Joe Goldberg has ended his story. 

The fifth and last season of “You,” Penn Badgley’s Netflix thriller, has hit the streaming platforms. The main character, Joe Goldberg, portrayed by the actor, is a seemingly sensitive romantic with a dark side that inclines towards murdering people.

Viewers might wonder if this final season of “You” provides any resolution for Joe’s wrongdoings. Does the narrative conclude with him escaping punishment, meeting his demise, or facing the repercussions in prison?

Spoilers below for “You” Season 5. 

Ultimately, the show ends with Joe behind bars. 

This season sees Joe returning to his roots in New York City, accompanied by his British wife, Kate (played by Charlotte Ritchie), and their young son, Henry (portrayed by Frankie DeMaio).

Because Kate is a high-powered business exec, she and Joe become famous and are invited to all the splashy society events. Joe graces magazine covers, and becomes known as her supportive husband. The public thinks he’s Prince Charming. 

All isn’t well between Joe and Kate, though. As he becomes disillusioned with his life, Joe meets Bronte (Madeline Brewer) and starts an affair with her. 

She’s just his type: a down-on-her luck girl who enjoys discussing books with him. 

Halfway through the season, a twist is revealed: Bronte isn’t who she seems to be. She catfished Joe. 

Her real name is Louise, and she was close with Joe’s first victim from Season 1, Beck (Elizabeth Lail). 

When Beck died, Louise was distraught and suspicious about the circumstances. She ended up finding a group of like-minded internet sleuths to team up with in order to take down Joe.

After her friend Dominique (Natasha Behnam) catches Joe killing someone on video and live-streams it to the world, Joe’s star falls. He even ends up on the cover of the New York Post, with the headline: “Joe Goldmurderer.” 

Joe is furious to be so misunderstood by the public. 

There are twists and turns in his romance with Bronte / Louise, because although she was teaming up with her friends to dupe and expose Joe, it turns out she really did fall for him, and start doubting his guilt.

In the end, Bronte / Louise agrees to run away with Joe to start a new life together – but at this point, she’s once again trying to expose him as a murderer. 

After the couple takes refuge at a secluded house, Bronte / Louise holds Joe at gunpoint and demands to know what happened to Beck. 

The struggle over the gun, and their fight soon trickles outside, with both of them wounded, running through the woods.  

She manages to call the cops, who chase Joe and catch him. 

The show ends with Louise’s voiceover telling us that Joe was put on trial, his crimes were exposed, and now he’s in prison. 

The camera shows Joe with a shaved head and in a prison jumpsuit, sitting alone in a prison cell. 

He still doesn’t take responsibility for his actions, though – as he reads sexy letters that “fans” sent him.

“So in the end, my punishment is even worse than I imagined,” he says in a voiceover. “The loneliness, oh my god, the loneliness. No hope of being held…this is forever. It’s unfair, putting all of this on me. Aren’t we all just projects of our environment? Hurt people hurt people.” 

As he reads one particular letter, he asks himself: “Why am I in a cage when these crazies write me all the depraved things they want me to do to them? Maybe we have a problem as a society.”

As “Creep” by Radiohead starts to play, Joe proclaims: “Maybe the problem isn’t me…maybe it’s you.”