You: The Complete (DVD Review)
Directed By: Lee Toland Krieger
Starring: Elizabeth Lail, Luca Padovan, Penn Badgley
RATED: UR/REGION: 1/Widescreen/NUMBER OF DISCS: 104
AVAILABLE FROM Warner Brothers
There are few television characters who have failed upward as successfully as Joe Goldberg. Over the course of five seasons, the lovable psychopath stalked, manipulated, imprisoned, and murdered his way across multiple cities while somehow continuing to attract women who looked at an entire warehouse-sized collection of red flags and said, “I can fix him.”
You: The Complete Series collects the entire run of the hit thriller into one convenient DVD package, allowing you to experience Joe’s descent into madness—or more accurately, his refusal to acknowledge that he was already completely insane from episode one. What started as a surprisingly clever thriller about obsession and toxic relationships gradually transformed into a soap opera where the body count kept increasing and the logic occasionally took a vacation.
To be fair, the show remains wildly entertaining throughout most of its run. Penn Badgley carries the entire thing on his back, somehow making Joe equal parts charming, pathetic, creepy, and punchable. The inner monologues remain one of the show’s biggest strengths, often sounding like the thoughts of a man who could justify arson because somebody didn’t return a text message quickly enough.
The series definitely has its ups and downs. Some seasons are stronger than others, and there are moments where the writers seem determined to convince viewers that Joe is a criminal mastermind despite leaving enough evidence behind to fill a police station. Still, even when the show gets ridiculous, it’s usually the fun kind of ridiculous. You may roll your eyes, but you’ll probably keep watching.
As for the DVD set itself, it’s a solid release. Picture quality is perfectly respectable for standard definition, and having the entire series on physical media means you’re not at the mercy of streaming services deciding what does and doesn’t exist this month. The packaging is straightforward and gets the job done, though collectors hoping for a mountain of extras may find themselves wishing for a little more love.
At the end of the day, You: The Complete Series is an easy recommendation for fans of the show. It’s binge-worthy television packed with suspense, dark humor, and enough questionable decision-making to make a slasher movie cast look cautious. The show may occasionally stretch believability to the breaking point, but it’s hard to deny how addictive the whole thing is. Much like Joe Goldberg himself, it somehow keeps getting away with it.
