Last week, Netflix was forced to ask its viewers to stop lusting over Ted Bundy even though, in a weird twist, the streaming giant is already suggesting that Zac Efron should win an Oscar for playing the convicted serial killer (as a handsome heartthrob). However, Netflix has now done something to downplay the appeal of You‘s stalker Joe, played by Penn Badgley, who has repeatedly voiced his discomfort over his character’s raging popularity. Enter this narration-free version of You, which could kill at least a few crushes. Maybe?
One quickly realizes that Badgley’s sociopathically-infused voiceover, which almost exactly mirrors Caroline Kepnes’ novel, is what makes this series so dangerously addictive. Without his voice, the touches of dark humor disappear, as does the internalized normalization of his unnerving behavior. We now see him as others see him — as a skeevy lurker who stares at everyone without speaking — especially when it comes to Beck’s best friend, Peach Salinger, who didn’t trust Joe at all. Perhaps the most uncomfortable scene of all in this montage features an over-excited Joe taking Beck to bed, where he becomes the “8-second man.” The aftermath is only filled with awkward silence, rather than diffusing the situation with Joe’s anguish over sexually disappointing the woman that he essentially coerced into bed.
Even if Joe was a normal guy and not a serial killer, this narration-free video makes it obvious that their relationship would have been doomed anyway. He and Beck barely speak to each other! He simply romances her in his own head, and for some reason, she’s into it. For example:
Solid point, Netflix. (See you all for You season 2 later this year.)
