Sophia Michaels
Wherever Joe Goldberg goes, his glass cage follows. As the show “You” progresses through its four seasons, the serial killer moves from New York to Los Angeles to (the fictional) Madre Linda to London, bringing his victims with him in a transparent chamber. Fans have been left wondering how this cage made it all the way from California to England. After a deep dive into the mysterious case of Joe Goldberg’s world-traveling glass cage, it appears that he builds the cage himself in each new location.
The first appearance of the cage was in season one, when it was used as a temperature-controlled space to store rare books in the basement of Mr. Mooney’s bookstore. Joe often shut himself inside to learn lessons. In season two, Joe rebuilt the cage himself in a storage unit in Los Angeles and imprisons hacker Will Bettelheim inside. In season three, Joe and his wife Love are seen carrying a large piece of glass into the basement of their new bakery to build another cage.
Logistically speaking, the vaults look like a pain to put together. How could Joe have repeatedly entered the caution-tape-strewn building multiple times with his materials in tow without alarming passersby? Where does Joe purchase the materials for the cage? Does Amazon sell a DIY glass-cage kit? Or does he only shop local, perusing hardware stores in each new city?
It is likely that this plot hole will remain unanswered, but it provides a clue for season five should Netflix renew the series: that the cage will likely be popping back up in New York, where it all began.
