Who is the killer in 'You' season 4? Trust us, you did not see this one coming

New season, same drama, different murderer? "Who is the killer in You season 4?" you ask. Well, it's a tad complicated. 

We've kept a running list of the people Joe Goldberg killed throughout the Netflix series, but now it seems the tables have turned in the latest installment. We meet Professor Jonathan Moore (one of the many Joe Goldberg names/aliases) who is making a name for himself in academia in London. Though he's less than pleased with the cocky attitude of his intellectual peers, he's surprised that they keep turning up dead...and he's not the one responsible for their untimely demises. 

Sure, Joe/Jonathan (played by Penn Badgley) might be on the other side of the pond, but he's never terribly far away from a handful of murders. Who's responsible now, considering Joe is trying desperately to change his way?

*Warning: season 4 parts 1 and 2 spoilers ahead!*

Who is the killer in 'You' season 4?

If not Joe, then who? It appears Rhys Montrose (Ed Speelers) is the one responsible for the handful of deaths in You season 4...but there's a catch. 

The memoirist strikes up a friendship with Joe, and it seems that our protagonist is finally able to make an authentic connection with someone. But, the mayoral candidate has done some dark deeds—much like Joe—and he feels particularly close to Joe because of that fact.

"It’s kind of devastating when you become friends with somebody you think you can really look up to and share the same point of view on the world, and now he has to question everything about what Rhys has ever said to him because the guy is clearly a very good liar," showrunner Sera Gamble told Netflix Tudum. 

Despite the striking similarities between the two men—a love of literature and murder— Joe has no intention of becoming anything like his peer, or so he says. Enter You season 4 part 2: "You don't get to tell me who I am. I'm not some cold-blooded psycho," Joe says to Rhys in the trailer.

Well, actually...that's not so. It turns out that yes, Rhys does exist, but he's a figment of Joe's imagination. Joe has never actually met him; Rhys is just an alter ego for the book-lover-turned murderer. If you're wondering what this means, it's exactly what you think:  Who killed Malcom and the rest of the mayoral hopeful's victims? It was Joe this whole time. 

Our minds have been blown, but we really should not have been so surprised, given Joe's track record. Speelers was particularly concerned about his role in this unbelievable plot twist, according to an interview with Entertainment Weekly. 

"I was slightly terrified when I was first told what I was gonna be doing, 'cause it felt like a huge amount of pressure," he told the outlet. "But once the scripts started coming in and I was able to break it down more thoroughly, it just appealed. It seemed to click quite well playing a complete nutcase." 

Well played, indeed!

You season 4 parts 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix. Here's everything you need to know about You season 5.