Amayzine

Why it is a problem that we find Joe ‘You’ Goldberg sexy

Beck and Joe in the bookstore of Joe in the series YOU

The Netflix series YOU probably needs no introduction. This hit series revolves around Beck (Elizabeth Lail) who falls in love with Joe (Penn Badgley) and starts a relationship with him. However, Joe turns out to be not entirely trustworthy, and that's putting it mildly. But for some reason, that doesn't seem to fully register with most of us. Because hello – a little bit of spoilers incoming so be warned –, how he treats his (ex-)girlfriends and how things end up with Beck is not exactly high on my romantic bucket list.

And yet, many female viewers swoon over Joe Goldberg. Is it perhaps because he reminds us so much of Dan ‘Mr. Gossip Girl’ Humphrey? Because those similarities are certainly undeniable. Both are bookworms, they both feel like outsiders, and perhaps most importantly: they both have quite stalkerish tendencies. And those only came to light in Gossip Girl in the very last episode (and just a little something else: Dan Humphrey as Gossip Girl was the most disappointing TV moment of the past decade? I'm still mad about it), but in YOU it was clear from episode one that Joe is the type of guy your mother warned you about (and programs like Opsporing Verzocht too, by the way).

But yes, still half the internet dreams away at serial killer Joe. And the only thing I will give you: Penn Badgley is indeed just a handsome guy. If you think so too, definitely check out the movie Easy A, with Emma Stone. He plays the ultimate Mr. Nice Guy there and you can crush on him as much as you want. Because we do not support guys like Joe.

In fact, Penn Badgley himself finds it quite problematic that he receives so much fan mail from girls who would also like such a stalker. Which leads to hilarious conversations on Twitter, that it does.

Even the actor himself really finds Joe a no go. He has indicated in interviews that he was afraid of playing Joe in a ‘too sympathetic’ way, because he was afraid people would become Team Joe. Um, Penn… maybe you kind of failed in that. Let's attribute that to your good acting skills and not to the fact that you are too charming to play a potential killer.

But girls, let's not forget that in this case looks can kill. Maybe trust a little less in that pretty face? I think we can do this. And because I have so much confidence in that, I hereby propose some new remakes: Chris Pratt as Hannibal, Channing Tatum in The Shining, and Bradley Cooper as the clown It. I dare you.

P.S..On Twitter, people are meanwhile speculating whether Beck is really dead. After all, her body has never been seen. I do love a good conspiracy theory from time to time and this would be quite a twist. What do you think? I see Beck and Candace heading to LA to teach Joe a lesson in season 2 with the ‘new’ Beck. And rightly so.

Written by: Wieke Veenboer