LIFETIME TRILLER 'YOU' EXPLORES THE INNER MIND OF A STALKER.

That is the question perceived to ask in the story of YOU .

Based on the best-selling novel by Caroline Kepnes, the lifetime series plunges aspiring writer Guinevere Beck into a confusing web of toxic relationships: boyfriend, best friend, professor, and step-mother. They all have one thing in common. Their negative, condescending influence keeps Beck in a state of non-productivity and self-destruction. What's worse is that she allows them to stifle her. Whether her self-esteem is in the dump or she's too oblivious to see it, her inability to say no makes her the most infuriating character in the series.

Yet, the only person to see her glaring personality flaw is her stalker: book store owner Joe Goldberg.

The story follows Joe's point of view as he follows Beck around New York City, monitors her cell phone activity, and watches her every move on social media. He becomes obsessed. However, he is not obsessed with the flawed person she is, but instead, he obsesses over the perfect angel he wants her to be. Thus, he embarks on a campaign to "fix" her in the name of love.

THAT is not love. "YOU" is not a love story. Joe Goldberg is not a man in love. He is a stalking, manipulating, and controlling villain. However, he is surrounded by other villains. So much so that Beck has cannot see him coming. Compared to the other toxic people in her life, he looks positively normal. In fact, he is the most rounded and self-realized person in her life. He owns a business. He cares about good literature. He even takes care of the abused and neglected child who lives in the apartment next door. In that context alone, Joe Goldberg ought to be the story's hero.

So, why isn't he?

Because of the lines that he crosses without a second thought or an ounce of remorse. He breaks into Beck's apartment, he steals her personal belongings, he invades her privacy, and he lies to her. When all else fails, he murders her boyfriend Benji and best friend Peach.

YOU is supposedly a story about a man helping a lost girl become the best version of herself. Eliminating her obstacles is at the least enabling her destructive behavior, because he is not giving her the opportunity to stand up to them. He fancies himself a guardian angel. The truth he cannot face is that killing these people is the easiest way to eliminate his competition. In doing so, he gives himself easy access to her time and attention. That's the mark of a controlling abuser.

Remarkably, his campaign works. She eventually grows a spine and learns to fight back against the toxic influences in her life. With Peach and Benji out of the picture, there is one person left for her to fight: Joe. She eventually discovers his true villainy and tries to escape him. She finally stands up for herself.

That is not a part of his plan. He wants control, not companionship. He wants a pet to shower him in gratitude, not a strong, capable woman. Yet, a strong, capable woman is what he gets. His success becomes his downfall.

What happens when a controlling abuser loses control? Separation assault. He suffers from the mentality of a typical abuser. "If I can't have her, no one can." So, she joins Benji and Peach in death. Meanwhile, Joe moves on with his life without an ounce of remorse, and he waits for his next victim to walk into his book store.

Instead, he comes face to face with Candace Stone.

She is the skeleton in his closet and the ghost that haunts his past. This mysterious person holds the key to the truth behind Joe's nature. Her testimony could protect other victims from sharing the tragedy that befalls Beck and Stone at his murderous hands. In the end, she is humanity's only hope in stripping this wolf of his lambskin.

Assumed dead, her return in the finale of Season 1 was enough to strike terror into Joe's heart. How will Candace Stone strike back? That is an answer reserved for Season 2. Keep an eye on Netflix for the new season's release.