Psychological thriller 'You' on Netflix
It is so true the term 'binge-watching' a series can be for a Netflix subscriber. Since the introduction of streaming services online such as Netflix, viewers get the entire content of a series and usually end up watching them straight through.
I never thought of myself as a binge-watcher, nor a big telly fan, but yesterday, I clicked on a series recommended to me on Netflix and finished the entire episode in a day. That's a whopping 10 episodes with about 7-8 hours total viewing time.
What is so special about this series? Its title is simple enough - "You". It is so generic that googling the series require putting in other keywords such as "You Netflix" or "You psychological thriller series" that sort of thing.
This series is based on a novel by the same name, written by author Caroline Kepnes. It was first shown on an American channel called Lifetime, but only started generating buzz after Netflix started broadcasting it.
The series follows the main character, Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager in New York City who used technology and social media to learn about a girl he met at the bookstore. He soon became obsessed with her, following her every move and learning about her schedule. He finally got the opportunity to chance an encounter with her and she was weaved into his charm and attraction.
Joe, the main character, is also the narrator throughout the entire series. It is almost like he's the protagonist of the series but at the same time, displaying such disturbing traits. Spoilers ahead: he went on doing many horrible things (murders included) but still justify them in his narration, explaining how he did it for love towards Beck, the girl he started out stalking whom he manipulated into falling for him.
One take home message I pluck from this series is - it can be really easy to learn about others from the internet, thanks to technology. With our lives being displayed on social media, anyone and everyone could just do a quick search and learn about our family, friends, interests and work. It is quite a scary thought, in my opinion. As vast as the internet could be, some sicko can just use that to trap somebody.
Other themes in this series bring across disturbing issues which are interesting and controversial at the same time. They can be explicit, difficult, yet important to be highlighted. I do think the premise of this story is quite an interesting one. It may be the extreme of most cases, but the concept of stalking somebody using technology readily available is not as foreign as we think in this world today.
As for the murders, I shall not even get there. It can be quite disturbing how murdering people can be justified by the main character so easily. He is definitely suffering from some mental illness and it would be very interesting to delve into his childhood or upbringing to further understand where he is coming from.
According to sources, Season 2 of this YOU series is in production. That would be an interesting one to watch. There are so many unsettled crimes left in the first season. What would Joe be up to in Season 2?
So dark. So twisted.
I never thought of myself as a binge-watcher, nor a big telly fan, but yesterday, I clicked on a series recommended to me on Netflix and finished the entire episode in a day. That's a whopping 10 episodes with about 7-8 hours total viewing time.
What is so special about this series? Its title is simple enough - "You". It is so generic that googling the series require putting in other keywords such as "You Netflix" or "You psychological thriller series" that sort of thing.
This series is based on a novel by the same name, written by author Caroline Kepnes. It was first shown on an American channel called Lifetime, but only started generating buzz after Netflix started broadcasting it.
The series follows the main character, Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager in New York City who used technology and social media to learn about a girl he met at the bookstore. He soon became obsessed with her, following her every move and learning about her schedule. He finally got the opportunity to chance an encounter with her and she was weaved into his charm and attraction.
Joe, the main character, is also the narrator throughout the entire series. It is almost like he's the protagonist of the series but at the same time, displaying such disturbing traits. Spoilers ahead: he went on doing many horrible things (murders included) but still justify them in his narration, explaining how he did it for love towards Beck, the girl he started out stalking whom he manipulated into falling for him.
One take home message I pluck from this series is - it can be really easy to learn about others from the internet, thanks to technology. With our lives being displayed on social media, anyone and everyone could just do a quick search and learn about our family, friends, interests and work. It is quite a scary thought, in my opinion. As vast as the internet could be, some sicko can just use that to trap somebody.
Other themes in this series bring across disturbing issues which are interesting and controversial at the same time. They can be explicit, difficult, yet important to be highlighted. I do think the premise of this story is quite an interesting one. It may be the extreme of most cases, but the concept of stalking somebody using technology readily available is not as foreign as we think in this world today.
As for the murders, I shall not even get there. It can be quite disturbing how murdering people can be justified by the main character so easily. He is definitely suffering from some mental illness and it would be very interesting to delve into his childhood or upbringing to further understand where he is coming from.
According to sources, Season 2 of this YOU series is in production. That would be an interesting one to watch. There are so many unsettled crimes left in the first season. What would Joe be up to in Season 2?
So dark. So twisted.
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