I'm Disappointed You Season 5 Didn't Bring Back This Forgotten Character When It Had The Perfect Chance To -

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for You season 5.You season 5 features a number of familiar faces for the series’ last hurrah, but it fails to bring back one forgotten person from Joe Goldberg’s past — and that’s a shame, since it has the opportunity to. Joe comes into contact with many people over the course of You‘s five seasons, and not all of them wind up dead after encountering Penn Badgley’s serial killer. When Joe is exposed for killing Clayton during You season 5, other allegations crop up, and people from his past resurface.

This allows for several exciting cameos in You‘s final season, from an older Paco to Sherry and Cary Conrad. Dottie Quinn even makes an appearance, solving a Love Quinn mystery four years after her season 3 death. But while You does a good job of bringing Joe’s story full circle by dredging up his past, it fails to tie up loose ends surrounding one character whose life he upends. As so many people speak out about their experiences with Joe Goldberg, it’s disappointing this character never shows up.

You Season 5 Fails To Bring Back Jenna Ortega’s Ellie Despite Never Giving Her Closure

Season 3’s Follow-Up Doesn’t Sufficiently Wrap Up Her Story

Jenna Ortega’s Ellie is a prominent character in You season 2, and she’s one many viewers have been hoping to see again since her last encounter with Joe Goldberg. The end of You season 2 sees Joe sending the 15-year-old away after Love Quinn murders her sister, Delilah. Knowing Love intends to pin the crime on Ellie, Joe gives her money and advises her to go to Florida and lie low. You season 2 confirms she does, and season 3 mentions that Joe is still in contact with Ellie. However, the series never brings her back or gives her proper closure.

Every Character Who Dies In You Season 5

You season 5 marked the end of Joe Goldberg’s story, but he had plenty of time to add a handful of new names to his long list of tragic victims.

This is particularly disappointing given how Ortega’s career has blown up in recent years, a reality that makes a cameo by her even more appealing. Many were hoping that the Wednesday star would return to You during the show’s final season, even if it was in a smaller role. But despite the show having the chance to deliver a minor cameo, it never brings Ellie back into the fold. That leaves her character as a pretty big loose end in Joe Goldberg’s story (not that it matters much after his sentence in You season 5’s ending).

You’s Final Season Had The Perfect Opportunity To Bring Ellie Back Into The Fold

Ellie Alves holding licorice in her hand in You series

While Ellie is largely out of the narrative in the later seasons of You, season 5 has the perfect opportunity to feature Ortega’s character: when people from Joe’s past are speaking out about him on social media. In response to the scandal of Joe killing Clayton — allegedly in self-defense — characters from his past take to the internet to talk about him. Many of them confirm that something’s off about Joe, while others actually share favorable experiences. A short Ellie cameo would work here, and it would reveal how she feels about Joe after everything that happened.

Someone Ellie’s age, who clearly has an interest in social media, is the perfect person to bring back for You season 5’s cameo compilation.

This would answer a major question about Ellie’s character after You season 2, and it would also make sense within the context of her story. She and Joe bond over his social media presence in the second outing, meaning Ellie is clearly savvy when it comes to various platforms. While she might be less active on social media after running away, it’s somewhat surprising she doesn’t see the conversation about Joe or join in. Someone Ellie’s age, who clearly has an interest in social media, is the perfect person to bring back for You season 5’s cameo compilation.

Why Jenna Ortega Didn’t Return For Season 5

Her Wednesday Role Complicated Things

While it’s disappointing that Ortega doesn’t return as Ellie in You season 5, there’s an understandable reason for her absence: she’s busy working on Wednesday season 2. When asked about why Ortega isn’t in the final season, showrunners Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo told Business Insider that they intended to bring her back. However, her schedule with other projects — most notably, Wednesday — put a dent in that plan. The pair also offered an idea of what Ellie would have done had she appeared:

“That was a thought [that Ortega’s Ellie would serve as a benefactor to Dominique and Phoenix] that I’m sure when we were putting things together, we felt like maybe we could make this work, and we just simply couldn’t.”

They also noted that Ellie could have good things to say about Joe Goldberg, as he did help her after season 2. Unfortunately, we’ll never get Ellie’s thoughts about You‘s main characters firsthand. Her absence in You season 5 makes sure of that, though it’s nice to know that the writers didn’t truly forget about her; they just couldn’t feasibly work her into the last batch of episodes.

You

7/10

Release Date: 2018 – 2025-00-00
Showrunner: Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti
Directors: Marcos Siega, Lee Toland Krieger, Cherie Nowlan, DeMane Davis, Kellie Cyrus, Marta Cunningham, Martha Mitchell, Victoria Mahoney, Erin Feeley
Writers: Justin W. Lo