You Fans Have A Twisted Theory That Kate Knew Joe Was A Killer All Along
Wait, did she mastermind this whole thing?
Joe Goldberg’s go-to Midnights track may be “Anti-Hero,” but his new girlfriend, Kate, might be more into “Mastermind.” At least, that’s what some You fans are starting to suspect after rewatching Season 4. Since the second half of the season dropped on March 9, a surprising fan theory has sprung up that Kate may have known Joe was a killer from the start, and orchestrated all the events of the season to achieve her end goal. Here’s why this twisted theory could set up a big reveal in a potential Season 5.
Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers from throughout You Season 4. The theory that Kate was subtly manipulating Joe to get him to kill her father first started to form after her shockingly calm and accepting reaction to Joe admitting his murders to her in the Season 4 finale. Rather than recoil or run from the dark revelation, Kate’s relationship with Joe became stronger than ever, leading fans to wonder if she might also be a sociopath. She was also very quick to change her mind about taking over her father’s company after his death — almost as if it’s what she was secretly after all along.
Following those peculiar finale scenes, fans noticed some more sus behavior from Kate upon rewatch. For instance, her mugging in the first episode seemed almost perfectly timed to instigate a relationship with Joe, and she must have known Joe had a clear view through her window when she piqued his interest even more. The season also made frequent mention of Kate’s “inner evil,” with no real payoff aside from her being OK with Joe’s murders and taking control of her dad’s company. Perhaps there was a far more sinister story being carried out in the shadows throughout Season 4 that we haven’t gotten to see just yet.
Everyone has their own theories about just how involved Kate may have been in manipulating all the events of Season 4, but the overarching idea is that Kate had somehow learned the truth about Joe (possibly from reading about the Madre Linda incident, or maybe her father had let it slip to her) and then made sure he became obsessed with her. Once she had him in the palm of her hand, she dropped countless hints that she wanted her father dead, and then presto: She’s suddenly one of the richest and most powerful people on the planet.
Looking back, there are a lot of moments that appear very different with this theory in mind. Like how Joe first came to London while following Marienne to an art show in the city... and Kate is a major player in the London art scene. Who’s to say Kate didn’t invite Marienne to the event knowing it would bring Joe to her? Kate was also the person to ensure Joe was invited to all of her social circle’s events, even though she often claimed it was Phoebe who was desperate for him to be there. But suspiciously, Joe couldn’t recall what he said to Phoebe to make her so attached to him. Could it have actually been Kate who convinced Phoebe that Joe was an integral part of their group and needed to always be around?
Sure, You has done the whole “woman Joe falls for turns out to be secretly evil” thing before, but this Kate twist could take that whole dynamic even further than Love did. If the show does return for a fifth season, the reveal that Kate was been pulling the strings all along would change everything for Joe, and could unleash an even more cutthroat side of Kate that had been hiding beneath the surface for the entirety of Season 4. If Joe had met his match with Love, he may have met his superior with Kate.
