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You Season 4 returned with several questions about Joe Goldberg’s past still unanswered. Previous seasons revealed that Joe ended up in foster care after shooting his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Joe discovered that his mom had another son later in life — Joe’s half-brother. This character has never returned to the series, but could he be hiding in plain sight in season 4?

[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for You Season 4 Part 1, including the identity of the Eat the Rich Killer.]

In You Season 4, Joe Goldberg stares out of his window wearing a sweater with a collared shirt underneath.
Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in ‘You’ Season 4 | Netflix

‘You’ Season 4 Part 1 reveals the identity of the Eat the Rich Killer

In You Season 4, Joe finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery. Someone known as the Eat the Rich Killer is targeting and killing his new inner circle of wealthy socialites. That same person is also messaging Joe using an untraceable app on his phone. The mysterious figure takes a special interest in Joe, believing that the pair are similar.

The final episode of You Season 4 Part 1 reveals that the killer is nonother than Rhys Montrose, a new character this season. Rhys is an author whose memoir garnered him a life of wealth and fame. It also launched Rhys’ budding political career.

Unlike the rest of Joe’s new circle, Rhys didn’t grow up wealthy. In fact, his memoir details a childhood full of poverty and struggles not too dissimilar from Joe’s own youth. Rhys’ wealth came later in life, and he attended Oxford and connected with all the right people.

Could Rhys Montrose be Joe Goldberg’s brother?

After Rhys reveals that he is the killer, Joe understands that he hates the wealthy elitists he has surrounded himself with over the years. Since discovering that Joe is a killer, Rhys has been trying to convince him that they should join forces.

He tries to rope Joe into his plan, which is to kill Roald and pin the murders on him. However, Joe refuses, disappointing Rhys. The Eat the Rich Killer states that he had high hopes for Joe. Could that be because they are actually related?

Joe’s mother seemed to be doing a much better job of taking care of his half-brother. However, it’s possible that things only looked that way from the outside. Joe only spotted his brother for a brief moment when he was a kid.

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Perhaps events unfolded that led Joe’s brother to end up in England, enduring a difficult childhood. Overall, the odds seem pretty unlikely that Joe and Rhys are related, though it would certainly be an interesting twist.

Other serial killer shows have involved a pair of brothers

Other serial killer shows have followed a similar storyline. In season 1 of Dexter, Miami Metro Homicide hunts the Ice Truck Killer. The deranged serial killer takes a special interest in Dexter Morgan, cluing him in on his sick game.

It turns out that the Ice Truck Killer is actually Dexter’s brother Brian Moser. Brian hoped that Dexter would join him in killing indiscriminately, but his plan didn’t end up working out.

You Season 4 Part 1 premieres Feb 9, 2023, and Part 2 March 9, 2023, only on Netflix.

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