You (Season 3)

 

Creators: Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble
Starring: Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, Tati Gabrielle, Saffron Burrows, Shalita Grant, Travis Van Winkle, Dylan Arnold, Scott Speedman, Michaela McManus, Ben Mehl, Mackenzie Astin, Terryn Westbrook, Marcia Cross, Scott Michael Foster 
Original Airdate: 2021

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Few cable series have benefitted more from a jump to streaming than Netflix's You, which premiered its superior second season in late 2019 after languishing on Lifetime. Since then, the creative improvements have been so noticeable that you'd be hard-pressed to recognize it's the same show. Last season represented the apex of that achievement when creators Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble transplanted stalking, serial killing former bookstore manager Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) from New York to L.A. with thrilling results. Hoping to put to bed the memory of his last obsession and victim, Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), he finds a new unhealthy relationship with chef Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). Of course, with the big twist being that she might be his perfect match, as psychotic and prone to violence as he is.

While last season ended with Joe and Love settling into the suburbs to begin their happy, ordinary life together, if we know anything about him and the series it's that he won't stay content for long. Best laid plans for a "happily ever after" are bound to be in constant jeopardy when these two toxic, damaged personalities attempt to co-exist as a normal married couple living under the same roof. The writers really milk this, forcing the viewer to pick sides this season as the pair constantly try to scheme and outmaneuver each other, extracting revenge for slights both real and imagined, all while attempting to suppress their worst impulses.

What distinguishes this from the superficially similar Dexter is Joe's bitingly sarcastic and self-aware recognition of his circumstances, and an equally dangerous partner in Love. But the biggest recent shift has been Joe's legitimate attempts to try to recognize what's right and do it, despite rarely accomplishing this feat and falling back into his old ways. That's a stark departure from its first season, which presented a nearly remorseless killer whose social media manipulation became his most defining characteristic. Badgley's performance always teeters on the edge of normalcy, giving audiences just enough hope that Joe could possibly turn things around. A wife and child give him an added incentive to try harder, while also providing just as many excuses not to.

Putting down roots in the San Francisco suburb of Madre Linda, the now-married Joe and Love are just starting to settle into a quaint existence with their newborn baby boy, Henry, when Joe starts having eyes for next door neighbor and realtor Natalie Engler (Michaela McManus). But just as his interest becomes more, Love takes matters into her own hands and kills Natalie, leaving both a physical and figurative mess for them to clean up just as she's planning to open her new bakery, "A Fresh Tart." 

With all of Madre Linda focused on finding Natalie, Joe and Love continue to project a facade of normalcy to the community, with the latter befriending local mom influencer Sherry Conrad (Shalita Grant) and her flaky supplement company owner husband, Cary (Travis Van Winkle). Meanwhile, Joe's working at the library, where he develops a burgeoning interest in his no-nonsense boss, Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle), a single mother struggling through some serious issues of her own.

As the Goldbergs' plan to cover-up Natalie's murder proves more complicated than expected, her distraught, pill popping CEO husband Matthew (Scott Speedman) grows suspicious, while his troubled college student son Theo (Dylan Arnold) develops a crush on a flattered Love, simultaneously consuming her with guilt and excitement. In keeping their horrific secret in the face of public suspicion, Joe and Quinn must somehow cooperate as a team even as their marriage crumbles under the weight of jealousy, mistrust and betrayal. With all their dreams of having a perfect family deteriorating into a nightmare, their relationship soon becomes a dangerous cat-and-mouse game.                

Minutes in, Joe's already sick of married suburban life as his attentions immediately turn to this married neighbor, which makes sense knowing his impulsive history. And that's merely the jumping off point for what the show continues to do so well, taking Joe's established pattern with Beck, only to continue it with Love, and now possibly again. But this season's more interested in deconstructing that entire idea, introducing Natalie as proof that Joe's inability to settle down or control his demons have little to do with his partner. There's no soulmate for someone we learn through flashbacks (this time involving his an abused school nurse from childhood) already had that soul damaged by his troubled upbringing. 

Still devastated by brother Forty's (James Scully) death and fighting with her controlling, alcoholic mom Dottie (Saffron Burrows), Love's not exactly a catch either. Trapped in a marriage of toxic co-dependency, what she and Joe most have in common is their ability to kill, even while sometimes vehemently disagreeing about the who and why.  Love's murder of Natalie sets in motion the series of crazy events that define these 10 episodes, bringing both their worst instincts to the surface, even as Joe really tries fighting back against what defines him. It's a slippery slope, as they try to cover their tracks and work together despite the rapidly eroding trust. 

The story of Joe's new obsession is more of a slow burn than in season's past, gradually evolving as Joe sorts out his feelings and wrestles with the accompanying guilt. Briefly, it might be the closest he's come yet to not seeming like a total stalker, as Badgley gives us passing glimpses of who a more adjusted Joe could be. But we know him too well by now, recognizing his interest in Marienne the librarian has much more to do with him feeding his narcissistic tendencies than it does her. It's easy to recognize everything he sees in this woman, and even while fitting the damaged type he typically latches onto, she transcends that narrow categorization thanks to the fortitude and grace rising star Tati Gabrielle brings to the role.

While completely grasping the idea of Marienne as Joe's idealization, Gabrielle still plays her with plenty of agency, as the character battles a recent history of addiction and tries to protect her daughter from slimy newcaster ex-husband Ryan (Scott Michael Foster). But the show's told from Joe's warped point of view and the writers make sure we don't forget it. 

Joe's still the one calculating every move, hoarding creepy keepsakes, breaking and entering and reminding us that as long as she's in his life in any capacity, she isn't safe. All the potentially disastrous scenarios involving Joe or even Love finding them out marinate in viewers' minds throughout the season, with the biggest source of tension coming from what could happen to Marienne, or even her daughter.  

The show's penchant for incorporating controversial, hot-button issues like cyber-stalking and pedophilia into its narrative continues this season with a sub-plot involving an anti-vaxxer parent, Gil, (Mackenzie Astin) who both is and isn't exactly what he appears. This again places the series well within its creative wheelhouse of reflecting reality, but twisting it just enough to provoke discussion and bring a little more out of the material. Love's inability to control herself when it comes to protecting her child might play as the character's most relatable moment thus far, especially when taken outside the context of her other actions. Victoria Pedretti gives this emotional whirlwind of a performance throughout, with Love's insecurity over their marriage pushing she and Joe over the edge. 

Love's bid for societal acceptance starts as strategy before evolving into what resembles a desperately genuine desire to fit in. At first glance, the phony, condescending Sherry Conrad and her himbo husband Cary couldn't seem any more broadly comedic or ridiculous, albeit in the best possible way. 

It's only when circumstances turn that Sherry and Cary are collectively revealed as more authentic than either Joe or Love could dream of being, while worthy of a begrudging amount of respect. And a lot of the success of these two characters can be attributed to Grant and Van Winkle's collective timing and chemistry, which evolves into one of the season's biggest highlights.

At first, it's hard to get a read on the grieving Matthew, with Scott Speedman playing him in a constant state of distracted, drugged-out insomnia, obsessed with obtaining the necessary surveillance footage he believes will uncover his wife's true killer. This comes at the expense of his fractured relationship with son Theo, who's fallen so hard for Love that it's blinded his ability to see that infatuation can't possibly end well. Before long, he'll just be another pawn in the Goldbergs' game to cover their tracks.

It isn't exactly a spoiler to reveal the reconstruction of Joe's infamous "cage," again located in a setting that makes for easy storage. Nor is it particularly suprising that it sees a lot of action this season, with big questions surrounding not only who gets locked in, but whether they'll be exiting with their lives. 

Digging out of holes is what this series does best, surrounding Joe with indispensably memorable and colorful supporting players who could drive a show of their own. It's the best and most frustrating element since we know there's a good chance a few may not survive past these ten episodes. Suprisingly, more loose ends are left than usual, which only increases speculation about what a fourth season will look like.

With Joe and Love working with and against each other in a battle for their own self-preservation, it ends the only way it can, as the writers continue making the tough but necessary decisions that mark each new installment as its own self-contained film with a concrete finale. The writers are always looking at the bigger picture in realizing the only way to ensure the show's successful continuation is to tear it all down again and move forward with another reset. Expertly combining horror thrills with soapy dramatics, You has officially hit its stride, remaining as wickedly smart and addictive as it's ever been.

The Strangers

Director: Bryan Bertino
Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton
Running Time: 88 min.
Rating: R

** (out of ****)

“Why are you doing this to us?”

“Because you were home.”

That great exchange, which you’ve probably seen in trailers and commercials, is the only frightening moment in Bryan Bertino’s directorial debut, The Strangers. It hints at the horror film this could have been and frustrates us with a promise it couldn’t keep. Had the film actually explored the idea suggested in those few lines of dialogue this could have really been something. Instead the movie does exactly two things right, thinking that affords it the luxury to do everything else wrong. In not showing us the faces of the killers and focusing more on suspense than gore the inspiration are obviously the slasher films of the ‘70’s. Join the club Bryan. We’ve seen this “homage” a few hundred times already, or at least it feels like it. And I don’t remember it ever being this boring or uninteresting. Scenes are thrown together hastily, the pacing is poor and outside of one engaging performance, there’s nothing to keep our attention. You can actually tell this was made by a first-timer.

It’s tempting to compare this to another home invasion thriller from this year, Michael Haneke’s polarizing Funny Games. Those who despised that movie can blame Bertino because this is the exact kind of film Haneke was attempting to satirize. Except Haneke was up front and honest with his pretentiousness. This actually thinks it’s scary. And it also has the single dumbest ending of any movie I’ve seen this year, as if it needed it. If someone paid me to come up with a worse ending I couldn’t. I’m tempted to give this lower than two stars but can’t since it’s nothing if not technically proficient. Strangely though, that just makes it more insulting. This may have been easier to take if someone with less talent made it because maybe they wouldn’t attempt to fool us into thinking we were watching something of substance. In reality, it’s no better than what you’d find on the $2.99 shelf at your local gas station.
The film opens with what’s become a repetitive and ridiculous device used in horror movies these days. Taking a page out of the book of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a John Larroquette-like narrator informs us that what we’re about to see is “INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS.” This may be one of those rare cases where the true event (if there was one) had to have been more exciting than what ended up on screen. The narrator continues:

“On the night of February 11, 2005 Kristen McKay and James Hoyt went to a friend’s wedding reception and then returned to the Hoyt family’s summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.”

Sorry, but that’s just laughable. It’s derivative and unoriginal, but I probably wouldn’t have had a problem with it had what followed not been so lackluster. There’s no other way to put it: The first 45 minutes to an hour of this picture are a total bore. When Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) arrive out the house we immediately sense there’s a tension between them. Through a flashback we find out that she had earlier turned down his marriage proposal. Now they must awkwardly spend the night together. And that right there is the most interesting thing that happens in the film. How often does a woman turn down a marriage proposal in a movie? Bertino at least earns points for originality on that.

From there, Kristen is left alone while James runs out to get something and then…NOTHING happens. Other than seeing the luminous Tyler in varying stages of semi-undress there’s nothing to hold your interest. Yes, there is the “Man In The Mask,” and his accomplices, known in the credits simply as “Doll Face” and “Pin-Up Girl”, knocking at the door and threatening to kill her but it’s impossible to care the way it’s presented.

The film does something very annoying and continues to do it over and over again just so we get the message. The intruders make loud noises, we see them, Kristen doesn’t. When James re-enters the picture the cycle starts all over again. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. I’m all for not showing anything to build tension but that’s not what this is. Bertino doesn’t engage us in these scenes and there’s no sense of threat or dread at all. They lack forward momentum and just don’t flow. It’s okay, even advisable, to wait on pulling the terror trigger, but not just for the sake of saying you did. Everything just spins around in circles and these masked killers, who should be horrifying (they certainly look it), come off as a joke. I know I’m supposed to praise horror movies for emphasizing suspense over gore but what if there’s no suspense either?

When the movie does finally pull that trigger I could just picture critics running out of the theater screaming “Torture Porn!” at the top of their lungs. I wouldn’t go that far, mainly because the film is too goofy to inspire that kind of a reaction. One moment sums up just how pretentious it all is. The killers remove their masks and place them on the floor…but we’re not shown their faces. How daring. Random and senseless violence. What an original concept. And then there’s the final moment of the film. Ugh. I don’t know how much Liv Tyler was paid to do this but it wasn’t nearly enough. I actually felt bad for her having to work so hard physically and emotionally to sell this nonsense and carry Speedman through it. A piece of cardboard could have replaced him and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. He’s that bland.

In a misplaced vote of confidence, this was the rare horror movie that was actually screened for critics. Maybe the studio thought that because it presented the illusion of being high brow the press would go easy on it. They were right. And because the film managed to recoup the $9.00 it cost to make it now there’s going to be a sequel. Executives are so happy when a horror film makes anything these days that they immediately greenlight five sequels, four of which will probably head straight to DVD. I’ve seen interviews with Bertino and he seems like an enthusiastic guy who went in with the best intentions. I don’t think he set out to make a pretentious film. It’s a misguided effort, not a lazy one. He does have a gift for atmosphere and I do think he’ll eventually turn into something as a director. When he does maybe he’ll be able to look back on this film and have a good laugh.
I should have known there were serious problems with The Strangers when everyone I spoke to who saw it said how disappointed they were but had trouble expressing exactly why. I know how they feel, but let me give it a shot: It’s a bore. Sometimes the simplest explanation makes the most sense. Hardcore fans of really old school horror may appreciate its minimalistic, stripped-down approach but everyone else will fall asleep. I guess this is great news for Saw V, which now sits in the comfy position of following one of the dumbest horror movies I've seen in a while. It can’t possibly be worse than this…can it?