You season 4 part 1 ending explained: what happened in Netflix last episode - is Love Quinn really dead?

Penn Badgley has returned to our screens for season 4 of Netflix’s dark thriller You, but this time Joe Goldberg has swapped Los Angeles for London where he’s trying to lay low as literary professor Jonathan Moore.

Based on the novels by Caroline Kepnes, season 4 is proving to be the most nail biting yet, with the roles reversed as Goldberg finds himself being stalked by a mystery person who is picking off London’s wealthy elite one by one. Dubbed the “eat the rich killer”, Joe must play detective to try and reveal his identity before it’s too late.

Following the explosive ending of part 1, fans were given a taster of what to expect in the upcoming second part of the season, which gave us a glimpse of Joe’s wife, Love Quinn in his infamous glass box. Quinn is presumed to be dead after Joe poisoned her in the season 3 finale, so this reveal has left fans speculating if she has been alive all along. So, what happened in the You season 4 part 1 finale and is Love Quinn still alive? Here’s everything you need to know.

Warning this article contains spoilers for You season 4 part 1

What happened in You season 4 part 1 finale?

The first five episodes of You season 4 have focussed on the “eat the rich” killer who has been stalking Joe and killing off London’s wealthy elite including Malcolm (Stephen Hagan) and Simon (Aiden Cheng). In a bid to escape the killer, the group and Joe head to Lady Phoebe’s (Tilly Keeper) country house to bunker down, but this plan soon turns into a game of Cluedo, as each person tries to unveil the identity of the murderer, leading to Joe running from his life whilst being hunted by Roald (Ben Wiggins), who believes he killed Gemma (Eve Austin).

Joe is knocked out by Rhys Montrose (Ed Speleers) who turns out to be the “eat the rich” killer, and both he and Roald wake up to find themselves chained in the basement of Lady Phoebe’s country home. Rhys explains his plan is for Joe to kill Roald so he can frame him as the murderer, Joe tries to play into Rhys’ plan, explaining he can’t kill him if he’s chained up. In a rage Rhys sets fire to the basement, leaving both Joe and Roald to die in the flames, luckily they break free and Kate helps pull them up from the smoke. The episode ends with Joe turning on his TV to watch Montrose announce his candidacy to run as Mayor of London.

What happened in You season 4 part 2 trailer?

Following the explosive ending of part 1, fans were given a taste of what to expect in the upcoming second part of the season. The trailer picks up where part 1 left off, with Joe realising who has committed the murders and who has been stalking him, his ominous voiceover says: “I know who you are now, Rhys. You’ve taken so much from me. You think you’re just getting started, but you’re wrong because I’m gonna stop you.”

Things then take a dramatic turn as we catch a glimpse of Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti), Goldberg’s former wife, whom he poisoned and left for dead after burning down their house in the season 3 finale. The quick glimpse shows Quinn in Joe’s infamous glass box looking at his books, which has led fans to speculate that she could be alive after all.

Is Love Quinn alive?

Speculation that Joe’s wife, Love Quinn is alive has been growing after a quick scene of her was shown in the season 4 part 2 trailer. Quinn, whom Joe poisoned and left for dead in their burning home in season 3’s finale, is shown sitting inside his infamous glass box reading his books. The last time we saw this box, it was being used in their basement to hold Sherry (Shalita Grant) and Cary Conrad (Travis Van Winkle) who had overheard Love admitting she had murdered her neighbour. This had led to some fans guessing that the clip is actually a flashback of Joe remembering Love and given the fact that we know Quinn’s family sent a hitman to kill Joe, it seems unlikely that the character is alive.

However, other fan theories have suggested she is alive, pointing out that the book Love is holding in the scene is actually Rhys Montrose’s novel, which was featured earlier on in season 4. This could potentially be a dream sequence, but it’s interesting that it was Joe who framed Love in season 3 who is now finding himself in the same position in season 4.

When is You season 4 Part 2 release date?

You season 4 part 2 will be released on Thursday 9 March.