Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for You season 5.
Summary
Before watchingYouseason 5, the highly anticipated final season of theNetflixthriller about serial killer Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), there were a few things I hoped to see. One of them wasa cameo appearance by Jenna Ortega, whoplayed Joe’s L.A. neighbor Ellie Alves inYouseason 2.Ortega shines in whatever project she appears in, but she was particularly compelling on this continually surprising series.Fans wanted some characters to come back, and Ellie was at the top of my list.
Ortega’s career has led her down some cool paths sinceYouseason 2. Besides starring as Wednesday Addams onWednesday, she has become known forhorror movies such asStudio 666andScream 5andScream 6.So, did Ortega come back to play Ellie inYouseason 5?
Does Jenna Ortega Appear In You Season 5?
Unfortunately,Jenna Ortega doesn’t appear inYouseason 5. Co-showrunner Michael Foley toldTV Linethat OrtegafilmedWednesdayseason 2in Ireland at the same time that the final season ofYouwas shooting.
In 2023, co-showrunner Sera Gamble toldIndieWirethat the writers wanted Ortega to reprise her role of Ellie inYouseason 4. It would have been interesting to see what Ellie was up to then. Gamble said:
“We wanted to bring Ellie back and we heard, ‘Oh, Jenna is doing some show. It’s been just such a pleasure to see Jenna this year. We have ideas for Ellie if her schedule allows her to visit us again.”
I Think You Season 5 Could Have Included Jenna Ortega’s Ellie Alves This Way
Youseason 5 is slow at first but ultimately excellent, and while I was happy to see several past characters come back, I think Jenna Ortega could have made a brief appearance. There is a great montage of past characters who share that Joe Goldberg is evil, including Paco (Luca Padovan) and Sherry (Shalita Grant) and Cary Conrad (Travis Von Winkle).Ellie could have been part of this sceneas she could have shared that she realized the truth about Joe.
Although Ortega was filmingWednesdayseason 2 and couldn’t make an on-camera appearance,Youseason 5 uses social media in several scenes, and Joe could have seen a social media post from Ellie. She could have explained that she knew Joe in Los Angeles and that she has been following his crimes for the past few years. Ellie is a great character as she’s spunky and doesn’t suffer fools. She’s initially fooled by Joe, and while she isn’t aware of the extent of his killing spree, she does hate him by the end ofYouseason 2. Joe gives Ellie money to live somewhere else.Ellie knows her sister Delilah (Carmela Zumbado) is deadand tells Joe he has messed up everything for her.
I would have loved to see a social media post fromEllie sharing her story of living near Joe.While Joe thinks he can start fresh in New York City atthe start ofYouseason 5, his wishes come crumbling down when he realizes he can’t fight off his instincts to keep committing murder. I also want to know what Ellie’s doing now. Did she have enough money from Joe to go to college, or does she have a job? It would have been great to get those answers.
While it’s a shame not to see Ortega play Ellie again inYouseason 5, at least fans can see the talented star whenWednesdayseason 2 streams on Netflix in August and September 2025.
