And when I say nothing, I mean nothing.<\/p>\n
See, what sounds like a synopsis for the perfect rom-com, is in fact the plot of Lifetime\u2019s latest psychological-thriller series,\u201cYou.\u201d<\/a><\/span>\u00a0The series, which was recently renewed for a second season, has seen a dramatic increase in popularity since being picked up by Netflix in December. With over 15,000<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>total posts in the last month, one thing is clear \u2013 viewers everywhere are hooked on this addictive new drama, and more importantly, they\u2019re hooked on Joe.<\/p>\n Why wouldn\u2019t they be? After all, I did\u00a0<\/em>say he\u2019s \u201cpractically\u201d the perfect guy. Except for the part where I forgot to mention that he\u2019s an obsessive stalker, and that his \u201ccrazy antics\u201d include everything from breaking and entering to the occasional murder. And yet, the template of this story feels oddly familiar…<\/p>\n That\u2019s because \u201cYou\u201d is everything we\u2019ve seen in every rom-com ever. The only difference is that it depicts what would happen if instead of on a movie screen, these scenarios were playing out in real life. It\u2019s what would happen if the barista from Starbucks actually showed up at your house in the middle of the night to profess his love for you based on a handful of conversations about the weather. \u201cYou\u201d portrays this flip side of rom-coms that we need to start talking about.<\/p>\n In its subversive expos\u00e9 on the dark side of these movies, \u201cYou\u201d has multiple moments of self-awareness where the characters reflect on rom-coms as they make morally questionable decisions. And by characters, I\u2019m referring to Joe.<\/p>\n Take, for example, Episode 1 where he spends his first day \u201cwith\u201d Beck. After following her everywhere from yoga class to work, he ends up breaking into her apartment, where he hacks into her computer and steals a few personal items. Then, when Beck comes home earlier than expected, Joe finds himself hiding in her shower, thinking to himself:<\/p>\n This is problematic, mostly because it\u2019s true. I mean, we\u2019ve all seen movies like There\u2019s Something About Mary<\/a><\/em><\/span>. The plot of that story involves, not 1, but 6 different guys stalking the same girl. The worst part is that they actually succeed in winning her over. The normalization of this type of behavior onscreen unintentionally sets an example for day-to-day relationships. It makes guys like Joe think, \u201cWell, if it worked for Ben Stiller, then it can work for me.\u201d<\/p>\n That brings us to the scene in Episode 6, where Joe, having followed Beck up to Peach Salinger\u2019s (Shay Mitchell) estate, finds himself in a similar predicament. This time, though, he isn\u2019t trapped in a shower, but rather under a bed, bearing witness to Peach\u2019s latest sexual encounter. Here, he makes a reference to the classic movie When Harry Met Sally<\/a><\/em><\/span>, saying:<\/p>\n Although Harry never does this per se, some would argue that he and Joe have some similar issues with boundaries. I\u2019m not saying that Harry is a murderer, but he does<\/em>show up to Sally\u2019s party uninvited, he doesn\u2019t<\/em>leave when she asks him to, and he doesn\u2019t<\/em>take her \u201cI hate you\u201d as the explicit rejection that it is. It\u2019s like Joe is taking pages straight out of Harry\u2019s playbook, and just taking them one step further.<\/p>\n To top it all off, in the surprising season finale, there\u2019s no doubt that Joe is all about going big or going home. I mean, when Beck finds out what a creep he really is, he literally keeps her prisoner in a glass cage. As if this wasn\u2019t concerning enough, Joe goes on to justify his behavior as an act of true love. He claims:<\/p>\n You got me again, Joe. It is\u00a0<\/i>the stuff of a million love songs.\u00a0The Police<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>told us \u201cEvery breath you take, I\u2019ll be watching you;\u201d\u00a0Lady Gaga<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>sang \u201cI\u2019ll follow you until you love me;\u201d and even The Beatles<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>said \u201cI\u2019d rather see you dead, than to be with another man.\u201d Everywhere we look, the media is telling us that if love isn\u2019t obsessive, then it isn\u2019t true love.<\/p>\n Of course, most love songs and rom-coms are meant to be entertaining, not to be taken literally. However, the reality is that all media, whether fictional or not, can have an influence on the way people behave in the real world. I\u2019ve met my fair share of \u201cnice\u201d guys who lurk outside the workplace, show up to places uninvited, and think \u201cno\u201d simply means try harder. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the era of the #MeToo<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>movement, \u201cYou\u201d shows up at the right time to shed some light on the issues of boundaries and the abuse of power. Most of all, though, it leaves us with a lesson for all people of all genders:<\/p>\n Forget what the rom-coms have taught you, you don\u2019t want to end up like Joe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Maria Ordo\u00f1ez Warning: The following article contains multiple spoilers. Read at your own risk. Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is a charming bookstore manager who reads to kids, saves old books, and keeps his young neighbor out of trouble. He\u2019s practically the perfect guy, except he\u2019s still recovering from his latest heartbreak. Just when he\u2019s … Continue reading “You:” The Flip Side of the Rom-Com<\/span> ![\"Picture1\"](\"\/hoochie\/files\/2019\/01\/Picture1-1-300x171.jpg\")
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