MAJOR SPOILERS for You season 5 are ahead!

After seven years, Netflix’s bringing an end to the saga of serial killer Joe Goldberg. I first picked up Caroline Kepnes’ titular books immediately after watching the first season of Netflix’s book adaptation, and I loved the novels just as much as I did the show. That being said, I frequently think of them as two entirely different entities.

You season 1 aligns pretty closely with You, and season 2 is based on Hidden Bodies with a few significant narrative differences. After the first two seasons, You’s story has almost nothing to do with the books. While I’ve enjoyed the onscreen approach to You, I’ve always wondered what it would look like to see the book version of Joe onscreen. Luckily, You season 5 reveals a version of Joe Goldberg that uses the framework of the Netflix character but has the personality traits from the book. After seven years of waiting, I couldn’t be more thrilled to see this.

You’s Final Season Is The Closest The Show Has Come To Caroline Kepnes' Dark & Creepy Book Style

Caroline Kepnes' Books Have The Same Gritty, Violent Quality As You Season 5

In both Netflix’s You and Caroline Kepnes’ books, Joe Goldberg is the central narrator. However, the tone of them vastly differs because of the way Joe conceptualizes himself. The core trait of Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s You is the fact that he has a hero complex. He constantly narrates the events in a romantic, almost fantastical way. The fact that Joe is played by Penn Badgley, a conventionally attractive actor who could easily be a romantic lead, certainly plays into this.

Joe makes it seem like the subjects of his obsessions in You are damsels in distress, and he’s the white knight who has come to rescue them from their terrible lives.

Because there’s no other point of view expressed, the show sometimes falls for Joe’s gaslighting, especially early on. Joe makes it seem like the subjects of his obsessions in You are damsels in distress, and he’s the white knight who has come to rescue them from their terrible lives. There’s nothing to ground the story other than his acts of violence.

However, the final season of the show has a darker and creepier tone that matches up with the source material. Caroline Kepnes’ books are gritty and realistic in a disturbing but very enjoyable way. Kepnes doesn’t hold back when it comes to depicting Joe’s unhinged violence, and neither does You season 5. Moreover, the books give stakes to Joe’s actions, with jail being a serious threat. You season 5 takes a similar approach, with Joe’s actions leading to him losing his son, his money, and his reputation. In the end, he’s shot by Bronte and captured by the police.

How The Book Version Of Joe Goldberg Compares To Netflix’s You

Rhys From You Season 4 & Joe Goldberg From You Season 5 Are The Closest Characters To The Book Version Of Joe

This section includes vulgar and graphic descriptions from the You books.

Throughout the first four seasons, Joe Goldberg’s voiceover tries to convince the audience that he is a charming guy who just goes too far for love. He thinks that he only kills to protect others, even though that’s completely incorrect. In many ways, Joe from the books wants to be Joe from the TV show, and the TV show character fears that he could be the book character. Realistically, both of them are Joe from the book, but the show version deludes himself and explains away his violence.

However, the book goes further to relay to the readers that his perception of himself isn’t correct. Kepnes’ version of Joe Goldberg is disgustingly profane, and his internal monologue sounds like the thoughts of a sexual predator and serial killer. He describes the women he’s involved with in objectifying ways, such as calling Karen a “c*m dumpster” and explaining that Beck’s only value is her “p*ssy.” He's also horrified that Beck would masturbate "even though you have the honor of access to my c*ck."

Even when he is sexually involved with women, he still sounds like an incel. His thoughts also involve doing sexual acts without consent, like slapping a woman's elbow with "fifty dicks" after he watches her scratching her elbow. There’s nothing remotely charming or redeeming about the book version of Joe Goldberg, even if he likes to think of himself as a high-value man. He wreaks of misogyny, and he seems to genuinely hate women.

By the end of You’s final season, the two versions of Joe are more similar than they’ve ever been.

On top of this, Ellie and Paco don’t exist in the books, and he never gets to know his son. As such, readers never see a gentler, more comionate side to him. He also doesn’t experience abuse from Mooney, and his traumatic background isn’t as developed. Frankly, I think most viewers who love Joe in You would be horrified to read Caroline Kepnes’ version of the character.

However, anyone who enjoyed the completely vile version of Joe in You season 5 needs to pick up the books. By the end of You’s final season, the two versions of Joe are more similar than they’ve ever been. Joe is done pretending that he’s a hero, embracing his inner darkness. He might not be quite as graphically profane as his book counterpart, but his internal narration makes him sound like a predator and a murderer. Additionally, he’s just as violent and cruel as the character in Caroline Kepnes’ book.

You Season 5’s Terrifying, Book-Like Version Of Joe Is Thanks To Penn Badgley

Penn Badgley Pushed For Joe To Be "As Awful As Possible"

The fact that onscreen Joe Goldberg is finally similar to the book version in You season 5 is all thanks to actor Penn Badgley. From the very beginning, Badgley has been disturbed by the number of women who fawn over his character. He repeatedly reminded fans that Joe is a serial killer and stalker. By the time they got around to You season 5, Badgley pushed for the most evil, depraved version of Joe Goldberg. Michael Foley told Slate this:

“When it came to not only the final season, but the finale, the point [Penn Badgley] kept hammering home was, ‘I need Joe to be as awful as possible.’ It’s almost like he saw his last opportunity to wake up the very last of us to what we’ve been watching and rooting for.”

The creative team behind You did an excellent job escalating the character’s negative traits without completely detaching him from the previous onscreen version. Additionally, Penn Badgley upped the creep factor in all of his scenes, from the muscle tension to the scarier facial expressions to the harsh inflection of his words. You even called out the problem with romanticizing Joe through dialogue during Bronte's final speech.

Ultimately, this new portrayal of Joe was the perfect choice for You season 5, and I’m so glad Badgley pushed to show the audience the truth about Joe Goldberg. It not only contributed to an exciting ending, but it allowed me to see an onscreen version of Caroline Kepnes’ Joe from the You books.