Spoiler alert for season 3 of “You”
“You” season 3 has finally reached our screens. If you’ve been living under a rock or on planet Mars, a brief recap may be needed. “You” tells the story of Joe Goldberg, a romantic at heart. Goldberg’s childhood trauma warped his perspective of relationships, encouraging in him a sense of morality akin to that of an anti-hero. Or, at least, this is what he’d like you to believe.
The show equips Joe’s narration to convince audiences to relate with and root for a literal serial killer. Joe will fixate on a woman to the point of obsession, murdering anyone who gets in the way of their love. His narration leads us to believe Joe has some larger purpose — that his killings are actually fair game, meant for the greater good. But when peeling back the narrative which Joe crafts for us we see the dude’s just kind of off.
This new season of “You” features a slightly different plot than the two previous seasons. Joe now has met his match, his soulmate, Love. Like Joe, Love is a killer, but the likeness between the two creates more of a gap between them. Joe hates himself for his killer tendencies, and in turn, hates Love.
So of course, Joe begins the hunt for the partner he feels he deserves, rather than ‘crazy’ Love. Marienne, Joe’s new boss, is played by actor Tati Gabrielle, known for her role of Constance on “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” What’s interesting about Gabrielle’s character and Joe’s obsession is that she seemingly breaks a pattern set by the other seasons — Marienne is a Black woman, while the other two love interests were white.
Recently in a Vulture interview, the actor who plays Joe, Penn Badgely, was quoted explaining how he often thinks of what a fitting end to Joe’s reign of terror may be. A “Black woman should kill him … an easy liberal revenge fantasy,” Badgley was cited as saying. With the introduction of Marienne’s character, we question: Is this the direction the show’s heading? For the love of Love, let’s hope not.
It makes sense, of course, for Marienne to be the one to kill him. Marienne is a single mother and recovering addict, and, as a Black woman, carries a heavier distrust of Joe than any of his past fixations. When, spoiler alert, she is told of Joe’s killer nature, she doesn’t hesitate to doubt his capabilities. Of course, a Black woman living in America is not surprised at the concept of a white man being a serial killer. This contrast to Marienne from Joe’s other love interests is represented at different points in the show.
Marienne discusses how her ex-husband, a wealthy white reporter, used the system against her to prevent her from having custody of their child. This storyline provided a commentary on race that the show’s never made before. This difference is also emphasized in Marienne’s knowledge of “Missing White Woman Syndrome,” when she comments on Joe’s lack of information on the topic as he attempts to feign understanding.
Yes, Marienne killing Joe would fit the liberal narrative — the only one capable of seeing past his B.S., the strong Black woman who saves the day. So often, society looks to the Black community to do it all, especially Black women. However, audience members watching “You” this season should wait before boarding the ‘Marienne murders Joe’ train. Why should this character, whose problems are plentiful already, be subjected to the added trauma of killing Goldberg?
Just because Marienne can doesn’t mean she should have to. The assumption of the strength of Black women is dangerous. It is this assumption that leads to Black women’s medical horror stories from facetious doctors, workplace discrimination, violence at the hands of police and more. The last thing Marienne should be burdened with is cleaning up the white man’s mess.
It’s time we collectively stop perpetuating the idea that Black women are superheroes. I mean, we are great and awesome and powerful and strong, but no one has special powers. A person’s ability to do something does not equal willingness. Hopefully, “You”’s writers will avoid placing the heavy responsibility of Joe Goldberg on Marienne and any future Black characters. Perhaps let Joe write his own story of destruction, finally taking agency for the harm he’s enacted. And while they’re at it, tell him to stay out of Black women’s business.
