Episode 7 of Season 5 of "You" kicks off with headlines splashing Joe's arrest across newspapers. He labels himself misunderstood and harbors anxiety about Henry witnessing the ordeal. Furious with Bronte and Kate for devastating Henry's life, Joe vows that justice must be served. However, his lawyer cautions patience, advising him to wait for the media storm to subside before challenging the custody agreement. In a slip of the tongue, the lawyer reveals that the Angevines are retaining legal counsel, shocking Joe to discover that Clayton is Nicky's son. Yet, the attorney remains confident that they can invoke self-defense to dismiss the murder charges. Regarding Henry's custody, Joe merely needs to present himself favorably and sway public sentiment in his favor. Though a sound strategy, Joe's impatience stems from his conviction that Kate is tarnishing his image in Henry's eyes.
Meanwhile, Kate's lawyer, Sloan, urges her to publicly confront Joe to sway public opinion in her favor. Teddy also presses her to go to the police, but Kate declines, aware that Joe could implicate her in Rhys and Bob's murders, as well as Nadia's false imprisonment. Her tactic is to adopt a wait-and-see approach, allowing Joe to dig his own grave. Amidst these tensions, Maddie poses a wildcard threat, compelling Teddy to hide Henry despite his exhaustion with Kate's excuses. He agrees solely for Henry's wellbeing.
Elsewhere, Dom and Phoenix seethe over Joe's bail, while Bronte seeks to mend fences with him. The vigilante duo decides to go live with incriminating evidence, attempting to drag Bronte into their fold. She refuses, leading to a confrontation where she defends Joe's innocence. It becomes evident that she buys into Kate's Season 4 narrative, where Love is cast as the villain and Joe as the wronged party. Bronte elaborates on the self-defense theory, but Dom brands her delusional. Realizing that Bronte is hopelessly in love with Joe, Dom reluctantly dismisses her from their midst.
Elsewhere, Maddie's downward spiral intensifies as she is compelled to embody Reagan's persona. Kate, desperation clawing at her, attempts to steer Maddie towards rehab, but her efforts are met with offense from the troubled soul. Swiftly adapting her strategy, Kate dangles the carrot of fulfilling Joe's pledge in front of Maddie, proposing a deal: enter rehab as Reagan, then emerge as herself to reunite with Gretchen and Harrison. Relief washes over Maddie's face, yet Kate swiftly sends a covert message to Sloan, signaling Maddie's impending departure.
In another corner of the narrative, Joe plants a tracker in Henry's book and shadows him to Teddy's lair. Attempting to emotionally manipulate Teddy, Joe finds himself confronting a blade-wielding Teddy. Just before tensions escalate, Henry emerges, causing Joe to reach out in a vain attempt to comfort him, only to be hauled away by Lockwood's security.
Teddy's patience has reached its limit, especially as Kate remains passive in the face of injustice. He calls her out for prioritizing self-preservation over doing what is right. Joe, already reeling from the humiliation of Henry witnessing his forced retreat, is further crushed to discover that he has become a trending topic. Dom and Phoenix capitalize on the chaos, broadcasting their speculative theories on Joe's involvement in the deaths of Candace, Benji, and Beck. The controversy mushrooms, and figures from Joe's past – Dotti, Love's mother, Annika, Peach's friend – pile on, accusing him of murdering Love, Forty, and Peach.
Paco, a character from Season 1, steps into the fray to defend Joe, recounting how Joe had once aided his mother in escaping her abusive partner, Ron. However, vigilantes twist this narrative, highlighting Ron's mysterious disappearance since 2019. The Conrads, Ethan, and even Beck's brother, Clyde, join the chorus of condemnation, effectively cancelling Joe in the digital realm.
The climactic cherry atop the sundae arrives via the lawyer's revelation: despite the absence of concrete evidence, Joe risks losing custody of Henry. In a desperate bid to salvage his tarnished image, Joe wields the video of Maddie's fatal blow on Reagan as a threatening carrot. Meanwhile, Maddie secures a golden opportunity—teaming up with Kim Kramer, an influential social media figure renowned for exposing toxic masculinity. Kim, whose fame is indebted to the Lockwoods, stands poised to undermine the vigilantes' narrative by lending Joe her support.
Bronte makes her belated entrance, intentions clear—to offer Joe an apology. Yet, upon catching the interview unfolding at Mooney's, she opts for invisibility, watching from the shadows. Kim's critique is harsh, but Joe retains his composure, acknowledging and apologizing for his infidelity. When he pronounces Bronte as his deepest regret, she promptly messages him and secures a ticket to Ohio.
To portray Joe as vulnerable and relatable, Maddie prods him to recount Mooney's brutal confinement. Unresolved trauma bubbles to the surface, causing Joe to unravel in a chaotic fit of sobbing and panic. On camera, his distress appears contrived, nearly undoing the ground he's gained. At this crucial juncture, Joe spots Bronte's text—she's confessed the truth to the police, that he acted in self-defense.
Joe comes to the realization that she, indeed, perceives the authentic him. Redirecting the interview's focus back on track, he steers the conversation towards their love story. Although he harbors deep regret over Clayton's demise, he confesses that his actions stemmed from a place of love, extolling the virtue that everyone deserves to be loved, and all the sweet sentiments that accompany it. In an instant, the internet is captivated, singing his praises and heralding him as the epitome of the ideal boyfriend. Kate, seething with anger, informs Henry of their impending trip to London to rectify the situation.
As the interview concludes, Joe seeks out Bronte, desperate to know if she watched his heartfelt confession. Instead, he encounters the misogynistic underbelly of the internet, viciously attacking Bronte for exploiting him. They vow to expose her personal information and make her pay dearly for her perceived wrongs. Joe arrives just in the nick of time to witness a man named Dane attempting to chloroform Bronte. Joe lunges at Dane, but a mere tackle isn't sufficient; in a fit of rage, he delivers a devastating blow to Dane's head.
Meanwhile, in London, Kate reveals to Nadia their plan to bring Joe down. As You Season 5 Episode 7 draws to a close, Joe finds himself in a surprisingly upbeat mood, yet his future hinges on Bronte's well-being. The scene cuts to her, still slumbering in his bed, her wrists shackled by handcuffs, leaving her fate hanging in the balance.
