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| “ | Runner's high is better than sex. And for some, may last longer.
―Peach teasing Joe Goldberg
|
” |
Peach Anaïs Salinger is one of the two main antagonists (alongside Ron Baker) of the first season of Netflix's YOU. She is portrayed by Shay Mitchell.
She was one of Guinevere Beck's closest friends, however she is obsessed with Beck, competing with Joe Goldberg for her attention. Since university, Peach has been manipulating and stalking Beck, taking private photos of her. Self-centered, she holds blackmail photos of her friends and harms them when slighted.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Peach Salinger is born from a wealthy family, and presumably suffers from her family's conservative views on sexuality, as she's attracted to women. At some point, her parents divorce.
Peach goes to Brown University and becomes best friends with fellow students Guinevere Beck, Annika Attwater, and Lynn Lieser. She develops an obsessive crush on Beck, and over the years, she takes explicit photos of her without consent.
Season 1[]
Pilot[]
While at Annika's birthday dinner, Peach criticizes Beck's decision to purchase her a designer scarf, claiming that Annika does not deserve it. Peach offers to loan Beck money after being told about her financial troubles. Peach leaves after Beck declines her offer to continue the night.
Peach, Annika, Lynn, and Beck attend an open night. Peach tells Annika and Lynn about her disdain for open mics. Peach tells Beck to reconsider performing and chastises her for continuing her troubled relationship with Benji Ashby. Peach watches as Beck bombs her performance.
The Last Nice Guy in New York[]
Peach calls Beck to discuss the disappearance of Benji, who has been kidnapped by Joe Goldberg. While at a restaurant, she uncomfortably listens as Annika suggests that Beck sleeps with professor Paul Leahy. Peach gets upset at Beck seemingly forgetting about the annual party she throws to forget her parent's divorce.
After being told about professor Leahy, Peach loans Beck rent money. Peach is introduced to Joe while at her party. Peach and Joe discuss her book collection and she questions him on the convenience of him meeting Beck multiple times after their first encounter.
Maybe[]
Peach advises Beck to look for other ways to get over Benji other than casual hook ups. Peach interrupts a shopping date between Beck and Joe due to a flare up from a stomach issue. On the way to the hospital, Peach insults Joe for taking a busy street before she storms out of the car with Beck.
At the hospital, Peach tells Beck that she disapproves of Joe because of his lack of wealth, suggesting that she dates someone financial well-off. Peach invites Beck to lunch, which she angrily rejects.
Later, Peach tells Beck about her missing copy of Ozma of Oz, which Joe was examining at her party.
The Captain[]
Peach tells Beck to break up with Joe and accuses him of stealing her book. She insults Beck's writing and presses her to write something else rather than about her father.
Peach goes to Mooney's and asks Ethan Russell about Joe and her book. After being told that Joe is out of town, she calls Beck and says that Joe followed her.
After returning home, she finds the copy of Ozma of Oz.
Living with the Enemy[]
Peach is annoyed by Joe's presence at a girl's night in Beck's apartment. Peach brings her book and asks Joe about the it's value, still suspicious that he stole it.
Peach organizes a party at Mooney's to introduce Beck to esteemed literary agent Roger Stevens. Off-screen, Peach anonymously posts an old video of Annika drunkenly making a racist joke at a party in response to Annika posting an old photo of her. At the party, Peach taunts Joe and tells him that Beck rarely knows what's best for her. Peach talks to Roger, telling him to reject her.
Peach searches Joe's apartment for her laptop and is told to use a tracker app to find it. She discovers that it is still at her place, and she storms out, shoving Joe in the process.
Peach and Beck have an emotional argument about Beck's encounter with Roger. Peach insults Beck's writing and Beck storms off. Later, Peach pretends to attempt suicide via overdose in order to amend her friendship with Beck.
Peach is assaulted by Joe at the park, being knocked unconscious with a rock.
Amour Fou[]
Peach thanks Joe for his warning about her stalker. Peach gets Beck to kick Joe out of her apartment. Peach invites Beck to vacation at her second residence.
Peach suddenly becomes full of energy, which makes Beck uncomfortable. Peach secretly takes photos of Beck as she takes a bath. She searches the house and retrieves a gun after hearing noises, unaware that Joe has snuck in. A close friend from university, Raj, arrives, as Peach has organized a threesome between them. Peach and Beck argue about her intentions with this vacation, Peach tells her that it is to help inspire her writing.
Peach invites Beck to live with her in Paris. Raj, Beck, and Peach take MDMA. Peach gets increasingly more touchy with Beck, culminating with her kissing Beck and beginning to undress her. An uncomfortable Beck leaves, leaving Peach and Raj to hook up.
Peach's offer is declined by Beck. She criticizes Beck's decision and devotion to Joe. Peach is questioned by Beck about the kiss and Peach accuses her of being the one to initiate. The two have another heated argument and Peach calls Beck ungrateful.
Peach discovers Joe passed out due to his concussion. She holds him at gunpoint and Joe taunts her about her obsession with Beck and sexuality. Peach shoots at Joe, who feigns incapacitation. Peach checks on Joe before he suddenly grabs her leg. After a short struggle, Joe kills Peach with her gun.
Afterward, Peach's murder is framed as a suicide, as Joe impersonates her in a suicide letter.
Season 2[]
Peach is briefly mentioned by Joe while being abducted along with Forty Quinn by two Russians; he initially believed it was because of his murders, and Peach was listed, but it was later revealed to be all an act by Forty.
Post-mortem[]
Joe successfully makes Peach's death look like a suicide, but some are not convinced. A PI was hired to look into her death, presumably due to her having a stalker in the days before the attack, and due to unknown DNA being left behind at her house. But after Nick Angevine is convicted for the murder of Beck, the investigation into Peach's death is shut down, until the events of season 5.
Joe is tried and sentenced to life without parole for his murder of Peach.
Personality[]
Peach is set up as an antagonist, rival, but also as a match for Joe Goldberg, as both characters seek to control and manipulate others. Unlike Joe, she doesn't resort to violence with her manipulation, as evidenced when she became horrified by finding Joe wearing Benji's watch.
Both Joe's and Peach's narcissism and manipulation stems from their need for love and fear of abandonment. But with Peach, her sexuality is heavily intertwined with her manipulative personality. Out of all the people in her life, she only seeks to control Beck, seemingly the only person she cares for on a much deeper, romantic level.
Appearances[]
Season 1 (6/10)[]
Season 2 (1/10)[]
- What Are Friends For? (mentioned)
Season 3 (1/10)[]
- And They Lived Happily Ever After (mentioned)
- W.O.M.B. (mentioned)
Romantic Relationships[]
James Franco
- Status: Ex-Boyfriend
- Started and Ended: "Pre-Pilot"
Relationships[]
- Guinevere Beck - Best friend
- Annika Attwater - Best friend
- Lynn Lieser - Best friend
- Raj - Friend, Hookup
- Roger Stevens - Friend
Trivia[]
- Peach's sexuality is hidden in plain sight before Joe uncovers more of who she is, as Peach never has an interest in any men. Whenever her friend-group talks about men and relationships, Peach always seems dismissive/uncaring.
- In the first book, Joe said what Peach is half Jewish and half Catholic, like him.
- Peach's date of death is October 23, 2018 as plane tickets to Paris are dated October 25. On the morning of her death, Peach tells Beck, who is already awake, that they won't be leaving "for two days". ("Amour Fou")
- In the books, Peach isn't very suspicious of Joe, though she does think she has a stalker, but doesn't believe it is Joe.
- Her death is also very different from the TV series, where she was shown to have been shot by Joe and to pretend that it was a suicide, also leaving a note on her laptop. In the books, Joe drowns her on the beach, sending a strange note to Beck, while leaving her phone with her body while it's dragged to the ocean. Also no one is aware of Peach's death and there's no immediate commotion surrounding her death.
- Peach claimed to have a rare, chronic, and painful bladder disease called interstitial cystitis.
- Although not officially confirmed, it is heavily implied that she is a bisexual/sexually fluid, and comes from a homophobic household.
- Peach throws annual parties around the time of her parent's divorce.
- Peach was addicted to or used Adderall, as Roger Stevens says that he's known her "since her Adderall days."
- Peach had a dog named Dalloway, who was a purebred bichon frise that eventually ran away.
- The dog's name is likely a reference to the novel Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, which is about a high-society woman in post-WWI England.
References[]
- ↑ 1x2: The Last Nice Guy in New York
- ↑ 1x5: Living with the Enemy
- ↑ 1x6: Amour Fou
- ↑ Chapter 12: You (Book)
