What happened to Michael Dempsey in You season 5? Character fate explored

Actor Michael Dempsey is one of the new cast members of You season 5, the final season of the long-running psychological thriller show. The new season reveals that the protagonist, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), has been able to keep a cap on his murderous tendencies for three years.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for You season 5. Reader's discretion is advised.

However, with members of Kate Lockwood’s (Charlotte Ritchie) family targeting her one by one to remove her from the CEO position at Lockwood Corporation, she has no choice but to ask her husband, Joe, to handle the first threat.

This first threat is none other than Michael Dempsey's Buffalo Bob Cain, Kate's uncle. After her father's passing, Bob took over the role of the Lockwood patriarch and is the company's chief operating officer. He is the father figure in Kate's life until he decides to turn against her. Consequently, Kate has Joe kill Bob.

Bob Cain is introduced in the first episode of You season 5, The Luckiest Guy in NY. From the get-go, it is obvious that Bob and Joe are no fans of each other, although Kate holds Joe in high regard; in Joe's words, Bob is Kate's "surrogate father".

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What did Michael Dempsey's Bob Cain have against Kate Lockwood in You season 5?

Michael Dempsey as Bob Cain in You season 5 (Image via Netflix)

At a public event, Kate surprises the Lockwood Corporation's board with the announcement of the Lockwood Literacy Initiative. The board is unimpressed with this move, and while Kate is unbothered about it, Bob interrupts her dance with Joe to talk to her about how they can keep the board appeased.

Meanwhile, Kate's loyal half-brother Teddy comes over to talk to Joe. During their conversation, Teddy takes a look at his phone and tells Joe that Forbes is planning to release a hit piece about Kate, and not the kind that would earn her good publicity. Teddy reveals the piece is about a pipeline she helped get approved years ago.

From Joe's inner monologue, viewers learn that for the pipeline's approval, Kate falsified environmental reports for her father. This had resulted in many kids getting cancer. If the other board members were to find out about this, Kate would lose her position as the CEO.

Joe snoops on Maddie's phone and finds out that Bob leaked the information. From the messages, it becomes clear that Bob is sure the article will be enough to get a vote of no-confidence against Kate.

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Why did Kate tell Joe to kill Bob in You season 5?

When Joe first tells Kate about Bob plotting behind her back, she is sure she will be able to deal with it. However, upon confronting Bob about it, she finds out that he not only knew about the illegal pipeline in Alberta, but also that she covered the murder of Rhys Montrose in London.

Bob is mad as Kate no longer has that "killer instinct" her father used to appreciate. So, he is determined to get her booted off the company's board. Terrified of the consequences, Kate gives in to a moment of weakness and gives Joe the green light to kill Bob, despite the promise they had made to never go back to their old ways.

Joe goes to Bob's home and strangles him to death with a rope from his antique collection. Once Bob is dead, Joe uses the old man's laptop to send an email to the reporter, stating that the information about Kate was false.

In the email, on behalf of Bob, Joe writes that he regrets what he did and hence, will kill himself. Joe makes Bob's murder look like a suicide before leaving the house. While this takes the pressure off Kate for the time being, it also unleashes Joe's murderous instincts.

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You season 5 is available to stream on Netflix.