Joe Goldberg from YOU: A case study on writing compelling main characters š
(No major spoilers for any of the seasons!)
YOU is without a doubt one of Netflixās most successful shows till dateāfour seasons, each one better than the last (in my humble opinion, at least), with the most recent set of episodes dropping today. And the biggest reason for YOUās success is the showās main character, Joe Goldberg.
Joe is, frankly, neither truly likeable nor relatable to most of us (or so I hope). Heās a murderer, and believes he can āsaveā women that donāt actually need saving.
But every time heās close to getting caught, viewers like you and me root for him to get away. Because heās that well-written.
What makes Joe so compelling as a Main Character?
There are three things the showās writers have mastered when it comes to Joeās character, all of which are essential:
Joe has a solid GMC
He struggles with both internal and external conflicts
He has a rich, albeit problematic backstory and past
Letās look at these three points in detail.
Joeās solid GMC
GMC refers to Goal-Motivation-Conflict, aka the building blocks of creating a fleshed out fictional main character.
G: Joeās goal in the first three seasons is to get the woman he ālovesā to love him back, and to rescue her from her difficult lifeāeven if he has to kill for her.
M: His savior complex makes him think heās being the good guy here. And all Joe wants is to be āgood.ā
C: He canāt get caught at any cost.
Joeās internal & external conflict
I believe his internal conflict stems from his experience of his tragic past, which weāll get to in a moment. Even though he believes heās doing the right thing, heās always wary that the woman heās trying to āsaveā will find out about his methods, which is why he lies and sneaks around, clearly showing that on some subconscious level, heās conflictedāperhaps even ashamed or guiltyāabout his actions.
This is something thatās implied throughout the show but not explicitly shown to the audience until season 4.
On the other hand, the external conflict he faces is obvious: the fear of getting caught. Joe knows killing is illegal, stalking is wrong, and lying is manipulation. But he thinks itās all for the greater good.
Throughout the show, he evades getting caught by the cops or other characters, and there are multiple near-misses where he risks the truth coming out. And if the truth does come out, he resorts to ātaking care of it,ā aka killing, which further reinforces the risk of getting caught.
Joeās rich backstory and past
This man has a rich, tragic, complex backstory. I feel like the reason for his internal conflict and fear of the women he ālovesā figuring out the truth is because the first woman he savedāhis momāsent him away for killing her abusive boyfriend.
Although this doesnāt stop him from trying to save everyone, it does instill in him the fear of losing the one he loves if the truth gets out. This tragic backstory might be another reason we root for him, although heās a terrible, dangerous, psychopathic person.
Are you a fan of YOU and planning to watch the latest episodes of season 4? What are your thoughts on Joe Goldberg? Comment below if youāre on the Substack app and hit āreplyā if Iām in your inbox, and let me know!
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Until next time!
Love hard & dream big,
Swati