"You" is by no means a typical murder mystery show Many tend to fall into the categories of "whodunnit" ("Only Murders in the Building"), "howcatchem" ("Poker Face"), or "whodead" ("White Lotus") However, "You" is more like "howgetawaywithit" The thrill is in the stalker/serial killer Joe Goldberg's escape from the eyes of those closest to him and law enforcement

But after three seasons, "You" is getting a little tired The plot devices necessary to get Joe off the hook felt increasingly shaky Joe's baseball cap-wearing "undercover" look is akin to Superman hiding behind his glasses Still, I was wary of another season of similar storylines: Joe falls for a woman, obsessively stalks her, and eventually kills her, but somehow never gets caught

So I was pleasantly surprised that part 1 of season 4 of You changed the formula to be more "whodunit" Joe has built a new life in London, and the bodies are still piling up in his social circle This time, however, he is not the only stalker/killer on the loose The hunter is now also the prey

This review of "You" Season 4 Part 1 contains mild spoilers

A large part of "You" rests on the performance of the show's star, Penn Badgley Joe often comes across as robotic and emotionless Yet, still, behind his eyes, one can often see a desperate thought It is a testament to Badgley's skill that he can tell the subtle difference between someone he hates (but needs to be appeased) and someone he cares about (but should not be appeased)

Each season brings new people around Joe And as always, you do a great job with the casting Since the show's inception, you have cast bright, talented young actors such as Elizabeth Lail, Victoria Pedretti, James Scully, Jenna Ortega, and Tati Gabriel

Similarly, Season 4 features an excellent cast of fascinating new characters Notable names include Charlotte Ritchie as the icy, cold, and suspicious art gallery director Kate; Tillie Keeper as the vulgar, rich socialite Lady Phoebe; Lucas Gage as the obnoxious American entrepreneur Adam; Ed Speriers as the handsome and charming author Rhys Montrose In

The supporting cast adds color to Joe, who chooses to keep a low profile In Season 4, Joe joins a group of wealthy, privileged, and spoiled assholes Their power-hungry snobbishness makes them prime fodder for ridicule Such "eat the rich" schadenfreude is all the rage (see "White Lotus"), so it is neither new nor original, but the farcical tone of "You" sometimes pushes it to the extreme

In my opinion, "You" avoided a very dangerous zone before season four From the beginning, "You" had a formulaic format: Jo picks a new object of obsession, stalks it to enter her life, and kills a few of her friends and lovers who get in the way before she finally realizes that she's not a good person

This last phase is a bit of a change In Season 1 Guinevere Beck is dead Season 2's Love Quinn initially survived by becoming a sociopath, as did Joe, and married Joe and had his child Yet she was dead by the season 3 finale Joe's most recent target, Marienne Bellamy, fled to Paris, and Joe followed

However, as season 4 begins, he is living in London under the alias Jonathan Moore He takes a job as a university professor teaching literature and trying to be "good" (ie, not kill people) Joe's pursuit of Marienne is over, and the reasons for it are explained This process is a very flimsy deus ex machina and one of the weakest points of the first episode

This past soon rears its head and Joe becomes involved in the murder of a newly acquainted rich man He did not commit the murder And that someone knows Joe's phone number (both literally and figuratively) The stalker is being stalked For once, Joe is in the dark Joe must find out who the culprit is before he is accused and imprisoned

Like "Emily in Paris" Season 3, which I reviewed last time, "You" does not pretend to be something it is not This is not a highbrow, serious drama; it is a soapy, silly, thriller Most of the characters, as well as the actual murderer, are terrible people

But for what it's worth, like the soap, "You" is very watchable No, it is as addictive as the drugs that pampered sergeants consume in exclusive private clubs A better analogy might be that we are as addicted to watching Joe become a stalker/killer as we are to watching him become a stalker/killer The episodes are so carefully constructed around red herrings, clues, and cliffhangers that there is not even an option to "watch the next one"

Now in its fourth season, "You" keeps things fresh with a slight paradigm shift Adding the mystery element was a wise choice It certainly makes me look forward to Season 4 Part 2 even more

But the fact that there is a part two is very frustrating, and not just because part one ends with a cliffhanger; since "You" moved to Netflix, the 10-episode season has been released all at once, like all Netflix shows However, Netflix is clearly trying to tweak its binge-release model, splitting the recent seasons of "Stranger Things," "Ozark," "Lucifer," and "Money Heist"

The season splits feel like a blatant cash-grab, a way for Netflix to lock in subscribers for another month It may be good business for the company, but it is really annoying for the viewer