MANILA, Philippines – That Penn Badgley and Shay Mitchell are both in Manila to promote the first season of the Netflix thriller You is both ironic and delightful – especially for those who’ve binge-watched the show.

Penn plays Joe Goldberg, a New York bookstore manager who meets, falls in love, and stalks his one-time customer, student writer Guinevere Beck. Shay, meanwhile, plays Beck’s very protective best friend Peach Salinger who is immediately suspicious and eventually, disapproving of Joe.

Here’s a spoiler-free fact: Joe and Peach never see eye-to-eye on the show, with almost all their scenes featuring bickering or, at the very least, tension between the two.

The two characters also happen to have huge fan bases online, with fans of Peach arguing that she’s one of the best and underrated characters in the series.

But what do the two stars themselves think of the character?

Penn, in a media event at The Peninsula Manila on Monday, January 14, described Peach as a “caring, doting friend” – a description which made Shay wince.

“I’m inclined at this point to see the best in other characters. What I’m concerned about is others liking Joe so much, shipping Joe, and dismissing all the other characters’ good qualities because that’s what Joe does,” he said.

“Peach is quite sensitive. I think she’s longing for human connection. She’s extremely strong, she’s extremely smart. She’s almost like a detective. And then she looks like Shay Mitchell so that’s not bad,” added Penn.

The popularity of You and Penn’s character has sparked an unexpected, albeit disturbing phenomenon – of fans pining for Joe.

“I would say that Joe is a psychopath and I have to be honest because I have to defend that side of him because so many people are falling in love and I’m like, ‘Wait, what, are we seeing the same show?'” said Shay.

“I know that he has a lot of likeable characteristics to him, but you can’t have the rest of it not be seen, you know? He killed people,” she added.

Penn’s been taking this seriously, making it a point to remind viewers – on social media and during media interviews – that Joe isn’t stan-worthy because he has literally murdered people in the course of the first season’s 10 episodes.

He does think, however, that Peach is among the better characters in the series because she’s able to see right through Joe.

What does that mean, exactly? The first season of You is available on demand over at Netflix.

The show was earlier confirmed for a second season, which will be set in California. – Rappler.com