YOU Season 4 Episode 2 Review: Portrait of the Artist
Jasmine Blu
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Joe's stalker is running circles around him!
Who could've ever anticipated that Joe would have this much work cut out for him and someone could beat him at his own game?
The predator has become prey, and so far, by the end of YOU Season 4 Episode 2, his stalker is in the lead. They know his name, and they're piecing together the things he's done back in the States!
Nadia is onto something, and she'll prove to be Joe's best asset if he ever hopes to figure out who is behind the murder and stalking.
The series leaning into a good old-fashioned, whodunnit makes for an intriguing season, putting Joe in a unique position and showing that the series is capable of truly reinventing itself four seasons in.
We have another dead person, and most other characters still don't know Malcolm is dead yet. The key to everything is learning what Malcolm was doing and who could've been after him and perhaps his acquaintances, but that's not easy to unpack.
If there were doubts about how much people disliked Malcolm, they hit that point home during this installment when it seemed his entire friend group loathed him and wouldn't have even been friends with him if not for Kate.
Do the rich flock to each other because they're like-minded people? The group of elites spends so much time sniping, gossiping, and cutting each other down that they make it hard to distinguish between friends and foes.
Goodness knows what Joe said to Phoebe that has touched her enough to make him her pet project and tag-a-long, but given how awful her friends are, he needn't have said much as long as it was remotely flattering or real.
The irony about this situation and the possibility that the guilty person is in the inner circle is that they would probably want him dead if they hadn't known much about Joe already.
Instead, they seem to get off on stalking and toying with him, digging into his past and using him as a plaything. In the end, if they both know things about each other, neither can pull the trigger nor expose the other.
It's a fascinating situation that, much like Nadia has laid out for Joe, plays into all the murder-mystery tropes. Joe's stalker feels like his Moriarty, and they've set up this cat-and-mouse game that ensures mutual destruction.
So far, the only one who seems the most suspicious is the one who, on paper, doesn't come across that way at all: Rhys.
Every time Joe comes close to thinking he's on the right path, something changes his mind. Adam had moments where it seemed like he could be the guilty party, but it was quickly squashed when Joe discovered that Adam was just a screwup kid desperate to impress his father and who enjoys golden showers.
One of you... one of you fuckers sent me those texts. One of you is watching me. One of you killed Malcolm, left him on my table, and is now trying to frame me for it. You know I cleaned up his body. Maybe not like someone who is never ever done that before. Unfortunately, that would be very interesting to you. So which one are you?
Joe Voiceover
Adam also has other issues that could be more pressing. He and Phoebe are clearly in different stages in their relationship, aren't they?
Despite his proclivity for having the help pee on him in storage areas, he genuinely seems to love Phoebe, and he'd do anything for her.
But it also doesn't stop Phoebe from feeling neglected, and you could sense that she wants something different in her relationship. Maybe its' one of the reasons she clings to Joe so much.
Adam's bodyguard who shook Joe down for his cash is proof that there's some undercurrent of class warfare, and they've been dropping hints about the chasm between the haves and have-nots.
Nadia mentions it often enough when we see her. Joe is constantly prattling on about it, but that's expected. And Blue is another victim of the wealthy and greedy, falling victim to Simon's exploitation.
Now we know that Malcolm had more depth to him than he let on, and he may have had some money troubles with his betting.
He was acquiring secrets about the others. If he had the information he had on Simon, you know he was probably discovering things about the others, too.
He was on the cusp of exposing Simon, which would've made him the perfect suspect until he was murdered, too.
It's early yet, but what if we're headed down some "eat the rich" notion? What if that's why these wealthy people are dropping like flies?
The killer cut off Malcolm's finger, the one where he was wearing an expensive ring. And they also cut off Simon's ear, which had an expensive earring.
Unless the body parts have specific meanings for each victim, which could be true, maybe it was more of a nod to the victims' excess.
There are so many moving pieces to this mystery that it's a serviceable one that can last for either half the season or the entirety of it.
Joe is on tenuous ground even without the stalker, who may be part of the group. He's the newest person they know the least amount about, and he's suddenly around when everyone starts disappearing.
Sorry to hear you fucked up your new life, though, but I am now officially and literally above all that shit. I wish you an end to suffering and the roots of suffering and fuck you very much for making me destroy this perfectly good phone.
Elliot
How long before people start looking at him directly? He was the last one to see Malcolm while he was alive.
And Kate left him the night Simon got murdered, and he was right outside the gala when it happened. Nodding outside and missing all the action isn't a good enough alibi.
And Kate is not the biggest fan of Joe's on a good day, so if he gets on her radar as a suspect, it's a wrap.
The relationship between the two is an unusual one. Joe has a begrudging respect for her, and she can't seem to stand him at all.
He watches her often and uses what he finds to make sense of Malcolm and his investigation, but it's more than that, too. He's already ruled her out as a suspect.
It is funny that Kate is in this circle with these vapid people, and she doesn't seem like any of them. She is the one who actually works out of the crew, and she's painfully aware of what the people she surrounds herself with are like.
Initially, it seemed like she was trying to protect Simon when Blue showed up for her demonstration. However, Joe found out through his eavesdropping and stalking that Kate was helping Blue as best as she could, and it wasn't about protecting Simon at all.
Kate seems much nicer than she comes across, making you wonder why she's keeping that side of herself secret. She's the only one who is genuinely concerned about Malcolm's absence.
Something about her spidey senses tells her that things are off with Joe, and you have to respect her for acting accordingly.
It's interesting to see Joe with this affection for two women without it having the obsessive undertones we typically expect from him. What are we supposed to make of that? And will it change? It presumably will with Kate.
His fondness for Nadia and how often he leans on her reminds one of how he formed an attachment to Paco and Ellie. One can only hope she's spared like they were if it comes down to it.
So far, her advice is serving Joe well, allowing him to lean into some of what he does best and approach his investigation from a different perspective.
Nadia was right; the first suspect was really the second victim. So much for a one-off murder theory. Fuck!
Joe's Voiceover
But it still won't be enough for his stalker, who is quite the formidable adversary for Joe. The fact that we don't know who this person only makes it the more exciting.
Bit and pieces about the vulnerability of the other characters are slipping through, but most of them still fall to the background with very little presence unless Joe shines his light on them, so to speak.
Rhys, however, remains the most intriguing. He seems to care about his friends even if he's nothing like them. He seemed to be the only one truly affected by Simon's death.
But there's something about him -- he's always there for a perfect turn of phrase that resonates with Joe, or how magnetic he is, that makes flags go up about him. What's Rhys' deal?
It was tough, but I did it. Hello, Joe.
Joe's Stalker
It wouldn't be the first time that Joe has connected with another person or even slowly started developing his rendition of a bromance, but we know those never fare well for the other person.
Over to you, YOU Fanatics. What are your latest theories? What do you make of the stalker finding out about Joe so quickly? Sound off below.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
