What Happens to Joe Goldberg’s Son Henry in the Final Season of <i>You</i>?

Spoilers ahead.

The final season of Netflix’s You sees Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) return to New York, bringing his story full circle. Thanks to his relationship with the wealthy Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), Joe no longer has to pretend to be someone else, reclaiming his real name and his place in the city. He and Kate are also able to provide a safe and comfortable home for Joe’s son Henry (Frankie DeMaio), whom he previously abandoned. The blended family of three seems to have it all figured out—until Joe falls back into his old ways.

Although Henry is not at the center of the action with Joe throughout the whole season, one can’t help but wonder: Will the darker aspects of Joe’s personality influence his child? Will Henry will grow up to be a dangerous man like his father? Here’s what you need to know about Henry’s role in You season 5, including whether Joe Goldberg’s son will be following in his footsteps.

Having abandoned Henry at the end of season 3, Joe is finally reunited with his son at the start of season 5. To recap: Joe fakes his own death in the season 3 finale, and kills his wife—Henry’s mother—Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). Joe decides to leave their son, Henry, with his coworker from the library, Dante, and Dante’s husband, Lansing. In a letter, he tells the couple to raise Henry as if he’s their own child. Joe then flees California for London where he starts a new life with a fake identity.

At the end of season 4, Joe returns to New York with Kate Lockwood by his side. As part of an incredibly rich and powerful family, Kate is able to erase the more difficult aspects of Joe’s past—including the fact he was previously declared dead alongside his wife Love. Reestablished as a “respectable” member of the community, Joe is able to regain custody of his son, with Kate’s help. “Kate not only gave you your name back, she gave you your son, too,” Joe narrates to himself in the first episode of season 5. “You’re grateful to the men in Madre Linda who looked after him as you sorted your life out. But Kate had the means to get Henry without much of a fight. And you couldn’t be prouder of the little man he’s grown into.”

Three years after returning to New York, Joe and Kate have built a new life for Henry, using all of the resources available to the Lockwood family. “The way Kate’s embraced being a mom to Henry, if you thought you couldn’t love her more,” Joe says in episode 1. “She’s a big part of why he’s become such a great kid.” In his narration, Joe also makes it clear how much he appreciates the safety and security Kate’s power and money can provide for his son. Just like his dad, Henry loves reading. However, Henry’s life isn’t totally smooth sailing, and Joe starts to wonder if his DNA is playing a role in his son’s actions.

In episode 2, Joe and Kate are called into Henry’s elite private school after he’s involved in an altercation with another student. It transpires that Henry punched his cousin, Reagan Lockwood (Anna Camp)’s daughter Gretchen, and broke her nose. “Henry is a monster,” Reagan proclaims. The school’s clinical psychologist tells Joe and Kate, “Gretchen claims that the attack was completely unprovoked, and Henry’s refusing to tell his side of the story. Which is normal when a child is grappling with shame around their actions.”

After it’s revealed that Reagan called the police, Dr. Val asks if Henry has “ever exhibited violent behavior before.” She enquires about Henry’s early years, which Kate says “weren’t the most stable,” making Joe defensive. “Instability in those first few years has long-term effects,” Dr. Val says. “This is one out-of-character incident,” Joe replies. “My son isn’t violent. Our son isn’t violent.” Henry is subsequently expelled from school.

When Joe questions his son about the violent attack, Henry says he knows “it was wrong.” Joe tries to reassure himself that Henry is a “nice boy who made a mistake and deeply regrets it,” but he’s clearly concerned his son is taking after him. Henry reveals that he only punched Gretchen after she called his mom, Love, “a killer,” claiming she’d heard the statement from Reagan. In that moment, Joe decides to lie about Love, believing he’s protecting Henry from the truth. “[Joe]’s avoiding the fact that Henry’s early years have been so all over the place that he needs therapy, good parents, or, at least, a positive, loving environment,” Badgley told Tudum.

That night, Kate invites her twin sisters, Reagan and Maddie Lockwood (Anna Camp) over for dinner with their partners. An argument ensues, which Henry overhears. While Reagan is talking, Henry sneaks into the dining room and throws a knife at her. She’s not injured, but proceeds to call Henry “violent.” Kate tells Joe that Henry needs to have therapy, which hits a nerve: “I’m violent, so my son is going to be violent, too. Me and my bad orphan seed?”

In episode 2, Joe realizes he needs to tell Henry the truth about Love. “Sometimes when people are sick, they can do bad things,” Joe says of Henry’s birth mother. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she loved you so much, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) holding baby Henry Goldberg in season 3, episode 1.

After Joe kills Dr. Nicky’s son Clayton (Tom Francis) at the end of episode 5 and is questioned by police, Kate hides Henry. In episode 6, Joe denigrates her, saying she’s simply a “replacement” for his real mother, but Kate stands firm. “Henry had good dads, and taking him from them is one of the worst things I’ve helped you do,” she tells him. Kate then reveals that, when Joe was released on bail, her lawyer tricked him into signing a temporary custody agreement.

In episode 7, it’s revealed that Henry is staying with Kate’s brother Teddy Lockwood (Griffin Matthews). Joe infiltrates the house, where Henry witnesses his dad brandishing a knife at his uncle. After a short conversation, Joe is dragged from the property by security guards. Later in the episode, Kate tells Henry, “Daddy did something bad...Daddy hurt some other people, too.” In episode 8, Joe learns that Kate has taken his son to England and told him his dad is going to prison.

At the end of episode 9, Joe leaves Kate for dead in Mooney’s after a fire breaks out. Then in the finale, Joe is able to speak to Henry via a video game, finding out his son is with Teddy. “What did you do to mommy?” Henry asks his dad, then says, “Do you remember when you used to tell me there were no monsters in my room?” Henry tells Joe, “You lied...It was you. You’re the monster.” Henry then ends the conversation, suggesting he no longer wants a relationship with his dad.

With Joe locked up in prison, it appears as though Henry won’t receive any further influence from his father. Of course, it’s unclear whether Henry will develop any of Joe’s murderous tendencies when he’s older. But the finale of You season 5 makes it clear that Kate is raising Henry as her own child and making sure he’s separated from his dangerous dad.

The last time we see Henry in the finale, he’s looking at Kate’s burn scars, caused by the fire at Mooney’s when Joe tried to kill her, and it’s clear that he’s been impacted greatly by his father’s misdeeds. The implication, though, is that he won’t make the same choices as Joe, and he doesn’t want to cause his loved ones any harm. As Bronte/Louise (Madeline Brewer) says in her narration, “Someday, Henry Goldberg will ask someone to love him. To trust that they’re safe doing so. Not because he’s his father’s blood. He’ll just have to decide what kind of man he wants to be.”