'You' Showrunner Explains Why They Killed Off [SPOILER] In First Episode of Season 3

You is switching things up a bit in season three.

Fans of the stalker centered Netflix series might have been shocked to see the show kill of a character in the very first episode, and the showrunner is opening up as to why they did it.

Click inside to read more about the shocking choice…

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

In the first episode, we see Joe getting close with his new neighbor, Natalie (Michaela McManus), who reciprocates his flirty advances.

After he stops their hookup inside her home, Joe goes home to his actual wife, Love, who then become friends with Natalie.

Natalie, as a realtor, even helps Love find a spot to open her new bakery. However, as Love picks up on the hints that there is something between Joe and Natalie going on, she kills Natalie with a bash over the head – in the bakery.

Michaela McManus as Natalie

Now, Sera Gamble is opening up as to why they killed Natalie in the very first episode.

“You do have to keep switching things up,” Sera shared with TVLine. “I’m going to say this, and Future Me is going to be really pissed that I said this out loud: With a show like this, where Season 1 was such a particular fun, twisty ride coming off of Caroline [Kepnes’] book, we really had to prove to you at the beginning of Season 2 that we would still be able to surprise you.”

She continues, “So we did a lot of stuff in Season 2 to try to do that. The conversation at the beginning of Season 3 was ‘What do you think would happen if you were a viewer?’ And it’s that Michaela would be in the whole season, so we were like, ‘She’s got to go in Episode 1.’”

Penn Badgley and Victoria Pendretti also opened up about the big twist.

“I was into it, because it was like, ‘Oh, this is going to go in some other direction,’” Penn shared. “That’s always exciting.”

Victoria then added, “It’s fun when you can subvert people’s expectations on television these days. We’ve all consumed so much of it, so I find that it’s harder to be surprised.”

You season three is streaming now on Netflix. The show was just renewed for a fourth season, too!