Episode 9 of Season 5 of "You" unfolds with a domestic idyll between Joe and Bronte, their hearts intertwined in dreams of a shared future. Joe even harbors plans to propose to her, sealed with the promise of everlasting love. His lawyer, optimistic about their chances, believes they have a solid ground to challenge the custody ruling, contending that Joe was duped into the arrangement.
To tie up all loose ends, Joe orchestrates the arrest of Harrison and Maddie through an anonymous tip, a maneuver that backfires beautifully as it draws Kate back to New York to address the situation. Leveraging her AirPods' location tracking, Joe plots his revenge, little knowing it's a setup orchestrated by Kate and Nadia. They're locked in a heated debate, Nadia insisting that Joe confess to Reagan's murder before facing his demise.
Unbeknownst to their scheming, Joe and Bronte remain immersed in their blissful bubble. Bronte notices Joe's injured arm but he dismisses it casually. Meanwhile, she receives an exhilarating publishing deal, unaware it's Joe's behind-the-scenes work. Thrilled, she envisions penning her gothic fantasies within the walls of an Irish castle, a fantasy Joe vows to turn into reality by purchasing one for her.
However, Joe's world shatters when he realizes Kate has cleaned out his bank account and evicted him from Mooney's. Enraged, he believes her plot is to portray him as an unfit father, a label he's desperate to avoid. Driven to the brink, Joe resolves to eliminate Kate.
Elsewhere, Kate abdicates her CEO position, bestowing the title upon Teddy with a reassuring smile that hides her true intentions. Teddy, befuddled, ponders her motives while she reassures him of her love, a love that seems increasingly complex.
As Kate departs, Joe shadows her, only to be intercepted by a decoy who drugs him and confines him in a cage. Upon regaining consciousness, Joe finds Nadia and Kate mocking him from afar, their plan laid bare. They revel in their power, demanding Joe confess to the murders of Reagan and Rhys before Kate aids his escape to a country where extradition isn't a threat.
If he declines, they plot to administer carbon monoxide to silence him forever. He attempts to dissuade them by appealing to Kate's innate maternal instincts, yet she remains unperturbed by the prospect of sharing his fate. She has already made arrangements for Henry's return to Dante and Lansing, uncaring of the repercussions. As their argument escalates, Bronte interrupts from above, intent on retrieving her belongings. Kate dashes after her, striving to reveal Joe's true nature, but Bronte insists she knows the real Joe and scorns Kate as a hypocrite, exploiting him to avenge Bob. Kate, impervious to her accusations, departs unfazed.
Below, Nadia and Joe's spat intensifies, as she realizes the depth of his delusion and his refusal to acknowledge his guilt. To unsettle him further, Nadia brings in Marienne. Joe's face lights up upon seeing her alive, a sentiment not reciprocated by her. She accuses him of ruining her, while he counters that he rescued her, that he is a savior of women from abusers. She labels him an abuser and expresses relief that his end is near. Her slip of the tongue alerts him to the grim reality: they will never let him walk free.
Bronte, on her way out, stumbles upon a visibly shaken Marienne in the bookstore. The sight of Marienne alive astounds her and only fuels her conviction that Joe is the embodiment of goodness. Marienne, fed up, unravels her relationship with Joe, which mirrors Bronte's own narrative. She recounts how Joe made her feel secure and how she naively believed she could redeem him. Despite the warning signs, she clung to the hope that Joe was a decent man. This confession strikes a chord with Bronte, who, distressed, flees the scene.
Downstairs, Kate persists in provoking Joe, but he steadfastly refuses to confess. Nadia, having reached her limit, resolves to end Joe's life with a bullet, so he might know pain. Marienne and Kate usher Nadia upstairs to calm her down, yet they find themselves at an impasse. In a moment of atonement, Kate volunteers to be the executor of Joe's fate and sends the others away, determining to confront this grim task alone.
However, Joe has cleverly concealed an additional key to the cage within his arm, deftly biting and extracting it with precision. Upon Kate's return, he swiftly utilizes Nadia's firearm, discharging it into her abdomen. Concurrently, Maddie storms towards the bookstore, her fury intensified by Harrison's scapegoating. She confides in Teddy, declaring her patience has reached its limit. With a resolute heart, she secures the basement door and scorns Joe for exploiting her trust. Despite his pleas, she remains unconvinced, even when he reveals Kate's bleeding form downstairs. In a fit of rage, she ignites the bookstore and flees the scene.
Joe descends back into the basement in search of an escape route, only to be struck on the head by Kate. Both critically wounded, they resign themselves to their impending fates. She attempts to lighten the mood with a jest about his wives perishing in flames, to which he corrects her, revealing he poisoned Love first. Unbeknownst to him, Kate has been recording their conversation and sends the evidence to Nadia. Yet, Joe cares little for his impending demise.
Outside, Bronte acknowledges Marienne's wisdom. She attempts to reach Dom by phone but settles for leaving a voicemail, offering heartfelt apologies and confessing her loss of composure. As she prepares to depart, the sight of the blazing bookstore propels her back inside. She desperately tries to revive Kate, who lies unresponsive. Joe mistakenly believes Bronte has come to his rescue; to maintain her facade, she obliges and saves him. Upon reaching safety, Joe proposes to her impulsively, unwilling to wait any longer. Inwardly, she realizes she cannot flee; she alone holds the power to bring him down. With a mix of determination and deceit, she accepts his proposal, and they share a kiss as You Season 5 Episode 9 concludes.
