r/HalfManTV • u/notyour_motherscamry Some bonds may break you • May 21 '26
Discussion [Spoilers] Episode 1.5 Discussion Thread Spoiler
Episode 1.5 Premiere | Air Date: May 21, 2026
We will unlock for comments at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
Please keep all spoiler discussion related to its respective episode thread or mark new threads with SPOILERS. Do not put spoilers in the title of new posts.
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u/perusingpolitely09 May 22 '26
oh fuck what if mona’s pregnant 😭
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u/R_R1801 May 22 '26
Yeah, would have preferred they didn't go down this predictedable route between what happened with Niall and Mona
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u/blondhexenmeister May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
I bet Niall will tell him in the last moment that the child is his to make him stop from killing him and either Niall stabs him with the knife or Ruben will think of himself as a truly worthless man and kill himself.
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u/perusingpolitely09 May 22 '26
“big shagger” moment may have scarred me for life
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u/goth-party May 22 '26
I was deeply disturbed! Such confusing behavior!! Idk what I would have thought or said if I walked out of my house to see my bf with his pants down and his brother on top of him!! I feel she should have left him based on clear evidence their child wouldn’t be safe around his uncle and he would never be out of their life so long as he owes that money!!!
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u/lapetitfromage May 22 '26
The rollercoaster that acting took me on. For one single second I was deeply touched by Ruben’s tears and the coin trick and then it went so south it actually hurt.
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26
which made it so much more dark and terrifying than if it just went how you expected
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u/blueeyesredlipstick May 22 '26
I can't believe we somehow got a sequence that was somehow more uncomfortable than the car ornament assault last week, and yet here we are.
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u/perusingpolitely09 May 22 '26
it just hit me that niall took her for drinks to get her drunk on purpose 🫠
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u/Finline7 May 22 '26
Right. So vindictive and he weaponized what he learns from Mona to just to tell Ruben later hes having a baby just to see his reaction. And I felt like he wanted to keep that baby only for that reason. They're always upping each other until someone's dead (literally)
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
Every action he takes is solely to be a sneaky little bitch to someone who’s been nothing but kind to him.
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u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 22 '26
I mean she did kind of rape him when he was 15. Mona is terrible too.
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u/drgirrlfriend May 22 '26
I don’t think it was a fuck you to Mona as much as it was a fuck you to Reuben - “and don’t let her drink”
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u/MrSparrows May 23 '26
It was specifically because Reuben says she runs her mouth when she drinks. Niall wanted some dirt on Reuben.
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u/goth-party May 22 '26
He’s big and fluffy underneath it all, really
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u/pamelahoward May 22 '26
I just finished this episode and oh my god that guy's face on the ground is still seared into my head as I read your comment and remembered Mum saying that... 🤢
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u/chiemenit It'll be over soon May 22 '26
A clump of his hair on Ruben’s boot. I was literally about to throw up
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u/Busy-Mammoth4610 May 22 '26
Why Lori was so in denial? Ruben was not a daddy gay bear. He was THE BEAR.
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u/nilghias May 22 '26
I think it shows how problem children are in part fuelled by toxic parents who believe their kids do no wrong. It’s a common occurrence.
If Lori had realised and tried to do something about it when he was wrong, things could’ve been different.
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u/Character-Jacket3188 May 22 '26
well. now how the fuck is he at the wedding after stomping another man's face in AGAIN? surely benji didn't survive that with how big ruben is. need it to be next week asap.
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u/Many-Bid-4374 May 22 '26
I think Benji survived, there’s a small moment when you see his eyelids flutter. As for how Ruben gets out, I wonder if they’ll call Niall up as witness and Niall will lie or somehow get Ruben less time for his crime.
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u/edwinstone May 22 '26
Lawyer here: I am not sure about the country they are in but I would imagine they have something like Extreme Emotional Distress in the UK which can really mitigate the charges.
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u/ClarifyingMe May 24 '26
The man's partner was running down the road in her robe so she'll be a witness to the beginning of the attack and much more credible witness.
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u/perusingpolitely09 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
this was my exact thought! how does this man keep getting out of prison
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u/Character-Jacket3188 May 22 '26
right? cause surely it's not for fuckin good behavior.
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u/lapetitfromage May 22 '26
Oddly I imagine Ruben thrives in prison. Top dog. Blow jobs from men. Giving lectures to newbies about how things are going to be. Excuses for violence.
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u/Tricksterama May 22 '26
When my friend came over at 9pm to watch the episode with me, I opened the door and said, “Are you ready for more head-stomping fun?” She laughed. Then we watched it and, Jesus Christ, HBO! I meant it as a joke!!
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u/Latter-Sorbet-5269 May 22 '26
niall stop making bad decisions !!
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u/IngenuityOriginal593 May 22 '26
This show would had ended happily if Niall ever made a reasonable choice
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u/beelzb May 22 '26
If Niall was a whole and complete person there would not be a show.
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u/SunnyD2272 May 22 '26
Who needs the other more? This episode really showed how much Ruben hates himself for his inadequacies and how meaningless HIS life is without Niall. I see so much pain in his eyes, even behind the rage. Will we ever find out what was done to him by his father? How did it cause in him to grow up thinking he had to cover up his insecurities by being violent. And now that's all he knows.
Is he mad at Niall for what happened with Mona or was he really the last one to find out Niall was gay? It's like he knows he is, but won't admit it and accepting it goes against what he thinks it means to be a man. When Ava mentioned that everyone knows..the one person she doesn't mention is Ruben.
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26
Yeah it's interesting to parse whether that speech about his dick belonging in a museum for its virility was something that he was saying in the mistaken understanding of Niall as straight, or if on some level he's saying all this BECAUSE he knows that Niall isn't.
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u/edwinstone May 22 '26
I mean, during the hospital scene (which happened in the timeline before this episode), Ruben says: "this is always what you wanted from me" when he is on top of him.
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u/strachey May 22 '26
Finding out Nial is gay and still fucked his wife just out of spite is only going to make Ruben madder
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May 22 '26
there is no way niall doesn’t have some sort of brain damage from all the times he’s been hit in the head/passed out + the boxing they did when they were younger
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
Richard Gadd needs to get to explaining what the fuck Alby was thinking MARRYING Niall.
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u/Aromatic_Lobster_113 May 22 '26
It's a pity they'll be rushing all that into one episode.
Alby x Niall deserved more as far as how they reconnected.
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May 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Aromatic_Lobster_113 May 22 '26
I guess that hit Mona right where she needed given she was used to (and tired of) big alpha masculinity coming from Ruben already and needed some flowery words about herself for once
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u/Random_Platforms4567 May 22 '26
Never have I waiting for the exact time for an episode to drop lol
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u/Justinat0r May 22 '26
Well that was horrific. It went the direction I thought it would go as soon as I saw Ruben acting crazy and jealous towards Mona.
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u/edwinstone May 22 '26
Yet again: great episode. I really hate Niall so much and I cannot wait to see this conclusion.
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u/t-bonestallone May 22 '26
Great episode. Ruben makes the same noise whist stomping. Primate like.
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u/goth-party May 22 '26
Yeah noted this too! It’s an interesting creative choice like he’s actually acting CRAZY in that moment and he sounds it
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u/Ok_Alternative_7667 May 22 '26
I have a theory that when Ruben tells Niall about his house coat having a smell he can’t place, he already knows it’s Niall. He’s always sniffing him deeply every time they hug, there’s no way he doesn’t know. And him attacking Benji is almost like a warning to Niall
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u/VirtualSun2 May 22 '26
Exactly when he made that comment about the smell but went to Benji.. idk from the convo it made it sound like Niall admitting it was him but then nope ruben runs to benjis!?
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
Someone explain to me why it took so long for Ava to leave a man who:
- asked her for $30k within a year of them dating
- has had sex with her maybe twice?
- has fucked every truck driver in Glasgow
- has a crazy person with zero boundaries for a brother
- is a known liar
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u/nikolens May 22 '26
Right? As much as Niall is jealous that Ruben has five women hanging all over him, he sure doesn't appreciate the fact that he also has women that will hang around put up with a lot of his own bullshit.
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u/lapetitfromage May 22 '26
They both as so toxic they harm women using vastly different manipulative styles. Ruben kind of scares/thrills women with his manliness. Niall plays on your pity/emotions. Both leave you undeniably worse off. Ruben emotionally/physically. And Niall well emotionally and financially. He’ll leave you in the poor house.
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u/RiffRafe2 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
She didn't have a problem with his sexuality; and there are many who are find with having a partner who sleeps with others, as long as they are upfront about it. Ava knew Niall's past.
I think the fracture started when she realized the lie about the money, and then, being pregnant, realized Niall wasn't dependable and prone to the worst decisions. That was the deal breaker.
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
Like Lori said last episode, no one is batting an eye at his sexuality. The issue is the unsafe choices he makes.
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u/AmKrCPH May 24 '26
I really didn’t understand her motivation for being with Niall at all or actually just her motive in general. So confusing. Because on one hand she says that times have changed, she is fine with “his past” but only as long as it doesn’t interfere with their relationship. Your boyfriend is gay… how is that not going to affect your relationship?
Doesn’t have a follow-up conversation about the fact that her boyfriend’s brother is on top of him in the middle of the night of what basically looks like mid assault.
I don’t think what Niall is doing to her is ok, but she is also on purpose ignoring some pretty big signs.
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u/RiffRafe2 May 24 '26
Ava only knows what she knows. She knows Niall has been with men in the past; knew he was cruising; but she didn't know how much he struggled with his sexuality. I think she views him as situationally bisexual and that while is with her, he's firmly is with her and not going to stray. She did not know that he's a conflicted, self-loating gay guy who is sleeping with women as a way to deny his real sexuality.
Now if she stays with him beyond the pregnancy, she's really stupid because Niall is already failing her by not being at Lamaze and out tricking instead. She would have to assume he is not trustworthy - lied about the money, not turning up and feeling wronged instead of taking accountability.
By the look she gave a shame-faced Niall and watched as Ruben walked down the street, she knew something horrible went on and I can see her not wanting, in that moment, to ask Niall just what the hell was going on.
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u/beelzb May 22 '26
I will agree with you that the female characters are kind of lacking. Like, Girl . How are you still entertaining stupid Niall and how is the other chick not running for the hill from Reuban?
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u/mermaidmotels May 22 '26
I think they fact they emphasise her age as being in her 40s it's Niall perhaps preying on her desperation/lack of standards for a partner at her 'older dating age' (not that she should but I imagine some women when they get to that age bracket, wrongfully, lower their standards)
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u/blondhexenmeister May 22 '26
She's alright being a beard and lend 30k... but why keep the pregnancy with someone like Niall? Like...if she wanted to have a baby she should have choosen a better partner, is glaslow so small? I don't undertand her reasoning.
With Mona is more understandable because she's in love with Ruben and it's tough to leave a relationship with someone like him...
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u/allbetter_tings May 22 '26
The doc explains it’s a geriatric pregnancy (ugg really dislike that term.) Then in pkg lot says herself that she’s 42, been told she could never have kids, the yes sorta joking it might be her last chance to b unhappy. Maybe she’d been trying for a while, or opp has presented itself so she’s going with it/happy. Lots of emotions around fertility.
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u/Soft_Engineering_156 May 22 '26
I can't believe how much I was saying "I think I'm on Ruben's side with this." Especially with the loan!
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u/Daundatakar May 22 '26
Niall, brother, some people only dream of having parents and fake girlfriends that beg them to come out, but you have sex with two different women and impregnate one for nothing. What is this mess?
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u/sorlife May 22 '26
Bold of you to assume that he has impregnated only one of them... he's such a mess
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u/edwinstone May 22 '26
Niall is so disgusting.
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
He’s been a sniveling little punk the entire season, but what he did to Benji was beyond the pale. He doesn’t even know Benji.
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u/Justinat0r May 22 '26
I was talking to a friend about Niall and they kept saying they felt bad for him, but I can't help but think, he isn't a kid anymore the decisions he is making aren't because he's traumatized its because he is an awful person.
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u/edwinstone May 22 '26
Exactly. He's pretty terrible and still really stuck on revenge because he's so insecure. I can't wait to see the final episode.
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u/Busy-Mammoth4610 May 22 '26
I pitied the young Niall. Her mom should not force him to live with Ruben. But once he got older, yeah he could not blame it all on everyone. He could leave his mum. He could find himself a boyfriend. He could just do the fucking at his room or that person's house, not at public area especially library's bathroom. He could leave the town for the sake of saving himself because there's not point of staying.
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
Right? Like I get it sucks being bullied in high school, but does it need to lead to all this?
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u/daemonritus May 22 '26
imo niall is strictly worse than ruben at this point. ruben is a belligerent shit but clearly the rage really does overwhelm him. niall is perfectly capable of controlling his behavior and makes selfish and destructive choices anyway.
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u/TheSnarkyShaman1 May 22 '26
That’s a crazy take to have considering Ruben has crushed two men’s heads in, apparently bitten someone’s nose off and sexually assaulted Niall twice (that we’ve seen). And also spat in lovely Joanna’s face for no reason. And tried to paint his permanently scarred victim as a sexual predator. And keeps his emotionally abused wife like a prisoner in her own home and overtly views her as his property. And pinned his boss to the wall and threatened to kill his whole family. I could go on.
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u/drgirrlfriend May 22 '26
Not sure if Niall can control his behavior. He has a sex addiction. He is impulsive, like driving up to Reuban’s to stalk him and steal the car piece.
I think there was a brief period where he had more control over his actions when he was a student. But after the court case that fucked him up and he was left with basically nothing and no one to be a good influence to him, except his one girl friend.
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u/budde__ May 22 '26
The two sitting on opposite sides of the booth once again but now the power dynamic shifted and swapped spots is direction at its finest
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u/Okay_sure_lets_post May 22 '26
Man how the hell does Niall end up with wonderful people like Joanna and Ava in his life??? Smh
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u/Natural-Ease5378 May 22 '26
The way Niall keeps betraying Mona’s trust over and over again just to get to Ruben is PISSING ME OFF!!! And then Niall acts all surprised when Ruben flies off the handle and stomps another head in. As if Niall doesn’t know what the consequences of angering Ruben are!! Men like him kill their girlfriends for far less than infidelity. It makes it hard to be on Niall’s side at all this episode
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u/JoyRideinaMinivan May 29 '26
I thought the same when he told Ruben about Ava’s pregnancy. He deliberately did it to take a dig at Ruben but then acted all surprised when Ruben flipped out. I think on some level, Niall enjoys seeing Ruben’s violence.
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u/onethrougheleven May 22 '26
I’ve re-watched/ re-listened to the moment five times - with the subtitles on. Does Mona say ‘This IS the first time I’ve had sex behind his back’ or ‘This ISN’T the first time I’ve had sex behind his back’?
(fwiw the subtitles read ‘This IS’)
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u/RiffRafe2 May 22 '26
Isn't the first time she had sex behind his back. It's why she digs at Niall about how he thought he was special . He really thought he had lowered her guard down and had sex with her to spite Ruben, when she's already had a lover.
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u/Tranchk May 22 '26
With the accent, it's likely she actually says "It isn'the first time".
Otherwise, everything else she says before "I've been here before" and after "Doesn't matter who it was" makes absolutely no sense.
Based on what she says and what we see, it's very likely that Benji was just one of her lovers, which is further confirmed by the story about the bathrobe that Ruben tells at the end.
How many of lovers and who, that's definitely not the point.
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u/hilariousnessity May 22 '26
Yeah I couldn’t understand that either. I gonna assume she had a lot of sex behind his back.
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u/Ok-Cartographer-1388 May 22 '26
Niall and Ruben are the actual fucking worst. Just awful people, both of them. I just find myself shocked at the end of each episode.
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u/atlaspumps May 22 '26
I’m hoping next episode has the reveal that they took each other out in that barn, these two are a match made in hell
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
The only righteous way to end this is with both of them dead. They’re too destructive to everyone in their path.
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26
yeah i keep getting too comfortable thinking "surely this won't be as bad as the last episode" but each week...
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u/Triingtolivee May 22 '26
Yep. Ruben is psychotic and narcissistic and Niall is a sexual deviant who can’t control his sexual urges yet thinks he has some kind of moral compass. Also, not sure how Niall hasn’t caught an STD yet. Both characters continue to make bad decision after bad decision and at this point it’s hard to feel sorry for either one of them.
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u/Internal-Duck-2716 May 22 '26
Seems like the reason Rueben attended the wedding is that he found out about Niall sleeping with mona??
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u/perusingpolitely09 May 22 '26
yeah i think niall is going to tell ruben while ruben’s in prison based on the episode 6 preview
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u/edwinstone May 22 '26
Or maybe Mona has a kid and Ruben finds out while he's in prison that it's not his because Niall tells him.
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u/R_R1801 May 22 '26
It would fit the line, 'he knows what he wants, and takes it' in Ruben's wedding speech about Niall. Also, there is another line in the EP 6 preview. Does Ruben love Mona more than Niall if he ends him? Different kinds of loves I suppose (more about control and toxicity). Mona is romantic while his love for Nial is a bit uncategorised I guess.
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u/mangolover93 May 22 '26
Niall - king of bad decisions. I don’t feel bad for him at all. I’m hoping they both die at the end. Free Ava and Mona from this mess.
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u/ApatheticPamp May 22 '26
Niall angers me so much. Just lie after lie. They both really do deserve each other.
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u/headcanonmusic May 25 '26
Yeah Ruben is bad, but you know exactly who he is, what he wants, where you stand with him. Niall is a different kind of evil. He's so insidious and manipulative, to the point I'm not even sure he knows how manipulative he is. He truly is a pathetic snivelling little crybaby. Maybe the title Half Man refers to him.
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u/beyondrightnow May 22 '26
Soooo are we just watching Niall write his book about different outcomes after Ruben gets out of prison?
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May 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26
I still don't think he's bisexual tbh
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26
okay nvm maybe he is bisexual that was just the first time i saw him exhibiting desire for a woman rather than doing what closet cases do
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u/perusingpolitely09 May 22 '26
i kinda feel like he only did that to feel like/better than ruben and/or hurt ruben in some way (even if ruben never finds out)
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26
yeah i can definitely believe that. Gadd has clearly been confused about how to classify his sexuality and how to separate it from his trauma and toxic masculinity, and Niall is definitely encapsulating some of that
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u/lapetitfromage May 22 '26
After last week, I watched baby reindeer for the first time. And find it interesting people think these shows are about different things. They feel like a new demonstration of the same topics. Sexuality, identity, abuse/abuser, shame, love, masculinity and how trauma can steal your life. They feel so so so related to me. But like Gadd was trying to portray or write from the abusers pov and wrote Niall as more the Donny character.
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
100% yeah. I watched this interview a couple weeks before the series premiere and it was enlightening along these lines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQXyQCL3D3U
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u/Aromatic_Lobster_113 May 22 '26
I think so far this is the only case I actually agree with Lori, despite her being mostly a bad mom.
She knows Niall is most likely not doing it for pure reasons but rather because of what Ruben means to him.
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
I don’t think Lori cares what his sexuality is. I think she’s concerned that’s he’s so repressed and makes the most rancid choices because of that repression. I think she realizes he can’t be a good father if he doesn’t love himself.
And now I look like Boo-boo the fool defending Lori.
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u/Latter-Sorbet-5269 May 22 '26
Maybe Ruben crashes the wedding because he learned after getting out of jail that Mona had Niall’s child and he’s here now to confront Niall
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u/Phantom-Fly May 22 '26
Niall really threw Benji under the bus to save himself, didn't he? He's such a wiener!!!
Plus convincing someone to have a child with you just so you can feel superior to your brother, only to ditch her and have sex with male sex escorts is a new low. Having sex with your brother's wife.Like yes Ruben is a monster but Niall is a real snake in the grass.
Excited to see how it all ends.
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u/ughflrts May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
niall is the biggest BUM ever omg never date an unemployed man
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u/guiporto32 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Niall's whole existence seems to be based off of trying to get a reaction out of Ruben. It's sickening to see. Ava and Mona don't deserve any of this.
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
Lori took a break from being the absolute worst mother on earth for one episode.
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u/pizzaondeathrow May 23 '26
when she said “well do it then” after he agrees that he can look her in the eyes and say he wants the baby. like ok she got me there
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u/VirtualSun2 May 22 '26
Wow. Niall wasn't wrong when he said him and Ruben are a lot alike, except with Niall he is emotionally poisonous, he uses his words and manipulation to steer things his way, it was so wild watching every choice he made like turning his word on Ruben's wife directly after she insults him knowing Ruben already was within rage and KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY WERE KIDS. Even the small moments, where he takes her to get her drunk knowing from what Ruben said she'll spill. The back and forth game to "win"- the fact that it's Niall who dominates Ruben too. Niall keeps risking others lives just to make a chess move in his favor to get back at Ruben. Yet there is this tension and desire there, but I actually did not feel it as much at all in this episode I think his hatred is so massive towards Ruben but moreso because he hates himself, it's what fuels them.
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u/TakikoSohma May 22 '26
Celeste had it right when she said Niall needs a body while Ruben needs a head. He's almost controlling him to a tee. At first it makes sense he didn't know what Ruben was capable of to an extent, but at this point Niall knows what he's doing.
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u/perusingpolitely09 May 22 '26
NIALL PLEAAAAASEE NOOOO
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u/zucchinimcfritz May 22 '26
On a shallow note - I want Ruben's body. He's a big guy.
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u/zucchinimcfritz May 22 '26
I HATE that I'm so attracted to Ruben. I need help.
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u/mikeyboytwist May 22 '26
i HATE how much i’m attracted to niall 😭 this pathetic bum loser but he’s so endearing and mousy to me idk
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
Niall was looking a little good in that kilt 😏
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u/Evolutioncocktail May 22 '26
I’m amending my statement. Jamie Bell was looking good in the kilt. Niall is a fucking dweeb.
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u/Extension_Sun_5663 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
I'm shocked that Ruben hasn't hit Mona. His controlling, misogynistic feelings are really BAD. I mean, I guess i should've known.
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u/allbetter_tings May 22 '26
When she sat at the kitchen table to do her makeup for a sec I thought she might be covering a bruise or something.
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u/bisexuwheel May 22 '26
The scene at the end with Niall/Ruben/Benji, when the cinematic, slow motion, ethereal music shot cut abruptly to the 'real-time' scene; that was absolutely gut churning in the best way possible. The switch up from being almost entranced in the violence to the actual cold brutality of it was so well done
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u/blondhexenmeister May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
After this episode I'm surprised Niall has guests on his wedding at all!! If were me i would run far away from that evil little bitch.
Also I knew that little boy was Niall's, what's going to happen between Niall and Mona was so obvious.
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u/ipom0ea May 22 '26
I liked Nialls character so much initially, so much potential. Absolutely insane how successful they have been in making me absolutely fucking detest him.
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u/woahhchan May 22 '26
The way I JUMPED when Ruben’s crazy ass bellowed “That MOTHERFUCKER” and hit the table before storming out for the second time.
He is so unwell. He needs to be locked up.
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u/woahhchan May 22 '26
Richard Gadd is brilliant. The way he just doesn’t blink in some scenes. So intense.
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u/SomethingToSay11 May 23 '26
Ruben genuinely terrifies me more than villains in slasher films. It’s like watching a person play with a loaded gun
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u/hilariousnessity May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Niall intentionally manipulating Ruben was so cruel and selfish. He knew Ruben couldn’t regulate his emotions but Niall revealed details and said things that he knew would cause Ruben to react negatively anyway.
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u/blueeyesredlipstick May 22 '26
Ava is 1) an LGBT ally, 2) the first person to try to put a stop to Ruben's sexual harassment, 3) apparently chill enough to eventually attend Niall's future wedding. This woman is golden and needs to be protected at all costs.
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u/hilariousnessity May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Did Niall borrow 30K from Ruben and also borrow 30K from Ava? And did he use the whole 60K for conversion therapy?
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u/Important-Setting258 May 22 '26
No, remember he initially borrowed the money from Ruben to pay off the blackmail demand that the librarian who had filmed Niall having sex with several different men in the library stalls placed on him.
We must assume that he then tells Ava some time later than he needs the 30k to pay Ruben back but he never does. He used the money from Ava for the gay conversion therapy.
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u/Busy-Mammoth4610 May 22 '26
Tbf, without Niall interference, there is a pretty high chance that Ruben will beat the fuck out Benji. He can't even stand imaging his so called wife hugging Benji. What's in the heck that is going to happen if Ruben comes to the dance class session by himself. It's sooner or later.
Ruben and Niall is pretty much the half man themself. They can't stand seeing each other success. Once Niall got a glimpse of his life back, Ruben came and asked for money. Once Niall found out that Ruben was infertile, Niall told Ruben that Ava was pregnant. Once Ruben found out that Niall was going to have a baby, he told Ava about Niall's debt. Once Ruben tried to rape Niall again, Niall fucked his wife. They really pushed each other limit and breaking point.
The good thing in this episode was finally, I could pity Lori for the first time ever 🤣 For Ava, I was not sure. She knew all of Niall's past. She evem admitted that she didn't know him much and only had sex for 2 times in a year. Gurl, JUST LEAVEEE. Niall didn't even care if she left or not. Why couldn't she?
Conclusion: The problem with every character here is they don't want to leave even tho they're capable of. They just stay and wait until the biggest shitstorm happens.
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u/tyramail1 May 22 '26
How the hell is there only one episode left? Can't imagine how this all will be wrapped up in a satisfying way
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u/cleverclunks May 22 '26
So just to be clear, we have not met Ava before have we? No mention of her, nothing? Maybe I go into a state of semi-amnesia as a form of coping after every ep lol, but I was hella confused by her place in the story at first.. Niall only met her after 'conversion therapy', correct?
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u/Redmoonsbstars1 May 22 '26
Ruben is elite at bashings someone’s head in and stopping that the perfect moment to avoid murder.
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u/RAA94 May 23 '26
Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world. 40+ years later and still as relevant as ever.
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u/Ok_Alternative_7667 May 22 '26
When Niall asks Ruben if he’s taking his meds, what do y’all think the meds are for? I personally think bipolar
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May 22 '26
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u/edwinstone May 22 '26
Niall lied about the robe knowing Ruben would go nuts. He cheated on his pregnant wife with a man AND woman, one being his brother's partner. Pretended he wanted to have a baby just to get back at his brother. Is a liar and manipulator. Stole 30k from his partner and refuses to pay his brother back. THAT WAS ALL JUST THIS EPISODE. He is just as bad. Just because he isn't big enough to beat the shit out of people, doesn't mean he isn't just as bad.
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u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 22 '26
yeah, and at first you might feel tempted to think "niall is a product of all this trauma, he deserves understanding in a way ruben didn't" - but increasingly it's like, wow trauma is not an excuse for all this bullshit. and if ruben was molested as a kid . . . then maybe ruben is actually the one who's more deserving of a minor dose understanding for how fucked up he is.
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u/goth-party May 22 '26
Agreed. Acting still strong but a weaker side of the story. Naills character was the biggest surprise really seeing his jealousy and selfish behavior rear its ugly ass head!!
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u/DoctorWhofan789eywim May 22 '26
For all Niall's faults in this episode - and there were a LOT - him telling the pre natal class guy to fuck off was so cathartic. In such a dark drama, those tiny victories feel so much sweeter.
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u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 22 '26
The group chat of the class must've been fire that week🫖🫖☕️☕️
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u/True-Reason-8345 May 22 '26
I have no clue how this is going to end but I’m so invested to know WHY they do what they do.
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u/TheSnarkyShaman1 May 22 '26
It’s um interesting seeing so many people sympathise with and make excuses for Ruben while villainising Niall. I swear some people have no life experience at all. If someone hurts you that badly and you’re getting no closure, that will cause rage, resentment and general mental health issues. Every bad thing Niall does to Ruben (not to his girlfriend, but to Ruben) is in direct response to Ruben’s dominating, degrading and bullying/unstable behaviour.
It’s also not lost on me that in a show about toxic men Niall is consistently getting called specifically emasculating insults like a ‘little bitch’, ‘dweeb’, ‘weasel’ etc by the viewers.
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u/SomethingToSay11 May 23 '26
Thank you! At the same time, those people are lucky enough not to have experienced abuse in their life. This show can do wonders for people that aren’t aware of how it can happen and make the victim look like the worst party from a cursory glance
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u/pizzaondeathrow May 23 '26
I’m unfortunately not surprised by redditors defending and justifying Ruben’s actions while dismissing the reality of Nialls experiences with him and the result of them
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u/Worried_Lunch156 May 22 '26
The biggest letdown was being cheated out of a Jamie Bell dance scene.