The 9 biggest changes between YOU season 2 and Hidden Bodies book
Warning: This post contains spoilers from YOU season 2 and Hidden Bodies.
In YOU‘s first season, the show followed its source material — Caroline Kepnes‘ 2014 novel of the same name — pretty closely. There were only a handful of major changes. With its second season, the show did something similar with Kepnes’ follow-up novel, 2016’s Hidden Bodies, though there were a few more major deviations.
We’re not talking about small changes — such as the absence of characters like Calvin or Dez — but the big stuff. See below for the biggest changes the series made in season 2.
No Amy Adam
One of the biggest changes from the book is the absence of Amy Adam, the woman who, in Hidden Bodies, Joe chases out to Los Angeles after she wrongs him. But by bringing Candace back to life in the series, Joe moved out to L.A. in an attempt to escape his ex. There was, however, a fun Amy Adam reference when Candace uses it as a fake name to fool Forty.
The addition of Ellie
The Ellie character, much like the Paco character in season 1, did not exist in the book. Delilah didn’t have a sister, and certainly not one as cool as Ellie.
The addition of Will
Similarly, the Will character was a show addition. Seeing as Joe wasn’t on the run in the book, he had no reason to steal someone’s identity.
Delilah and Henderson’s expanded roles
Both Delilah and Henderson had a few added characteristics in the series. For instance, Henderson’s sex dungeon didn’t exist in the book, and for that matter, Joe very much intended to kill him, whereas in the show, Henderson’s death is more of an accident. Delilah also wasn’t sexually assaulted by Henderson in the book, nor was she the landlord at Joe’s apartment building. She was simply another tenant who didn’t tie quite as heavily into the plot.
Meeting Love
Joe’s introduction to Love in the book was VERY different than in the show. Instead of a simple hello, in the book, Joe met Love while she was watching auditions for one of Forty’s projects. The two of them kissed almost immediately, whereas in the show, Joe tried to resist his attraction to Love for as long as possible. Also, fun fact, Love was an actress in the book.
Fincher’s role
In Hidden Bodies, Fincher didn’t make it out alive. Let’s just say he butted heads with Joe one too many times and Joe traveled to Mexico to make sure the guy left him alone. So yeah, Joe killed a cop.
Forty’s death
In the show, not only did Fincher live, he was the one who killed Forty when he walked in on Forty pointing a gun at Joe. In the book, Joe attempted to kill Forty himself, though in the end he was taken out by a car while crossing the street in Beverly Hills.
The Love twist
Oh, Love. In Hidden Bodies, she did accept Joe for who he was, and to prove her loyalty to him, she retrieved the mug of urine he left at Peach Salinger’s house. She was okay with his murderous tendencies, but she didn’t share them. The show took it a step further, making Love just as twisty as Joe. After all, she’s the one who killed Delilah, not Joe. (She also took out Candace.)
Joe’s fate
Although the series ends with Joe living the suburban life with a pregnant Love, the book did not. Love was pregnant. And she and Joe were together … sort of. Right after Joe proposed at Taco Bell, the cops showed up and arrested him. Joe ended the book in jail.
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