Netflix’s YOU Season 3 Parents Guide + Review

Netflix’s YOU kicks off its third season on October 15, 2021. This thrilling drama is known for keeping viewers on the edge of their seat with unseen twists and turns, and don’t expect anything less this season! Guaranteed a number one spot on Netflix with a cult following, this series is sure to appeal to a wide variety of generations, but just how appropriate is YOU for teens? I’m breaking down all of the thematic elements, including its TV-MA rating, in my YOU Season 3 Parents Guide and Review. Here’s what parents need to know to help YOU decide if it’s appropriate for your family. As always, no spoilers!

Netflix’s YOU Season 3 Parents Guide + Review

Everyone’s favorite psychopathic killer, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), is back. But this time things are different. At the conclusion of YOU season 2, Joe was so close to murdering his impulsive also killer girlfriend, Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) when she revealed she’s pregnant with his child. This changes everything. Joe is about to become a father, and we know from Joe’s own childhood, he was a very troubled little boy. He will do anything to protect his child from repeating his past.

Joe and Love get married and uproot their family to suburbia where they desperately try to seem like your typical normal family. However, we all know this toxic couple is anything but normal. Things are about to get crazy in the small town of Madre Linda. 

Joe and Love both vow that things are different this time and try to put their murderous pasts behind them. They try entirely too hard to present that picture perfect family. Love even opens a bakery called, “Fresh Tart,” cleverly a pun on “fresh start.” The thing is, they are both the same people they were before. They can’t quite shake their impulsive tendencies; Love’s being jealousy and Joe’s being obsession. Crazily enough, they truly believe they’re doing what’s in the best interest of their family. Whether the two of them are working as a team, or conspiring against one another, you can almost feel where they’re coming from. Almost.

While it might seem like Joe and Love are perfect for each other, it’s no secret that their relationship is toxic. As crazy as they are, you cannot help but love them both — Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti’s chemistry is off the charts! 

YOU Season 3 Cleverly Addresses the Pandemic 

While the pandemic is NOT a topic in YOU season 3, there was a whole lot of hinting about what is currently happening in our world. There’s chatter about anti-vaxxers and how they are responsible for spreading a deadly virus that could be eradicated if people would get vaccinated. It’s very blunt and to the point and it’s tied into the storyline perfectly.

There is no sugarcoating how the producers feel about the pandemic, essentially bringing full awareness and putting it front and center. I’m sure they’ll receive some backlash from those who don’t share their beliefs, but I applaud the filmmakers of YOU for laying it on thick.

YOU Season 3 and “Missing White Woman Syndrome”

If you aren’t familiar with the term, “Missing White Woman Syndrome” is when disproportionate media coverage is provided to missing white, upper-middle-class women, compared to minorities or women of lower social classes, and men. Ironically, this ties right into the current Gabby Petito case. With YOU bringing awareness to make a statement that this is not okay. All missing people deserve to be found.

Is YOU Season 3 Family Friendly? Here’s Your Parents Guide:

Netflix’s YOU season 3 has a TV-MA rating, and rightfully so. There are 10 episodes in each season and they’re about 45 minutes long. This series is an easy binge because you really get caught up in the story. It’s addicting and each episode will leave you wanting more. Teens are going to be enticed to watch this series. We all know it’s going to hit number one on Netflix, therefore, it’s going to be right on the main page. However, just because this is one of my favorite Netflix series, would I recommend it for families? That’s a definite hard no. Here’s what parents need to know about You season 3.

Language

While there is just about every profane word under the sun in YOU, that’s hardly the worst of it.

Violence

Murder? Check, check, and check a million times more. YOU season 3 is about Joe and Love Goldberg who are erratic murderers. They kill people in an act of passion, not thinking of their actions and cleaning up the mess afterwards. The murders are graphic and bloody. An array of weapons are used like guns, knives, arrows, and literally any type of object you could use to kill someone — some conventional, and others aren’t. 

It’s no secret that Joe and Love have their famous soundproof cage…and it’s obviously used again in season 3. 

There are a few scenes of children beating up other children, and there’s animal abuse, as well as arson, and endangerment to a child.

YOU is violent. There are some scenes where you’ll need to turn your head because they’re that cringe-worthy. 

Mature Content

There’s a lot of sex in YOU season 3, and it’s very graphic. It is not something I’d feel comfortable watching with my children or teens. Suicide is also part of the third season, as is drug abuse.

Age Recommendation

YOU season 3 is not meant for tweens, teens, and kids. It is not family friendly. YOU’s TV-MA rating is spot on and should only be viewed by adults. With that being said, we all know how sneaky teenagers can be, so take this as your heads up. Don’t let them watch this series alone. 

Overall Thoughts

YOU season 3 is one heck of a wild ride, easy to binge, and will leave you satisfied, yet thirsty for more. Netflix’s YOU is packed with so many twists and turns they’ll be spiraling out of control. Don’t miss YOU season 3 hitting Netflix on October 15, 2021. 

YOU Season 3 Synopsis

In Season 3, Joe and Love, now married and raising their baby, have moved to the balmy Northern California enclave of Madre Linda, where they’re surrounded by privileged tech entrepreneurs, judgmental mommy bloggers, and Insta-famous biohackers. Joe is committed to his new role as a husband and dad but fears Love’s lethal impulsiveness. And then there’s his heart. Could the woman he’s been searching for all this time live right next door? Breaking out of a cage in a basement is one thing. But the prison of a picture-perfect marriage to a woman who’s wise to your tricks? Well, that’ll prove a much more complicated escape.