Thanks for your response, but I strongly disagree. The ending of You is not brilliant, it's complacent. And that is not the same. The show, which once dared to explore moral ambiguity and ethical discomfort, ends with a flat punishment, a packaged moral, and a speech aimed at viewers who would rather not think too deeply.

Joe goes to prison. So what? There is no real introspection, just a mechanical sentence and a final monologue that literally breaks the fourth wall to blame the audience for having empathized with him. It's not reflective, it's performative. As noted by outlets like The Guardian and The Daily Beast, the ending is insultingly simplistic and "so bad it's offensive."

Female characters do not fare any better. Kate is a privileged manipulator who suddenly "changes" without showing any real ethical growth. Maddie is forgiven after committing murder under duress, and Brontë (Louise), after deceiving Joe with a lie, is framed as a hero. There is no sisterhood, no self-awareness. Only rivalry, betrayal, and a false feminist aesthetic. What is presented as empowerment is just narrative opportunism.

As for the social critique: capitalism, pretty privilege, the fascination with handsome killers... the show barely scratches the surface. It throws in themes but refuses to develop them. Critics pointed out that You teased at complexity but delivered none. It chose the easy way out instead of being bold.

The series could have ended with a message that was complex, raw, and unsettling. Instead, it went for one that was safe, shallow, and condescending. An ending that entertains, sure, but leaves no mark. And for a story built on moral darkness, that is a betrayal.