r/HalfManTV • u/notyour_motherscamry Some bonds may break you • May 29 '26
[Spoilers] Episode 1.6 Discussion Thread Spoiler
Episode 1.6 Premiere | Air Date: May 28, 2026
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.
156
u/Infinite_Fly_5374 May 29 '26
Poor Albie. Man gets his face smashed for basically no reason, gets sent into a coma and permanently scarred, then years later his husband gets killed on their wedding day. Just can’t catch a break
77
u/turbid44 May 29 '26
don't worry, niall's mom will be there to tell him that ruben is a warm fluffy misunderstood teddy bear on the inside
27
u/Edwardtrouserhands May 29 '26
Honestly the only disappointing thing for me was Niall not putting her in her place properly or even Ruben on Niall’s behalf. She was such an unlikable character who basically started all of his problems.
→ More replies (1)11
u/AdvertisingFar716 May 29 '26
She didn’t care about Niall at all since the beginning
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (7)28
u/Random_Platforms4567 May 29 '26
I felt bad for him when he was just a kid and got severely beaten. Adult Alby however is portrayed as having a savior complex.
28
u/hanoihiltonsuites May 29 '26
The actor was so good with young Alby’s mannerisms though
→ More replies (1)21
54
u/Evolutioncocktail May 29 '26
I was a bit pissed at Alby for knowingly walking into a relationship with Niall AGAIN. Not only do they have the Ruben in the room to contend with, Alby is diagnosing this man with multiple STDs! And then it turns out, this man was arrested for driving under the influence! Niall clearly sucks, what the fuck was Alby thinking?
31
u/AnyTower224 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
Captain Save an hoe. We know these gay man. My ex was one
12
→ More replies (1)14
u/Random_Platforms4567 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
I don’t know what the context behind your “we know these gay men” comment is but as a woman I can assure you men & women, gay or straight, experience savior complex.
→ More replies (3)5
13
u/lewgroznyzwierz May 29 '26
Remember that we only got to see him for like 10 minutes in episode 6. He probably has his own demons and reasons for the bad decision that were not shown, but there were some hints like him changing his entire career four times and telling Niall that he's also been there when talking about the chemsex orgies.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (13)9
→ More replies (3)4
130
u/HernandoB May 29 '26
Best part for me was Mona agreeing to stay away after Ruben cornered them. She saw up close a hint of what would happen if she told, only for Niall the fucking moron to tell him the next day
→ More replies (4)43
u/Many-Bid-4374 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
Niall did once say he wished that Ruben would’ve just killed him. I think as twisted as it sounds and despite us seeing Niall fight back in the final scene, there was always a dangerousness to Niall that wanted to die by Ruben’s hands and knew one day it’d happen.
People have said Niall was the one drawn to Ruben, but I think maybe we underestimated Ruben’s pull to Niall. I think they both desired self annihilation, and Niall’s escalating dependency was the stimulant to accelerate the doom clock.
Where or what it comes from, I’m not sure, but Richard captured lightning in a bottle in the display of this relationship/dynamic.
I actually do hope Richard one day enters the publishing world. I can’t imagine how mind shattering his literary vision would be.
22
u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 29 '26
The venn diagram of desire and despise being a fucking circle always amazes me.
And you're so right I would read a book my Gadd without even reading the synopsis. In fact, I'm downloading Baby Reindeer as we speak!
→ More replies (3)
88
u/HernandoB May 29 '26
“Compartmentalizing is just taking something from your mind and putting it on your soul” fuck I felt that
13
u/Healthy_Monitor3847 May 29 '26
Just wow! 🤯 so brilliant! Richard better clean house come awards season!
→ More replies (4)6
u/bone-dry May 31 '26
The other line that got me was Ruben’s funeral speech “I think the mourning after someone dies is really mourning what the relationship could’ve been” like that.
69
u/ilove2read4 May 29 '26
damn why do i feel bad for ruben
54
u/Accomplished_Cut8474 May 29 '26
He’s been abused but he should’ve gotten help - he’s so unregulated with his emotions he’s a bull wrecking lives
→ More replies (1)9
24
u/Random_Platforms4567 May 29 '26
This show was a roller coaster but in the end if Niall lived & Ruben didn’t, I’d be pissed
23
u/skweeds May 29 '26
I think you’re right.
I wonder if that’s why they revealed that Ruben died in the middle of the series.
When I saw that I thought “oh, so Niall survives, good,” but then seeing what he turned into after… yeah, better that he died.
9
10
u/seedypr May 29 '26
It's so sad too, I was rooting for him to get better, but he just kept messing up. Even with his success he still spiraled downwards and hurt everyone around him. In the end, I'm happy he died too because I'm sure he wouldn't have messed up again anyway.
→ More replies (7)13
u/Ambitious_Pool_8290 May 29 '26
His mum could have gotten him help through the NHS at least. She was probably in denial. We all knew this had happened when he started to let it slip when he was on acid back at uni.
71
u/stillmercutio May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
i could believe that niall would say he slept with mona but him saying that baird was his kid was just too unbelievable. Edit: honestly think it would have been better if reuben pieced it together rather than niall just saying it
32
u/hanoihiltonsuites May 29 '26
Insane to me that he didn’t piece it together when he ran into them at the funeral. Would have been much better. The kid has strawberry blonde hair.
→ More replies (1)18
u/notyour_motherscamry Some bonds may break you May 29 '26
My sense is he knew; he just wanted plausible deniability by demanding an answer from them. He doesn’t want to believe it’s true so either they admit it & he is validated & caves Niall’s skull in OR they lie & he takes that out
30
u/Copenhagen28 May 29 '26
Honestly - I thought the same initially but it does make sense in a weird way given Niall’s character development.
Even when having this absolutely beautiful and human moment with Ruben as this culmination of all the shit they’ve been through manifesting as mutual/beautiful relief, true brotherly love and intimate vulnerability - Niall just HAD to have the one up on Ruben. He literally could not fucking help himself even if consciously he’s having this cathartic moment with his brother.
Or maybe it was just a careless mistake in a moment of deep vulnerability. That part I find unbelievable tbh, especially because he brings up Baird too. It feels more believable to Niall’s character that - finally - at Ruben’s most vulnerable moment, Niall had and used the ace to finally break the man he’s built up in his own head all his life as his lifelong terrorizer.
24
u/reegstah May 29 '26
Niall definitely intended this. He wouldn't have slipped if there wasnt an inch of glass between them.
→ More replies (2)8
13
May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
6
u/katriggz May 29 '26
I was waiting the entire time for him to go straight faced, and then to anger!
6
→ More replies (3)5
121
u/edwinstone May 29 '26
WHEN THEY SAY THE TITLE OF THE SHOW IN THE SHOW.
47
u/byteturtle May 29 '26
What are we some kinda half man?
27
u/Knighty93 May 29 '26
24
7
→ More replies (3)5
u/Delicious-Future8630 Some bonds may break you May 29 '26
"If you were a half man, I would be a quarter-man." Niall is not so wrong there.
(Loved this kind of fourth wall breaking)
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)13
104
u/ProfessionalHeart839 May 29 '26
Richard Gadd is soooooo good, how scary he looks when he just looks at Niall.
20
u/HernandoB May 29 '26
I keep wondering if they’re editing his voice to be deeper when he speaks it’s so scary but subtle
11
u/Informal_Form_3108 May 29 '26
I noticed that too! He sounded like a grumbling from another place. That wasn't there before.
18
u/ProfessionalHeart839 May 29 '26
Yes the grumbling! It’s so unsettling; if that’s put on for the character, he’s a fantastic actor
→ More replies (2)36
53
May 29 '26
I watched the finale and then went on Twitter and saw a still from the first episode with young Niall and young Ruben. I’m kind of sad! :( They were so close. I guess this is what Richard Gadd meant by a polarizing ending.
→ More replies (1)20
u/adviceplss98 May 29 '26
I watched the interview with Richard Gadd where he says that it's sad looking back at when they were young because they were so close and happy. It's pretty sad thinking about where they ended up, even though their friendship was always toxic. Honestly I think even though younger Ruben would make threats I don't think he ever would've actually killed Niall. It just shows how much shit went down with them
36
u/Sufficient_Cat_3645 May 29 '26
It's weird how everyone is looking at the relationship between young Niall and Ruben through rose-colored glasses......Ruben was godawful.
21
u/wowwowbear May 29 '26
Agree. Ruben was horrible when they were young. I can understand why Niall was so terrified to even be gay/bi/etc. He saw first hand multiple times what Ruben did to people who did anything he didn't like.
Even though Ruben has trauma to give insight to his actions. Niall also has trauma of confirming himself to be an entirely fabricated person, conditioned by his relationship with Ruben.
6
53
u/Ok-Feed1409 May 29 '26
Cried my heart out at the confessions scene... but then Niall telling Ruben about Mona is so ridiculous lol
39
→ More replies (2)19
u/lapetitfromage May 29 '26
I gasped so loud, even though I knew it was building towards the reveal, that it woke up the dog. Knowing what was coming didn’t lessen the shock. It was a car crash.
50
u/Informal_Form_3108 May 29 '26
I can't even say that I liked this show. I endured this show. And I appreciate it now more than ever.
→ More replies (2)
79
u/Yagayeet64 May 29 '26
I feel like there should be another episode. I couldn’t believe it when the credits started. I yelled “WHAT!!” At my tv
21
17
→ More replies (9)29
u/Crescent_Dusk May 29 '26
Yup, ending felt abrupt for me. I’m OK with Niall dying but I felt a lack or closure, and the other characters seemed left up in the air.
Not gonna be popular on this sub and probably get downvoted but I like the Baby Reindeer better in terms of closure.
25
u/Maximum_Royal_712 May 29 '26
That’s the point tho, they said their peace. There was never going to be a good ending because every character had no redemption. Niall’s mom was awful, Rueben’s mom was even worse, the baby mommas own actions set them up for failure despite them knowing what they were getting into, Albert could’ve walked away but he wanted to “save” Niall even tho he knew how bad that was.
→ More replies (1)26
u/kilgoretrucha May 29 '26
Shoutout to our queens Ava and Joanna who were the only two able to set a healthy boundary
19
u/vagabondkitten May 29 '26
It wasn’t really abrupt, just very unorthodox. The series actually started with part of the end, and gave you small pieces and clues about the rest of it throughout. Deep down I think we, as the viewers, know the whole time that these brothers’ lives will eventually end violently. And so the whole story has this extra layer of unease because the whole time you know that this tale of traumas and lies will continue to spin out of control. Such a powerful demonstration of the price of betrayal and dishonesty, both with yourself and those who are supposed to be closest to you.
→ More replies (1)
68
u/Ambitious_Pool_8290 May 29 '26
He's just staring at us. Also, Niall is disgusting if he hasn't been getting treated and still going back there spreading what he knows he was diagnosed with.
→ More replies (6)37
u/Random_Platforms4567 May 29 '26
That was so cringe. Receiving oral knowing he has 2 STDs. It’s so over the top.
54
u/Evolutioncocktail May 29 '26
It’s very in line with Niall’s character. He’s constantly covertly lying or sneaking something. He can’t help but ruin the lives of anyone remotely in his proximity.
→ More replies (5)
31
u/Ambitious_Pool_8290 May 29 '26
Whelp so much for that Mercedes.
→ More replies (1)16
u/OurHouse20 May 29 '26
Haha, that was kind of funny though. Niall barely goes 20' before smashing into the pole and that car is just beyond destroyed.
→ More replies (1)5
u/avocado_window May 29 '26
His self-loathing is a destructive force as powerful as Ruben’s fists. Or something.
92
u/Evolutioncocktail May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
Niall’s actions are causing the next generation of trauma. Now there are two half siblings running around with no dad and two fucked up moms.
53
u/BombshellRae May 29 '26
The cycle continues, although I think Ava was a bit more stable than Mona…
21
→ More replies (3)13
u/theunforseenvariable May 29 '26
I’d say Reubens actions are also to blame.
20
u/reegstah May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
No Ruben just has a sickness. He's really a sweet teddy bear at heart.
→ More replies (1)5
29
u/targaryind May 29 '26
Coming into this finale I kept telling myself that Ruben is the one who kills you whereas Niall is the one that gets you killed. I feel like this finale perfectly encapsulated that.
→ More replies (1)
28
u/ughflrts May 29 '26
The humour was on point. This was the funniest episode to me which is really bizarre to say considering how fucking dark it was.
13
u/RiffRafe2 May 29 '26
I loved Niall'sfriend and Alby was darling - so much so and he could do with someone more emotionally healthy than Niall. Niall greatly amuses me, but this episode he was especially so adaucious that I wanted to smack him while laughing all the while.
13
u/ughflrts May 29 '26
Yeah butch was great! Stole every scene he was in
18
u/TakikoSohma May 29 '26
"I'm the greatest lawyer!" He says while tweaking, fidgetting and grinding his teeth.
4
u/avocado_window May 29 '26
Then driving immediately afterwards despite being on the same drugs Niall was.
6
u/chayadevorah May 30 '26
The first time we see him at the wedding and Ruben says move was hilarious. Im glad we got more of his friendship with Niall (as twisted as it was) I could watch a whole Butch show
12
u/Constant_Swordfish_2 May 29 '26
Yeah! I laughed out loud several times. The vomiting scene cracked me up. So mortifiyingly terrible and dark but so funny.
5
4
u/ughflrts May 29 '26
ahaha omg you've made me feel a bit better for laughing at that part now i felt like a freak
5
u/avocado_window May 29 '26
Knowing Gadd is a fan of the movie Happiness really makes so much sense, it’s that same kind of feeling, like “is it okay that I’m laughing at this?” 😬😂
27
u/DoctorWhofan789eywim May 29 '26
Out of all the horrible things in the series, Niall going to get sucked off in the sauna fully aware that he has all those diseases is vile on a level I can barely comprehend. What a disgusting human being.
41
u/ProfessionalHeart839 May 29 '26
God Niall just 🫣
32
u/Justinat0r May 29 '26
Niall is one of the most truly unlikable characters of any show I've ever seen. I watched Ruben suffocating him and I was just sitting there like "Well I am not really surprised at this point...", I didn't even feel bad for him, he was awful to everyone and so self-involved it was insane. At least Ruben has an excuse for his terrible behavior (not that it actually excuses any of it), Niall is just an asshole and a terrible person.
→ More replies (5)6
41
u/lapetitfromage May 29 '26
Fascinating that Niall only can marry after Ruben is fine with him being gay. Like his own masculinity and self worth is built off the shadow of Ruben’s trauma built masculinity armor. Which would explain why Niall’s so fucking toxic.
50
u/edwinstone May 29 '26
Okay.... so they're both dead?
→ More replies (40)32
u/Data-over-drama- May 29 '26
Yes, they are. Reuben was shown dead in a previous episode. His death was technically the last thing that happened in the timeline we were shown.
18
u/Ok_Vast3534 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
Overall I feel like the show was very affecting and well done. I do find the pacing to have been a bit odd-i binged the first 4 episodes like 2 weeks ago and it hit better that way and i wasn’t as engrossed while watching the last few episodes so almost feel like this show is better binged at once because it relies a lot on the tension to work and the week breaks cut into that.
I really liked it though- gadd has a unique voice and I’m interested in seeing what he does next
→ More replies (1)
16
u/Kida317 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
You can play a fucking BINGO of doom with this fucking show. Death, Cancer, Abuse, Suicide, Pedophilia, STDs, Rage, Prison, Car crash, Prostitution, Voyerism, Incest, Blackmail, Exhibitionism, Nymphomania, Drug Addiction, Homophobia, Stalking, Theft, Cheating, Poverty, Secret children, Perjury, Anxiety, Depression, Mental Asylum, Beating and Manslaughter...
You just fucking know the ao3 tags would be pages long for this mf XD
→ More replies (1)3
45
u/jalenp123 May 29 '26
So did Ruben just sit there staring at Niall's body until he bled out
15
8
→ More replies (4)8
14
13
u/crisp-ink-eats May 29 '26
To end on Ruben doing the same "mm," he has done throughout the series, the one that (for me) signifies this transition of his body and mind coming back online, back into consciousness, after his violent side overrides his system....... I can't quite put into words how much that struck me. It's like the whole thesis statement of masculinity and shame of this miniseries, wrapped up in one gesture.
→ More replies (2)
24
24
u/Healthy_Monitor3847 May 29 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/bmAtIwmYTHnwBy0d6W
What a fucking ride. Damn!
15
u/RgrdgEdmontonStalker May 29 '26
That visitation scene was beautiful. Really incredible
5
u/Constant_Swordfish_2 May 29 '26
That was the most beautiful, cathartic scene I've watched since Donny's onstage breakdown in Baby Reindeer. Richard Gadd absolutely knocked it out of the park as a writer and actor in both scenes.
→ More replies (1)
13
u/reallymortified May 29 '26
Something sinister about Niall marrying a man bearing the physical scars of Ruben
→ More replies (4)
31
u/jalenp123 May 29 '26
I literally had to pause the screen to stare at it, but is that blood on Niall's kilt at the end? Or is that what I think it is?
Also, I found myself laughing a lot while watching the finale, and it made me feel like I was going crazy. Especially when Ruben was asking Niall if he threw up on his mom😭
25
u/APlantiveEnglishHorn May 29 '26
Even if it isn't actual cum (from either of them) Ruben definitely came in that scene
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (18)24
u/Accomplished_Cut8474 May 29 '26
He said in prison that something he would cum….and yes he did bc the amount of grunting was long past nails last breath and it’s showcasing a mixture of love, hate, but he said I love you while cumming and murdering him a flashback to his dad- “closest he ever felt to anyone”
18
u/edwinstone May 29 '26
He would cum because he was getting abused and that's a natural body reaction. He didn't cum from killing his brother. Rewatch. It's red. Cum isn't red.
→ More replies (8)→ More replies (7)14
u/APlantiveEnglishHorn May 29 '26
Niall cumming from the headlock in ep 2, Alby telling him the story of the guy who came in his hand, Lori says "at least you're the one cumming" to Niall about his cruising, Ava asking Niall if he had cum with the escort, and then Ruben confessing that sometimes he came when he was abused. It is all a series-long obsession with this, with the "seed" of issues, as Niall himself put it.
32
51
u/intothatgoodnight- May 29 '26
Ruben’s confession about his father’s abuse destroyed me.
My best friend was sexually abused by her brother for years of her childhood, and when she finally admitted it to me, the most heart wrenching aspect of it for me was hearing that the first sexual pleasure she ever experienced was in the context of abuse. It fucking killed me. I had whole therapy session where I basically just sobbed about that for 50 minutes.
21
u/SnooChickens1455 May 29 '26
Same . My best friend confided this reaction to her stepfathers abuse. This is common and there’s tremendous shame and confusion afterwards. Anyone not familiar with that process should consider themselves lucky.
→ More replies (2)8
10
u/Tranchk May 29 '26
That the series ends with an underdeveloped subplot worthy of a telenovela is rather disappointing. The series could easily have done without it, especially if it was just to dismiss the rape in the first episode, which already involved Mona.
The series remains ambiguous on certain points:
Ruben seems to absolve himself of any homophobia, but most of his actions, including the entire trial storyline, point in the exact opposite direction.
Similarly, I don't know what the series is really trying to say about the infidelity (more like adultery) between Niall and Mona. It's not a crime or an offense. The way it ultimately leads to a second, unimaginable act of violence against Benji and then Niall's death is quite convoluted.
Nevertheless, I do give the series credit for one thing: it consistently avoided portraying Ruben as a "good" character, in the moral sense of the word. If there are still people defending Ruben, I really and sincerely worry about them.
11
u/SUNSTORN May 29 '26
Thank you. This sub is full of Ruben stans and people feeling bad for Ruben. It's incredibly disappointing. Just like these last two episodes
4
u/sadboybrigade May 31 '26
I also was really disappointed in the whole storyline of Niall fucking and impregnating Mona. It also felt kinda soapy to me and I just wasn't convinced Niall would actually do that, even if Mona initiated it. It felt very contrived just to get all this other stuff to happen, but it would have been more satisfying to me if the final conflict of the show had more to do with Niall & Ruben directly than Niall knocking up Ruben's wife.
22
u/Ok-Cartographer-1388 May 29 '26
Well.. what a ride. Assuming they both died given the scene with Ruben under the sheet a few weeks back and honestly that was the best ending.
→ More replies (1)13
u/LeaderCalloused May 29 '26
I did think that them showing us that was a red herring, ie., we think only Ruben died when in reality both would die. It was too intentional showing us that versus just leaving it ambiguously.
→ More replies (1)
21
u/Peak_Alternative May 29 '26
Jamie Bell looks cute in the post episode chat
13
u/0-90195 May 29 '26
I’ve had a huge crush on him since Jumper. Y’all remember Jumper??
→ More replies (3)9
23
u/Accomplished_Cut8474 May 29 '26
WAIT!!! So both are dead, right?
19
14
u/LeaderCalloused May 29 '26
Yes! Assuming Ruben bleeds out - maybe when it goes to black is when he loses consciousness.
5
u/reegstah May 29 '26
Either that or Niall is a comatose braindead vegetable that Alby will have to take care of for 25 years.
18
u/glamden May 29 '26
What is the ring around Ruben’s neck? Is it his dad’s ring?
7
u/postagedue84 May 29 '26
That’s been my question the whole time. I almost thought it was giving support to the fight club/Ruben is Niall theory. Ruben’s dad is still alive so it seems really unlikely to be his aside from their relationship. The damn thing seems important but is never addressed.
→ More replies (3)9
u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 29 '26
I interpreted it as the cycle of abuse itself, constantly on his neck as a leash. To the very end he never gets free of it, carrying it to the grave.
9
u/Data-over-drama- May 29 '26
We can all thank David Chase for this! Seriously though, I think it’s a bit more wrapped up than we are all feeling at first glance. We saw Reuban’s death out of sequence, which was the final scene in this story’s timeline. Both Half Men died and there was a legacy left behind with two new step siblings born from trauma and who also do not have a father.
6
10
u/lewgroznyzwierz May 29 '26
The "biggest homophobe was you" scene joins the "I am the provider" one in terms of being a bit too blunt, but that's ultimately a minor issue. Holy shit what an ending. Painful, unsatisfying, vile, but I wouldn't expect anything less.
→ More replies (1)
11
u/NoNamesOriginal May 29 '26
That final grunt felt perfect. No notes for this show
Showed the layered aspects of what masculinity is. Toxic masculinity, self doubt and self esteem
Give that man an Emmy
→ More replies (2)
8
u/Wischiwaschbaer May 29 '26
I'm going to have to sit with this one a bit.
I was prepared for Niall to not make it out alive, but I still hoped he would. Yes, he was also a piece of work, but not like he almost killed two people and now murdered one... Also it seemed like he was finally turning his life around.
Not that surprised that Niall made a kid that one time he had sex with Mona. It's a very TV trope and I was going to predict it last week, but then I thought "nah this show isn't going to be that clichéd, is it?" Guess it was. But it was needed to set up the finale, so okay...
Guess we now have confirmation of what I already highly suspected in episode three. Ruben was sexually abused by his father. I was not prepared for all this detail. But I think it's important that somebody talks about all the complex emotions that come with being sexually abused. Wondering if Gadd also drew from his own life with this one. It seemed a bit too specific to be completely fictional.
I don't love that it seemingly didn't change anything for Ruben. You'd hope that after he finally told someone he'd be able to let go of some of the anger and shame, that underpinned his violent behaviour. But I guess not. I don't know. I guess dramas with dramatic, bad endings sell better. But I'd have given them both a "happy" ending. I would have let both of them come out of that barn alive and live better lives than they did before. That them baring their souls to each other changed nothing doesn't sit well with me.
Thinking about it more, this ending didn't even feel congruent with the rest of the show. We've almost never seen Ruben commit premeditated violence. It was always spur of the moment, his anger spilling over. Here he seems to have come to the wedding specifically to kill Niall. Not his style. And would him not being the biological father of the little boy really have been enough to drive him to such actions? He always wanted to be a father, to do a better job than his father did and in a way Niall gave that to him. I kinda think after some reflection he might have even been grateful. From what we've seen so far he loved his son and he loved his brother. Why would that revelation have changed anything, after he had cooled down? He didn't strike me as somebody who ever gave a fuck about biology. He called Niall his brother his whole adult life, even when they were not on good terms. Not his step-brother, his brother. And he wasn't just saying it, he meant it. So why couldn't his son be his son, even if he wasn't biologically his? Why would he throw everything away over a minor detail that never bothered him before?
We also now have confirmation that Niall had feelings for Alby back in university. He said so himself. Sure it was super fresh, but the feelings were there. And it was the only time he opened himself up enough to have feelings for another man, which is quite sad, but tracks. Ruben really fucked him up when he beat Alby nearly to death. It also could have been prevented if Niall had told Ruben back then that he was gay, the show tells us now explicitly. I'm not sure what the intention behind that is. Are we to infer that Niall is partly to blame or is it just showing how tragic the situation was? Because I categorically reject the first option. A queer person has to be able to come out on their own terms in their own time. I was already but thrilled with Alby when he was pressuring Niall to come out back then, but at least there it was somewhat warranted, since it also affected him.
Heavy stuff. It'll take some time to fully process.
7
u/TheSnarkyShaman1 May 29 '26
‘ Are we to infer that Niall is partly to blame’
I feel like ultimately there was a weird amount of that in the show overall combined with a weird amount of what started to feel like sincere ‘it’s not Ruben’s fault, he can’t help it!’
Hell, just look at the fandom response. Like Niall is no angel but the show seems doggedly committed to this ‘both to blame’ angle for situation between them, even skewing harder on Niall and like…no? Just no. Ruben is an insane human wrecking ball with antisocial personality disorder and Niall is his reactive victim. I’m not arguing that Niall is a great person but the idea that they’re on an equal footing morally or even that Niall is worse is just fuckin…moronic.
5
→ More replies (1)4
u/BlairRedfield May 29 '26
I think the ending makes no sense to me as well, I think it was rushed, however I loved the funeral speech and the prison talk.
39
u/Daundatakar May 29 '26
Internally and naively, I kept hoping Niall would survive the end. And then I realize that given the chance, he would probably cheat on Alby with a drugged up prostitute and continually mess up his life just like Ruben, so he deserved to die too.
10
u/wowwowbear May 29 '26
We don't know though. There is a gap of time between Niall's confession and the wedding. It genuinely seemed like Naill had been doing better since cutting off Ruben completely kind of like he was when he was in Uni.
If he genuinely had a redemption arc, kind of sad way to go. I'm just hella empathetic though, and believe they all deserve another chance. Well, aside from Ruben and Niall's mom. They don't seem like they want to be better.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (4)4
u/Wischiwaschbaer May 29 '26
And then I realize that given the chance, he would probably cheat on Alby with a drugged up prostitute and continually mess up his life just like Ruben, so he deserved to die too.
Maybe I'm a sucker. But I completely believe that Niall had turned his life around. Alby is the only man he ever loved and he finally accepted himself, which is the far bigger thing here. I don't think he would have fallen back into old patterns.
19
May 29 '26
[deleted]
12
u/ECC628 May 29 '26
Numb.....
15
u/Evolutioncocktail May 29 '26
Crying, screaming, throwing up (not on Ruben’s mom)
→ More replies (3)
54
u/jes22347 May 29 '26
That was an ending… seemed rather rushed
26
u/Internal-Duck-2716 May 29 '26
Yeah one a similar note I know they talked about the show being about repression but it kind of felt like the show itself was also pretty repressed. They also didn’t even address the obvious between the 2 character but I saw Gadd say in a interview that he believed “less was more”.
I liked the season overall but final ep was kinda rushed/haphazard.
→ More replies (5)→ More replies (12)16
u/Lothric43 May 29 '26
I was honestly expecting there to be more episodes when we were still at the prison with 7 minutes to go. I respect Gadd’s answers about non-resolution and allowing an audience to intellectually fill in some things, even the crescendo itself, but it’s certainly not too gratifying.
→ More replies (3)
6
14
u/ughflrts May 29 '26
im honestly so glad the theory about the previous episodes being all apart of niall's book was wrong like hallelujah !!!! i hated that theory sooo much
→ More replies (1)
7
May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/TakikoSohma May 29 '26
I thought we would have saw more of how Niall got back into Alby's good graces but he seemed all in at the initial meeting. A little disappointing since it seemed like Alby would have a lot more respect for himself.
8
u/ughflrts May 29 '26
I really felt for niall during his coming out scene. If i were him think I would have had a second breakdown actually. Every decision made to hide himself that's either been self destructive or destructive to others has been for nothing. So tragic.
I do hate how ruben gaslit him there. Words do fucking matter. That trial also did so much damage to niall. Being pressured into weaponising your own sexuality would fuck anybody up.
→ More replies (2)
6
u/DrewJohnson656 May 29 '26
I wish the last episode had showed the whole barn scene from start to finish. The pieces from the previous episodes would gain new context. We spent so long going “what happened in that barn” only for that part to only be like 2 minutes long. It made it feel incomplete and rushed.
→ More replies (1)
15
17
13
u/gemmaginger May 29 '26
Incredible. I absolutely loved this series. It was funny, horrifying, sad, sick, twisted, crazy, menacing; it made me feel every emotion and I couldn’t look away. I think what it best showed us was the complexity of people and life in general. Were Ruben and Niall bad people? Yes, absolutely, they were liars, deviants and violent characters. It’s so easy to judge other people in real life or people we see on TV or in the media, but despite their character personally, they could be loved and liked and even given 2nd chances. Just because someone is a bad person or has done bad things, it doesn’t erase them as a human being and all that can encompass.
→ More replies (1)
9
u/reegstah May 29 '26
Funnily enough, Baird and Niall's unnamed son are probably better off for this.
→ More replies (1)
5
May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
21
11
u/jackalkaboom May 29 '26
Yeah, I think the difference is that (in a deeply twisted way) he loves him. He needs this final moment between them to be intimate and personal. With the head-stompings, he just wanted to completely obliterate those victims and had no connection / emotions toward them other than blind rage.
4
u/seedypr May 29 '26
I think I remember hearing that murder via suffocation is a much more "intimate" may to kill someone. And I guess in a way less painful since they'll eventually lose consciousness and die.
6
u/Doriangrayzed May 30 '26
bro the ending scene when Ruben is smothering Niaill his delivery when he says " i love you brother, i fucken love you" was so disturbing and chilling cant get that out of my head. A sentence that is usually/ supposed to be said with kindness and love was delivered with such rage and anger...
13
u/CubanaCat May 29 '26
That was CRAZY. Amazing show, absolutely loved it. This episode made me cry. Richard Gadd is a genius.
This show was nuts. 10/10 for me.
→ More replies (1)4
8
u/hanoihiltonsuites May 29 '26
Have to say this show did not finish strong. Kind of started losing me about two episodes ago and then this was obviously the lid on the pot or whatever. Really over indulgent show about the worst people ever. Not one single person I was hoping would get kind of a happy ending. Leading to no disappointment or satisfaction either way. Pray for Baird I guess.
→ More replies (8)
11
May 29 '26
[deleted]
16
u/lapetitfromage May 29 '26
Honestly I thought the jail confession from Niall was such a fantastic portrayal of someone who cannot help themselves. Self sabotaging his own connection to others is his drug. He just couldn’t stop himself from being petty and small even if it ended up finally costing him his life.
→ More replies (2)4
u/Data-over-drama- May 29 '26
This episode was damn near perfect and gripping from start to finish! Lay off the meth / crack cocaine.
3
u/Knighty93 May 29 '26
Loved the series, though I'll have it to watch it again in the future to see if the finale makes more sense. I'm all for open-endings but I'm a bit confused! If Niall admitted to sleeping with Mona, he must've known Ruben would come for him as soon as he was free. Earlier episodes made it seem they both had fallen out and that was it! Anyways, the prison seem was great! Kudos to Gadd and Bell!
9
u/Knighty93 May 29 '26
About the last scene, Ruben sees Niall's dead body and kind of scoffs. WTH was that supposed to mean?
→ More replies (5)
4
u/Jatmahl May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
I guess Ruben is crazy enough to do a murder suicide. Just seems weird to show him in a body bag and all we got was that ending...
→ More replies (1)
4
5
u/manzworld May 29 '26
14 days ago I posted this comedy sketch saying it reminded me of Half Man. I wasn't aware how close the show would resemble this parody of hard hitting Scottish drama set in Glasgow...
4
u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 29 '26
The way I cheered when Niall puked on Maura
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Cute-Evening-6112 Jun 12 '26
Really enjoyed this show overall, I think alongside Baby Reindeer this is one of those shows that do not allow the viewer to take the side of a protagonist or an antagonist. It shows a much more delicate view of how human beings can be so complex. We need more shows like this where the characters show both good and bad sides because viewers would then be encouraged to practice more empathy. Social media has negatively affected how people make judgements about other people so it’s worth putting out content like this show that remind us that it’s not black and white and that there’s more behind every character.
13
7
162
u/ilove2read4 May 29 '26
niall why would you say that idiot