<p id=”par-1_56″><em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/you/”>You</a></em> will be coming to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-penn-badgley-thinks-season-5-end-netflix-show.html/”>an end after season 5</a>, which its star Penn Badgley already predicted in the past. There are several ways <em>You </em>can bring Joe Goldberg’s journey to a close, with most expecting the character to finally get his comeuppance. But Badgley felt that Joe’s punishment could mean different things to different people.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-penn-badgley-felt-you-had-to-end”>How Penn Badgley felt ‘You’ had to end</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/You-Penn-Badgley.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=’Penn Badgley discusses “You” during SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations while wearing a grey shirt.’ class=”wp-image-3782276″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Penn Badgley | Roy Rochlin/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-2_56″>The last four seasons of <em>You </em>have seen Joe Goldberg <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-how-does-season-4-end-does-joe-goldberg-survive.html/”>narrowly survive death</a> and avoid capture. But his luck is expected to run out in the show’s last season. However, the question on many fans’ minds is exactly how Joe will meet his end. A likely scenario is that he’ll eventually be imprisoned for his crimes.</p>
<p id=”par-3_52″>There are plenty of loose ends in the show that can all lead to the character’s undoing. There’s also the possibility that Joe could be killed off, or face some other consequence that isn’t readily apparent. Speaking with <a href=”https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/penn-badgley-luckiest-guy-in-new-york-returns-with-kate-you-season-5-teaser-1236146433/”>The Hollywood Reporter</a>, Badgley joined in on the discussion surrounding the show’s anticipated conclusion.</p>
<p id=”par-4_84″>“What I like is that it actually puts us in a new place, because as much as we like watching the arc of Joe, we also want him to be brought to justice,” Badgley said. “But, death or prison? Are they that satisfying? What do we even mean when we say ‘brought to justice’? Do we really want vengeance? Do we want revenge? Do we want torture? What is it that people want? And, what is actual justice? They’re not necessarily the same thing.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-2″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe title=”YOU: Season 5 | Official Teaser #2 | Netflix” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/k1zaWdcxH5U?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<p id=”par-5_86″>Badgley presented a scenario where Joe’s finale might take him to uncharted territory. He also explained how Joe’s new position will affect his last <em>You</em> moments. The character worked a modest job in a bookstore in New York, although even Badgley was unsure where his character <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-even-penn-badgley-doesnt-know-joe-goldberg-gets-money.html/”>really got his money from</a>. However, season 4 ended with Joe having more power and money than ever before. This could make Joe even harder to take down. But it could also make his fall from grace hit even harder.</p>
<p id=”par-6_51″>“I think he actually can go to a new place and, if and when it happens, it’ll probably be this spectacular resolution that everybody’s hoping it could be, because now he has further to fall. He has power and the stakes are high. He’s not just some guy anymore,” he said.</p>
<p id=”par-7_16″>However, Badgley is confident that <em>You</em>’s ending would answer all of the questions he’d want addressed.</p>
<p id=”par-8_51″>“The ending that they’ve pitched to me, I think it is that. Part of the reason I’m even able to say this is because of what [executive producer] Greg Berlanti shared with me: his idea about how it could end… and I can’t tell you what it is,” Badgley told <a href=”https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/penn-badgley-you-interview-charlotte-ritchie-season-5-3413910″>NME</a>.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-penn-badley-once-said-this-was-the-most-significant-question-about-you”>Penn Badley once said this was the most significant question about ‘You’</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-3″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe title=”Penn Badgley Got Nauseous from You’s Gory Set” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/QAQxDbZToKI?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/penn-badgley-thinks-dan-humphrey-joe-goldberg-would-hate-each-other.html/”>
Penn Badgley Thinks Dan Humphrey and Joe Goldberg Would ‘Hate’ Each Other </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-9_90″>There was another question Badgley asked about Joe’s fate that the series finale may answer. Although the character has committed heinous crimes, <em>You </em>gave Joe a backstory that some fans might find easy to sympathize with. So much so that certain viewers have <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-fans-say-done-romanticizing-penn-badgleys-joe-goldberg-season-4-finale.html/”>even romanticized the character</a> in the past. There have been a couple of instances in the show where Joe demonstrated his more redeemable qualities. In a 2021 interview with <a href=”https://collider.com/you-penn-badgley-interview-season-3-netflix-season-4/”>Collider</a>, Badgley was asked if there was a possibility that his character could be happy in the end.</p>
<p id=”par-10_92″>“So this is probably the most significant question the show will continue to answer until it’s over. I think actually we’ve explored the whole … I mean, I’m not saying we’ve done it to the point that it’s clearly answered, but I think we’ve done what we can in terms of offering a deconstructive lens of masculinity and romantic tropes. We’ll always be deepening on them, I’m not saying that it’s done, but I’m saying a great bulk of our work is now out there and people have seen that,” he said.</p>
<p id=”par-11_78″>“I think this question that you just asked is the question remaining,” Badgley added. “In the real world, so that we’re in a real emotional universe and can relate to this happening, where does a person like Joe go? Where is justice for him and for us? Does that mean happiness? I mean, it’s like, does a person like Joe deserve to die? Yes. But does anyone deserve to kill him? I really think this is this question.”</p>