Season three has too much Love
**Note: This review covers the first seven episodes of 'You' season three only.**
We hate to admit it, but we miss the old Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley); the serial stalker has lost his mojo. 'You' season three picks up following Joe and his wife Love Quinn's (Victoria Pedretti) move to the Californian suburb of Madre Linda. Their child Henry is born within the opening minutes, indicating that this could see a change in the dynamic of the show - and the upset is felt almost instantaneously after loading up episode one.
What 'You' season three is attempting to do is continue the storyline of this unhinged married couple, both of whom have killed in the past, trying to "normalise" them both by adding in that extra dynamic of a child. However, it all just feels a bit too messed up. And that's coming from a person who thoroughly enjoyed both of the previous seasons that followed one guy's obsession with a number of unknowing females and their friends and partners.
The suburb of Madre Linda is all about fitness addicts, keto diets, neighbourly gossip and keeping up with appearances - basically everything Joe and Love are not. Struggling to fit in, Joe stumbles upon the only library in the area, run by Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) where, due to his love of books, helps him feel at home for the first time. Meanwhile, Love's mother Dottie (Saffron Burrows) is around the house often enough to encourage her daughter to set up a bakery in town.
Early on, Joe feels himself changing. He's feeling his priorities shifting, ever-so-slightly, to revolve around being a great father for Henry and a doting husband to Love. However, following the events of episode one, he's forced back into his old habits - and this time, he's got two accomplices alongside him. In doing so, the story arc of this series follows both Joe and Love independently, which begrudgingly takes focus away from the main character we've - despite our best interests - taken a liking to.
But there's one major problem - we just can't warm to Love. Maybe it's Pedretti's constant forlorn face, or possibly it's that somehow she's become the problematic character this time around, and not Joe, but something just doesn't sit right with Love being on the screen as much as her husband. Just give us the trashy thriller we've binged on previously and let us be.
Three seasons in, with the obsessive/stalker formula possibly wearing thin, it feels like Netflix tried to do something new with 'You'. While there are some dramatic twists and turns for sure, and some surprising new character additions (Marcia Cross, for one), 'You' season three feels like the franchise is beginning to run out of steam.
All 10 episodes of 'You' season three arrive on Netflix on Friday, October 15.