7 Easter Eggs (& subtle callbacks) in You Season 5 you might have missed

You Season 5 dropped on April 24, 2025, on Netflix. After seven years of murder, mayhem, and messed-up romance, it ends Joe Goldberg's story, but not without some clever callbacks.

While the explosive finale delivered the ultimate showdown we've been waiting for, the real fun lay in the blink-and-you'll miss them details. From a long-forgotten ex resurfacing to a chilling prophecy coming true, Season 5 was filled with Easter eggs that prove Joe's past was always destined to destroy him.

If you're a fan of You, the latest season is full of surprises that keep you on the edge of your seat and some clever callbacks that will make longtime viewers smile.

Here are some sneakiest points you might've missed- and why they are important

7 Easter eggs you might have missed in You Season 5

1) Karen Minty's shocking connection to Bronte

One of the sneakiest yet clever callbacks comes in You Season 5 Episode 6, Dark Force of Love, when Bronte, aka Louise (Madeline Brewer), spoke about getting a clue from someone called MintyFresh.

When talking to the cops, after her crew tricked and exposed Joe, she revealed that someone with the username MintyFresh told her that she saw a cage in the basement of the bookstore. Well, MintyFresh is none other than Karen Minty (Natalie Paul), Joe's former girlfriends from Season 1. He was never good to Karen. Joe, who was still obsessed with Gunievere Beck, misbehaved and cheated on her. On the other hand, she was smart, caring, and a good friend to Claudia, which made her a fan favourite. However, when Joe broke off with her, she handled it quite well.

Even though she disappeared after season 1, her digital footprint lingered, and she quietly guided Bronte towards the truth about Joe.

2) Love Quinn's prophecy comes true

Love Quinn's prophecy turns true as Henry calls Joe a monster (Image Via Tudum By Netflix)

In You, Season 3 Episode 10 titled What is Love? Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) told Joe that his son, Henry, will eventually find out about him and his awful deeds. In her dying breath, she said,

"We're perfect for together. But bad for Henry. He'll know"

The prediction turns true when Henry calls his father a 'monster'. Thus, marking Love's intuition was right- even in death. In You Season 5 Episode 10 titled Finale, Henry confronted Joe about his mother's death. He asked Joe,

"Do you remember when you used to tell me there were no monsters in my room? It was you. You are the monster."

After the call got disconnected, Joe revealed,

"His mother said this would happen. Her dying words. He'll know what you are."

Poor Henry didn't deserve this!

3) The Three Musketeers' Book returns

Book symbolism has always been a key in You, and Season 5 brings back the classic: The Three Musketeers. In Season 1, Joe gave the book to Paco, Claudia's son, and the young boy he mentored. He passed the same book to Henry, mirroring his twisted pattern of using literature to bond.

4) The hidden meaning behind Joe's book: The Executioner's Song

In the prison cell, Joe was reading the novel The Executioner's Will (Image Via Tudum by Netflix)

At the end of You Season 5, we see Joe Goldberg reading a book in prison. The title, The Executioner's Song, holds great significance to the story of the murderer. It is not a random prison library pick, but a clever Easter egg which many might have missed.

Norman Mailer's book The Executioner's Song is based on a true crime about Gary Gilmore, the first man who was executed after America reinstated the death penalty. Unlike Joe's long trail of victims, Gilmore killed just two people but made headlines by demanding his own death, refusing appeals. The book wasn't a random prop. It mirrored Joe's fate with a twisted twist- while Gilmore seized control by choosing execution, Joe was struck in prison with no death penalty, forced to rot in loneliness.

The Executioner's Song was a gut punch, reminding that Joe had played the executioner for years until the system finally turned on him.

5) The Ibsen clue that exposed Joe

The Henry Ibsen subtle clue that many missed (Image Via Instagram/@YouNetflix)

Well, it was a hard job to expose a serial killer and a master manipulator like Joe Goldberg. During Bronte's initial interaction with Joe, she borrowed a book by playwright Henrik Ibsen- what seemed like an innocent moment later proved to be a vital scene. She revealed she suspected Joe of editing Beck's posthumous work because it referenced Ibsen, an author Beck hated. A subtle but brilliant clue that Bronte, aka Louise, was piecing together Joe's crime long before their confrontation.

6) The Catfish diner foreshadowing

The diner's special menu was a subtle reference to Joe being catfished by Bronte (Image Via Instagram/@YouNetflix)

In Season 5 Episode 5, when Joe visited Laurel Diner in Atlantic Beach to trace Bronte and Clayton, there was a subtle clue that many might have missed. If you look closely, you can see 'Crispy Fried Catfish' written on today's special- a hint that Bronte was catfishing Joe. The show's signature dark humor shines here, with the menu's items hinting at the trap Joe's walking into.

7) You, co-showrunner Michael Foley, featured as Maddie's late husband

It's not a secret that sometimes the crew members act as extras for a show or film. Well, it happened in You Season 5 as well. Interestingly, all Maddie Lockwood's former husbands were featured by the crew. Surprisingly, showrunner Michael Foley featured as her late astronaut husband.

From Karen Minty's digital sleuthing to Love's eerie foreshadowing, each Easter egg reinforces the show's theme; no matter how far Joe tries to run, his past never stays buried.

Also read: You Season 5 tops a disappointing Netflix viewership record for the series