YOU Series Finale Almost Ended Very Differently For Joe Goldberg: 'We Were Not All On The Same Page'

With the final season of YOU still claiming a spot in Netflix's Top 10, fans are clearly savoring every last moment they can spend with Badgley's literal ladykiller, which feels oddly appropriate, considering the series finale ends with Joe Goldberg breaking the fourth wall to judge people who fangirl over monsters such as himself.

Speaking of that series finale, it concludes with (spoiler alert!) Joe getting exposed for his many heinous crimes and spending the rest of his days behind bars. But the Lifetime-turned-Netflix drama almost reached a very different conclusion, and it would have been just as divisive as the ending we got.

The possibility of Joe getting killed off in the series finale "was very much an option," co-showrunner Michael Foley recently told TVLine. "We debated it as a room. We were on the same page in terms of him getting his comeuppance, having to face what he is, and giving a voice to the victims and to the loved ones of the victims. We were all very much on the same page about all of that, but when it came down to the specifics of his capture versus death versus seeing him in court and all of that, there were just too many ways to go — and we were not all on the same page."

So, what happened? Basically, the powers that be eventually decided death was "too easy" an out for ol' Joe. "We thought he needed to be punished, and we liked the idea of him being in a cage of his own, not being able to enjoy the touch of somebody he loves, and being completely powerless," Foley explained. "That was a better punishment, not to mention a better visual than a tombstone."

Do you think YOU should have ended with Joe's death, or are you glad (for whatever reason) that he survived? Grade the ending in our poll below, then drop a comment with your full review.