You season 4 theory suggests Joe is hallucinating everything and Love is still alive

17 February 2023, 17:49

Watch the trailer for You Season 4 Part 2

By Katie Louise Smith

"Love is still alive and she dragged Joe's body to the Cage. There, she is keeping him sedated every day so he stays half-alive but mostly dead."

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After five intense episodes of You season 4 and a four week wait until the final five episodes arrive on Netflix, fans have been busy trying to theorise what the hell is going to happen next.

In Part 1, viewers see Penn Badgley's Joe Goldberg grapple with a stalker and a mystery killer, but they're not entirely convinced that season 4 is as straight forward as it seems.

Fans are already convinced they've figured out that Part 2 will have a big twist thanks to a pretty convincing theory that explains how Joe is actually imagining his relationship with Rhys.

But due to Love Quinn's shock appearance in the Part 2 trailer, another theory is doing the rounds that claims Love is actually still alive. And not only is she still alive, but she's holding Joe captive in the cage while continuing to sedate him with the aconite/wolfsbane poison, as she did at the end of season 3.

Read the full theory below and see what you think.

Is Love Quinn actually alive in You season 4?

You season 4 part 2 theory: Love is alive and Joe is hallucinating? Picture: Netflix

The 'Joe is being poisoned by Love' theory has been widely shared on social media, but one particular Reddit thread has sparked a lot of conversation. Posted by u/ChocolatesCambridge, the theory suggests that season 4 is all happening inside Joe's mind while he's still poisoned by wolfsbane.

"I think Joe is still lying on the floor in Madre Linda while Love has just poisoned him with wolfsbane. In that state, he made up this whole plan to bake the toe and burn the home and write the letter. It never actually happened," the post reads.

"Love is still alive and she dragged Joe's body to the Cage," they continue. "There, she is keeping him sedated every day so he stays half-alive but mostly dead. In this state, she is reading out stories to him like the latest book by a guy named Rhys. Because of the way our brains work, Joe is having these subconscious plotlines in his dreams, which is he perceiving as reality."

"I think in the second part of the season, we see Joe starting to break through the sedation and sees Love in the 'real world'. It would explain why Joe is this poor little innocent creature, just trying to fight bad guys in this entire season. It's all in his head, he made up this whole world."

Love Quinn is seen reading Rhys Montrose's book in You season 4 part 2. Picture: Netflix

Reddit users have been reacting to that absolutely wild theory in the comments; some are here for it, others say there's no way that that'll be the big twist.

"This is interesting... I noticed a lot of inconsistencies with Rhys early on and noticed a few phrases Adam says that Joe uses only with Rhys," one user said, clocking those Rhys suspicions. "There's some overlap here I'm just not sure what it is..."

A second person replied: "It would definitely explain why this season doesn’t really match the other seasons. In the first seasons, the characters and situation were at least somewhat realistic (“realistic” in a fictional TV way). But this one, most of the characters seem hella exaggerated and the situation is just crazy imo."

Another user was skeptical about the whole thing, adding: "I think there's no way this is true, YET this is a top tier amazing theory!!"

Others joked that if everything really is happening inside Joe's mind, then "Joe has some explaining to do for all of that golden shower stuff." "Maybe it could be a nod to his subconscious remembering he left a jar of his own urine at Peaches’ house when he killed her," another user replied.

Is Rhys real is You season 4? Fans think Joe is imagining him. Picture: Netflix

Now, as low-key convincing as this theory sounds, it's likely not going to happen. Not only could millions of fans be frustrated with the "It Was All A Dream" trope, Victoria Pedretti and show-runner Sera Gamble have previously confirmed that Love is dead. Officially.

Back in 2021, Sera Gamble told Newsweek: "She is lying there [dead]. I'm not trying to be 'was there a parachute under that seat in the airplane?' She is [dead]."

Victoria also told Newsweek that she was told that season 3 would be Love's last before they even filmed it: "I'm pretty sure we had an understanding about how Love's story was going to end before I even signed on to the show, so I've been prepared."

In a past interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sera also teased: "One of my favourite things to do is bring back a dead person to haunt you. So the door is wide open for everybody's favourite characters."

Based on those comments, it seems like we can safely assume that Love's appearance in the Part 2 trailer is merely a hallucination. That theory though? WILD IF TRUE!