You Season 4: Who is Kate? Charlotte Richie explained

Netflix’s You Season 4 has Joe stalking someone yet again, but who is it this time? Who is Kate, and what skeletons does she have in her closet?

After taking the world by storm since its 2018 release, You, the Netflix show that is based on the book series by Caroline Kepnes, has been getting bigger and bigger with every season.

Season 3 had a fiery finale – literally – and it left on somewhat of a cliffhanger, making fans all the more excited for Season 4. But what’s in store for Joe (Penn Badgley) and the object of his affection this time?

As you may have seen from the trailers, Joe isn’t after just one girl this season, but two. We know about Marienne, but who is this new woman, Kate? Well, let us explain, but first, spoiler warning for You Season 4.

Netflix’s You Season 4: Who is Kate?

Kate is the newest object of Joe’s affections, and like his previous loves, she comes with her own skeletons in the closet. Kate is played by Charlotte Ritchie, who you may know from Call the Midwife, BBC’s Ghosts, and Feel Good.

When we first meet Kate, she is proudly blunt, cold, and harsh, which is a result of her upbringing. Like Love Quinn, Kate is exceedingly wealthy, but isn’t a fan of the overly-privileged people that surround her, and is also just as pained by her family.

We don’t see Kate’s parents, but we can easily understand how messed up they were. Kate’s mother wouldn’t let Kate cry, not even when he grandmother died.

And her father, who she hasn’t spoken to in years, is even worse. See, Kate’s father runs a company that valued profit over well-being. Because of this, they partook in multiple mal-practises that resulted in the company getting wealthier, but multiple children getting cancer. And because Kate let her father get away with this without doing anything, she bears a great amount of guilt.

Now, Kate works at an art gallery, and manages her friend Simon’s art shows. We first meet her when she is dating rich douchebag Malcolm, who cheats on her constantly and parties while she works, but don’t worry, they don’t stay together for too long. You know, due to Malcolm being murdered in the first episode. We won’t say if Joe does this or not, but the way Kate reacts to his death says a lot about how cold her upbringing was.

How does Kate react to Joe?

in You Season 4, Joe now goes by Johnathan Moore, a professor at a prestigious London University. Because of this, and the location of his new apartment – how he affords it is another story – Joe falls in with the upper class of English Society, which involves Kate.

Joe attempts to keep his distance at first – though he does spy on her masturbating through her window – but the pair officially meet when Joe saves Kate from getting mugged, and in return she agrees to not mention his name to the Police.

Kate isn’t a fan of Joe from the get go, and acts very rude and blunt to him, firstly because of her upbringing making her that way, and secondly because she worries that he may be taking advantage of her best friend Phoebe, who Joe meets on a night out, and who is much more naïve and trusting.

However, the pair grow closer after the death of Kate’s boyfriend, and the continued murders of their friendship group make it so that they keep crossing paths. Joe worries that Kate could be the next victim, which pushes him to keep close to her.

Their partnership isn’t particularly thrilling – we stated in our review of the season: “We are told why she is so immediately turned off to Joe. But then it makes little sense when they do get together. As Joe himself just doesn’t seem that interested in her, and it doesn’t help that the actors lack any form of chemistry.”

What makes Kate interesting is that she is able to relate to Joe feeling guilty about his own past. Because of this, she believes and works with Joe when another body is discovered – though the two do initially threaten to frame each other.

The pair hide the body away, and Joe even reveals that he found her ex-boyfriend’s body at his apartment, and she believes that he didn’t kill him. Once the true killer is revealed, Joe and Kate escape the carnage, but their troubles are far from over.

The season ends with them having had sex a few times, but they haven’t officially gotten together. Kate does turn up at Joe’s door, and insinuates that she wants one, but Joe turns her down.

However, the season isn’t over yet. With Season 4 Part 2 set to drop next month, there could be more turns that this pairing will take, and there could still be more to Kate than meets the eye.

You Season 4 Part 1 is currently available to watch on Netflix. You check out the rest of our You coverage here.