Penn Badgley: Toeing The Line Between Cute and Creepy

TV surfing has gathered me some useless hours of reality television and random crime shows in the past, but rarely does it result in me watching a quality show. A couple of weeks ago, it did just that, however, when I clicked on YOU.

I was skeptical, of course, when I clicked on it. I mean it is on the Lifetime network or it is for Sling TV at least. Nonetheless, the plot drew me in and while I still kept my doubts for the first few minutes, I noticed the immediate chemistry between the two main actors: Penn Badgley and Elizabeth Lail.

Now, I had some experiences with Penn Badgley as I've watched Easy A and a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl (sheer boredom and snow contributed to this). I find Mr. Badgley adorable in everything and a joy for both eyes and entertainment. Badgley's acting range in this show definitely demonstrates an understanding of obsession and puppy love. It is a dangerous mix especially for a man like Joe. One who turns his whole life on its side to accommodate Beck's whims and desires while truly blind to her selfish behavior.

That said, I was not ready for his freaking performance in this show. When his character, Joe (a dry witted bookstore manager aka my perfect guy), meets Lail's character, Beck (a sarcastic and somewhat stuck up grad student aka a looser me), the two banter back and forth about people watching and books (a fantasy of mine) which results in her purposefully giving her name. He looks her up (normal-ish) and then proceeds to stalk her (yeah, I read that in the description, but the meet cute was so cute, it went out of my mind for a few minutes). He sees her at her apartment and spends the day following her (creepy) before fate forces him to interact with her once again. What follows is a budding romance interrupted by Beck's d-bag "friend with benefits", Benji, and her super suspicious friend, Peach (played with a brilliant mix of stuck up b*tch and obsessed, closeted lesbian). I'm not going to give too many spoilers on them, but I will say it is a satisfying time to watch Joe deal with all the obstacles standing in their way.

While Beck herself is completely oblivious to Joe's obsession, it is set up in the show that there will be the ultimate showdown at the end of this season. Now if you can't wait for the conclusion (like I couldn't) of the show, there is also a book. YOU by Caroline Kepnes and while both the show and book have a shocking amount of sexual and violent scenes, the book definitely makes the show look PG13. It is a 400 and something page turner and the ending would shock you.

Even though Joe’s relationship with Beck is the focal point of the show, his relationship with other characters constantly fluctuates the cute/creepy line.

His relationship with his employee and some other minor characters is innocuous while relationships with people like Peach is war and creepy on both ends and his relationship with Paco (a young boy with a single mother who has an abusive boyfriend) is mentor-like and severely adorable. He knows exactly what this boy is going through and thoughtfully tries to help him through it. From reserving books for Paco to read to giving him a meatball sandwich because he notices Paco’s hungry look, Joe is constantly there for Paco even with Beck becoming a more demanding priority.

I know I’m rambling, but the point of the article is to give recognition to an underrated actor. Penn Badgley, especially in this show, is towing the line and showcasing his range as an actor in understanding obsession.