Malcolm Harding

―Joe Goldberg about Malcolm.

**Malcolm Harding** is a character in the fourth season of the television series *You*. He was a literature professor and dated Kate Galvin.

## Biography

According to Kate's description, Malcolm was a fun but self-centered partier who is friends with Joe Goldberg. Born to privilege, Malcolm is a literature professor who enjoys all the social perks of the job without working very hard. A drug-loving bon vivant, Malcolm’s friendliness can tip over into bullying if you resist. He’s dating brilliant, successful Kate, which speaks to his own intelligence and maturity. But he’s also seeing a few others on the side, which cancels out those bonus points.

Malcolm was very extroverted and had no problem starting a conversation with someone as introverted as Joe, always having something to say without the need of him speaking at all.

He doesn’t like formalities, correcting Joe as soon as he called him *“Professor Harding”,* this could’ve meant that he considered Joe as someone as close to a friend, besides the fact that he clearly demonstrated he doesn’t like him.

It's clear that Malcolm sported a very misogynistic behavior towards women and feminism, openly saying what he thought of the movement to Joe while he was on drugs. Although, we didn’t got to see in clarity so far as how he treats women in this aspect. Besides this, Malcolm wasn't homophobic, contrary to popular belief. Adam, that Malcolm once called *“my dear friend”*, is openly pansexual and apparently he had no homophobic behavior towards him.

## Relationships

### Joe Goldberg

According to Joe, he first met Malcolm when he ran out of his job interview at 2 PM, where he implies that Malcolm was possibly drunk at the moment. Joe later then thanks him for recommending him a new place, to which Malcolm's response was that he was chuffed to hear that he was taking care of the flat.

It's implied that Malcolm seems to be one of the firsts professors to engage with Joe at his new job, inviting him to hang out after work, or simply talk together on their break. Besides his efforts, Joe makes up excuses to not hang out with him, even staying quiet and not engaging in the conversation, but this doesn't stop Malcolm, as he clearly doesn't seem to acknowledge he's not wanted, besides of the obvious cues. Apart from what Joe might think of Malcolm as a whole, Malcolm seems to care about him and his well-being, even if it doesn't show. This, however, can be seen when he takes him to his flat after the event, taking care of Joe's barely conscious body, laying him on the couch and covering him with Adam's coat.

### Phoebe Borehall-Blaxworth

Phoebe is the only one from the main group that seems to like Malcolm as a friend, or at least, not being so open to her dislike for him.

When Phoebe is seen outside the pub in Joe Takes a Holiday, both Malcolm and Kate await for her to come to them. As soon as Phoebe sees both of them waiting for her, he smiles back to her and tilts his head, almost like he feels pleased to see her. She, however, said a few words to Kate and Joe, barely acknowledging Malcolm. They didn't interacted enough to notice the closeness they had prior to this episode. Although, whenever Malcolm is being bullied by his friend group, she doesn't join them, this could mean that she doesn't openly agree to them. At some point during the party, she joins Malcolm and Joe on the couch and decides to sit on Malcolm’s lap playfully to give Joe more absinthe, in response he lets her and grabs her by the waist. He says, "Oh, no, no, no. Don't. You'll annihilate him." to which, she giggles.

In the episode Portrait of the Artist, as Joe says to Phoebe how grateful he is to Malcolm for insisting him to come the other night at the pub, Phoebe scoffs and says "Well, Malcolm..." this could be a sign that she didn't quite like him, besides how she behaves around him. Joe takes on this curiously, and asks what does she mean by that, to which she responds, "Kate likes him. Good enough." It's clear that Phoebe was only forced to like him, since he was one of her best friends partner, and couldn't possibly do anything about it. She continues to confind Joe that "Malcolm's a bit controversial."

## Quotes

* "Rouse young minds and etcetera. Perks of the job, rumor has it. I wouldn't possibly know."

* "No hand shandies over my girl, do you hear? Any of my girls."

* "You see, my family is practically royal. Royal adjacent, anyway."

* "You saved Kate's life. I am repaying you."

* "What? I'm a fan, darling."

* "I'll be right back with those treats."

* "So, what's making John-Boy so miserable, hm?"

* "That. That, the burden of our decade. Women beliving women, like they don't lie and cheat and fuck. They do it more than us."

## References

1. https://deadline.com/2022/03/charlotte-ritchie-season-4-netflixs-you-1234986616/
2. https://deadline.com/2022/04/you-tilly-keeper-amy-leigh-hickman-ed-speleers-series-regulars-recurring-cast-season-4-setting-1234992414/

1. ↑ Charlotte Ritchie To Star In Season 4 Of Netflix’s ‘You’