and a representation of a true die-hard fan.
Love Isn't A Murderer In The Books
One of the biggest twists at the end of You season 2 was the reveal that Love was a killer too when she murdered Candace and Delilah to protect Joe. Joe was freaked out by her actions and almost killed her too until she told him she was pregnant. They moved to a new neighborhood to raise their son together until their relationship fell apart and Love tried to kill Joe before he outwitted her and killed her instead, then faked his death.
In the books, Love's character is a little different as she's not like her reckless, murderous TV show counterpart. However, she did get jealous over Joe moving on with someone else when they were separated and shot him in the head before shooting herself. Joe survived, but Love died. Changing Love's character in the series certainly made her more interesting and took the third season in an intriguing direction.
Joe's Kill Count
From the first season, Joe has racked up quite the body count. From the slashing and head-bashing to the shooting, stabbing, and many other ways he's killed people, some fans might not have kept up with the exact number of people Joe eliminated in his quest to find the one. Some flashbacks also showed that Joe's killing spree started long before the events of the first season, bringing his total kill count to 10一so far. With the fourth season already renewed, there's a great chance Joe will keep killing.
The first person Joe killed was the man who abused his mother, which was shown in a flashback in season 3 and greatly influenced the man he became. From season 1, Joe killed Elijah (Candace's lover), Benji (Beck's ex-boyfriend), Peach, Ron (the cop who dated and abused Paco's mum), Beck, Jasper (a criminal who mistook Joe for the man he stole his identity from), Henderson (the predatory comedian), Ryan (Marianne's ex-husband), and Love.