Joe Goldberg is back — and before Netflix unleashes the final chapter of You, audiences can now catch up with everything that’s happened so far. Netflix has released a 17-minute video recap, with none other than series star Penn Badgley narrating Joe’s twisted tale.

You can watch the official video above, and if you’d prefer a written summary, we’ve put together a full recap of what you need to know below.

Badgley walks us through Joe’s obsessive journey from New York to Los Angeles to London — a string of fake identities, dead bodies, and doomed romances scattered along the way. From his bookstore meet-cute with Beck, to suburban dysfunction with Love, to the chaos of high society abroad, it’s been a disturbingly busy few years for the world’s most literate stalker.

The video arrives ahead of You’s fifth and final season, landing on Netflix globally on April 24. This time, Joe’s back where it all began: New York City. But now, he’s returned with wealth, power, and a carefully curated public image — thanks to his new life alongside Kate, heir to a fortune. According to showrunner Sera Gamble, viewers should prepare for the arrival of “Joe Classic” — only with more influence, and fewer barriers.

Watch the recap above, then scroll down for our full breakdown of You seasons 1 to 4 — everything you need to know before the end begins.

Season 1: Hello, You

The story begins in New York, where bookstore manager Joe Goldberg meets Guinevere Beck, a graduate student and aspiring writer. Joe is instantly smitten — and immediately intrusive. After stealing her phone, he gains access to her digital life and begins surveilling her every move, believing his obsession is justified by love.

Joe eliminates anyone who threatens their “relationship.” First, Beck’s casual boyfriend Benji, who’s killed via a peanut-laced coffee and disposed of in a remote forest. Then Peach Salinger, Beck’s wealthy and possessive best friend, who Joe first attempts to bludgeon before finally shooting during a trip to her family’s estate.

Despite the growing darkness around them, Joe and Beck continue their on-and-off relationship. Beck grows suspicious and begins investigating Joe’s past — especially his story about a mysterious ex-girlfriend named Candace. After discovering a hidden box filled with her friends’ belongings and evidence of Joe’s crimes, Beck is imprisoned in the basement of the bookstore. She briefly outsmarts Joe and locks him in, but her escape attempt fails. Joe kills her and frames her therapist, Dr. Nicky, for the murder.

Just when Joe seems to have got away with it, Candace — presumed dead — walks into the bookstore. The past isn’t finished with him yet.

Season 2: Love in LA

Joe flees to Los Angeles under a new name: Will Bettelheim. He tries to start fresh, even imprisoning the real Will in a storage unit to assume his identity. Before long, Joe meets Love Quinn — a charismatic chef from a powerful local family — and her troubled twin brother, Forty.

Joe’s efforts to stay on the straight and narrow falter quickly. He befriends teenager Ellie and her older sister Delilah, a journalist investigating celebrity abuse, and soon finds himself once again resorting to stalking and manipulation. Love’s friend group is chaotic, and Joe attempts to navigate it while suppressing hallucinations of Beck and confronting a new nemesis: Candace, now operating under the name Amy.

Candace tries to expose Joe at a Quinn family retreat, but Love intervenes — and kills her. In a major twist, Love reveals she’s been following Joe all along and has committed murders of her own. Joe is prepared to kill her — until she reveals she’s pregnant.

Joe and Love relocate to the suburbs to raise their child, with Joe quietly noting his interest in the woman next door.

Season 3: Trouble in the Suburbs

In Madre Linda, Joe and Love appear to be living the domestic dream, raising their infant son Henry. But beneath the surface, resentment brews. Joe becomes obsessed with local librarian Marienne, while Love begins an affair with college student Theo.

When Joe’s fixation with neighbour Natalie leads Love to discover another hidden box, she kills Natalie in a rage. Together, they cover it up and try to maintain a united front. But their marriage begins to unravel — both are lying, both are unfaithful, and both are spiralling.

Their efforts to fit into the community, including befriending influencer couple Sherry and Cary, backfire when a botched attempt at a polyamorous night turns into another glass cage situation. Love imprisons the Conrads after they overhear a murder confession. Meanwhile, Joe deepens his pursuit of Marienne, even killing her abusive ex, Ryan.

Eventually, Love discovers Joe’s betrayal and prepares to kill him, but Joe outmanoeuvres her once again. He poisons her with aconite, stages a murder-suicide, and leaves Henry in the care of a trusted friend. Joe then flees to Europe in search of Marienne, ending the season in Paris.

Season 4: A Killer in London

Season four sees Joe in London, now living as Professor Jonathan Moore thanks to a new identity arranged by Love’s family’s fixer. He teaches literature and finds himself drawn into a new circle of high-society friends — most of whom he detests. Among them is Kate Galvin, a fiercely guarded woman who slowly becomes his next fixation.

Joe attempts to lay low, but bodies begin to drop. He’s contacted by a mysterious blackmailer claiming to know his true identity and accusing him of murder. Dubbed the “Eat the Rich Killer,” this new figure drives Joe into a reluctant game of cat and mouse.

Joe suspects Rhys Montrose — a charismatic author and political hopeful — only to discover the truth is far stranger. The Rhys he’s been communicating with doesn’t exist. He’s a hallucination, the product of Joe’s psychotic break after he kidnapped and imprisoned Marienne in a hidden cage without remembering it.

Student Nadia eventually finds Marienne and devises a plan for her escape. Meanwhile, Joe kills Kate’s father, Tom Lockwood, and allows Kate to help rebuild his identity — casting him publicly as a victim of Love. With Nadia framed for murder and Marienne presumed dead, Joe returns to New York, this time as a man of wealth and influence — his worst self, finally untethered.

Season 5 Trailer