The Midlife

I start this off with a long overdue review of the final season of You. While I would normally post an image, I’ve been struggling to find one that isn’t copyrighted. So, this starts image-less.

Something about Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg is haunting and charming at the same time. I guess that is why he’s gotten away with being a serial killer for five seasons. Until now. It’s difficult to review this without spoiling anything that hasn’t already been spoiled or debriefed. I will say that in the TV world of serial killers, Penn Badgley’s Joe Goldberg, a childhood traumatized bookstore owner turned murderer, has taken spot number one among my all-time favorite TV serial killers. Second place would be Michael C. Hall’s Dexter, which served a disappointing final season but somehow redeemed itself with Dexter Original Sin. (Author’s note: I will not be partaking in any of the upcoming Dexter spin-offs or reimaginings because I feel there is a point when series should say bye bye and end on a high note.)

What distinguishes the final season of You from the final season of Dexter is the ultimate gotcha moments from past living conquests and an open to interpretation of sorts to what comes next for Joe. The addition of Madeline Brewer (from The Handmaid’s Tale) is a meet-your-match moment, featuring scene-stealing, nail-biting moments of incredible acting. If you watched, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

After a dirty deep dive into You, I needed a swift palate cleanse in the realm of something funny and mostly just fluff. And, boy, did Younger do its proper thing. Why aren’t more people talking about this show? The adorable Sutton Foster plays a divorced mom living in New York who lies about her age to get a publishing job. In the process, she reinvents herself as a 26-year-old and gets the ultimate do-over in work and romance. Although I think the show could have wrapped things up in five seasons versus seven, Darren Star delivers another entertaining and fashionable series with the exceptional casting of Foster, Hilary Duff, Nico Tortorella (Hunky 1), Peter Hermann (Hunky 2 a.k.a. Mr. Mariska Hargitay), and the exceptional Debi Mazar and Miriam Shor.

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