You Season 3 Was Filled With Clues Leading Up To That Finale Twist
How many did you pick up on?
Warning: Major spoilers for You Season 3 follow. Season 3 of Netflix’s You debuted on Oct. 15 and fans are still trying to come to terms with that wild twist ending. After an entire season of lust, affairs, and murder, it was pretty clear Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) and Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) marriage was in serious trouble. Still, if you found the last episode — which saw the demise of one of the two main characters — shocking, you miiiiight not have been paying enough attention, because these clues made it pretty clear Joe would kill Love in You Season 3.
Heading into the third season, Love and Joe’s bond was already on rocky ground. Granted, the couple did move to the ’burbs for a fresh start (or rather, “Fresh Tart,” the name of the bakery Love opened in Madre Linda) after going on a murderous rampage in Season 2. But since Joe was no longer in love with Love, his obsessive ways quickly returned and he grew infatuated with their neighbor, Natalie (Michaela McManus).
Still, there’s a pretty big jump between hooking up with your neighbor and murdering your spouse — or, there would be if you’re not a Quinn-Goldberg. For these seasoned murderers, it was only a matter of time before one of them offed the other. So, here are seven clues that indicated Joe would wind up a widower of his own making.
1. The Therapy Session
Love and Joe going to couple’s therapy together was one of the most unexpected — and low-key fascinating — moments in the series. In Episode 2, the couple started going to a therapist, and while there, a whole lot of tea was spilled. First, Love mentioned that Joe “has a pattern” when it comes to how he handles relationships, foreshadowing that she could end up like his former fallen flames. Then, just as their session wrapped, the therapist said they have to choose whether or not they want to be with each other “from now until death,” which is a way more ominous way to phrase spending the rest of their lives together.
2. The Hidden Keys
After realizing being totally violence-free was unrealistic, Joe had the idea to bring his infamous glass cage back into the mix during Episode 2. The reasoning was simple: If they lost their tempers and were close to killing someone, they could instead simply lock their victims in the cage. In a very Goldberg-Quinn move, however, both Joe and Love hid keys in the cage in the (likely) chance their partner locked them in there. The clips were brief, but the foreshadowing made it clear: These two didn’t trust each other.
3. The Killing Confession
After a night of very passionate, post-therapy lovemaking in Episode 2, Love turned to Joe in bed and said she would ~kill for him.~ Previously, these kinds of confessions seemed to make Joe clam up, but this time, he said he would kill for her back. While the sentiment might have seemed twistedly romantic, this time, it was apparent both partners felt strongly enough that they would spill more blood for the other — they just didn’t say whose blood they’d spill...
4. Love’s Tryst With Theo
It doesn’t matter if Joe already has one foot out the door; he’s not really a fan of sharing his toys. If past seasons prove anything, it’s that as soon as Joe learns his S.O. is hooking up with someone else, he gets a little vindictive (looking at you, Candace and Beck). So when Love and Theo (Dylan Arnold) finally hooked up in Episode 5 after a whole lot of flirting, it felt like a nail in the coffin for them both.
5. Love Texting With Forty
After finding out she wasn’t pregnant with another child in Episode 6, Love got super drunk in the bathtub. While soaking, she texted her late brother, Forty (James Scully), who died as a result of Joe and Love’s antics in Season 2. Throughout the season, viewers saw Love text Forty, but in this episode, he appeared in the tub with her and the two talked. While chatting, Forty said Love “dodged a bullet” by not being pregnant. Love, however, didn’t feel like that was true and asked whether or not she really did dodge a bullet, which is pretty on the nose for being married to a murderer. Plus, her connection to her dead brother could also be seen as a foreshadowing moment, foretelling her own imminent death.
6. James’ Fate
Viewers finally learned what actually happened between Love and her first husband, James, in Episode 7. When Joe went to drop Love’s mother, Dottie (Saffron Burrows), off at rehab, Dottie told Joe that James tried to leave Love after he went into remission from his illness, and then he mysteriously dropped dead. “Love has no loyalty to anyone but herself,” Dottie said, which made Joe realize he wasn’t safe from Love’s deadly wrath, either.
7. The Gardening
In the very first scene of Episode 8 — right after Love’s mom spilled the tea about James’ death — Love was seen gardening while Joe read in the backyard. While it all looked innocent enough, fans knew Joe was aware of Love’s hand in her first husband’s death. Not only did fans now know what Love was capable of, but considering who Joe is, he was definitely paying attention to her every move. Later, it was revealed Love was tending to her aconite plant, also known as the poisonous wolfsbane. And not much longer after that, it was made clear that Joe knew she was growing wolfsbane, which means he’d been prepared to kill her just as she’d been preparing to kill him.
With You Season 4 already confirmed, here’s hoping Joe’s next victim fares better than Love. Until then, you can re-watch all 10 episodes of You Season 3, streaming now on Netflix, to see what other clues you missed.
