Who is Mark Blum? YOU season 3 premiere offers title card tribute

Who is Mark Blum? If you watched the YOU season 3 premiere on Netflix, you may have noticed his name at the very end.

For those of you who are longtime viewers of the show, odds are you are very familiar already with Blum’s onscreen work. He appeared on the series across a handful of episodes as Mr. Mooney, the owner of the bookstore back in season 1 that Joe more or less called home. Mooney was also a surrogate parent to Joe and was an influential character in his life — he also was responsible for locking him away in the basement for stretches at a time. We saw him often in flashbacks, but he also had an important appearance in the present when Joe brought Beck over to see him, evidence in a way of the life he had outside of her.

Blum had a lasting career for decades in the TV and film industry, working in such shows as Mozart in the Jungle, Billions, Succession, and so many other projects. He also prominent in the theater community. Sadly, he passed away last year due to complications of COVID-19, making him one of the many brilliant minds we lost amidst the global pandemic.

For those unaware, title cards are one of the most prominent and impactful ways that a television series can honor one of their own. These cards air (or in this case, stream) in a way that presents them to the entire viewership; this leads to the audience doing more research and understanding further their life and legacy. Mark Blum was integral to the early success of YOU and the Joe Goldberg mythology. He also had a seismic impact on everyone who works on this show behind the scenes. No matter where you’re watching the season 3 premiere or when, this title card will remain there and Netflix has thankfully set it up so that it’s present before you can skip to the next episode.

Our thoughts go out to Mark Blum’s family, and we hope that this tribute can be yet another way that they understand how loved he was as an actor and person in this world.

This article was written by Jess Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.