The contrast between Joe’s thoughts and his actions make him a delightfully unstable character. It also sends precise red flags to the most attentive viewers: Joe sees himself as a hopeless romantic but his actions betray a selfish, opportunist and calculating behaviour.
Joe’s constant voice-over narration gives depth to his thoughts, which act as a filter between what he does and what viewers need to know. The whole story is built around Joe’s wish, leading us to empathise with his feelings and situation. We all know what Joe wants and, as viewers, we play along - because to an extent, we all want the same things for ourselves. Joe himself has one of the most relatable desires of all: to find love and happiness, to live the perfect life alongside his beloved one. One of the most notable elements in good fiction writing is the delicate struggle between desires and needs. Photo by Thomas Griesbeck on Unsplash Want VS Need Even though everything Joe does is exclusively for himself - with some exceptions. We even hope for him to re-emerge at times-we hope he will come out of it victorious, or at least earn his peace and redemption. Viewers do not (or choose to not) see that.įor most of the time, what we see on screen is the descent of a mad man into his dark abyss, and all we do is just tread along. Little does it matter that Joe is a deluded and a blatantly selfish murderer. They’re incredibly difficult to write, requiring the author to make an extra effort to fit the shoes of a murderer, psychopath, stalker, assassin and whatnot.īecause of this, and of how far they are supposed to be from the average reader/player/viewer, we can’t help but find these figures fascinating.
#Who plays joe in you netflix full#
Even video games are full of such characters. Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita comes to mind instantly, as well as Dostoevskij’s Crime and Punishment. Joe is certainly not the first anti-hero, nor the most complicated or controversial in the history of fiction. A Solid Anti-Hero: Why Do We Like Joe in You? Which is certainly good news to the series’ showrunners. Joe is a sociopath with regressed traumas and certainly a dangerous individual, but he managed to capture the hearts and attention of many fans.
Some time ago, starring actor Penn Badgley found it necessary to advise fans against supporting Joe and his toxic behaviours. I should make clear that this is not a reason to justify Joe’s ways. And it all comes down to the way he was written for the screen. Joe is a stellar example of anti-hero and, despite his despicable ways, he is presented as a deeply relatable character. The reasons we find him interesting reach far beyond the realm of the mysterious, romantic and charming-all feelings that Joe seems to radiate perfectly. Joe acts like a psychopath from episode 1, his character is crystal clear from the start, with little to no sign of redemption across the first few seasons. It’s not that we’re bad people, and it has nothing to do with how the writers introduce us to his character. Let’s face it, we all kinda rooted for Joe in You.
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