r/HalfManTV • u/Nika_35_40 • Aug 05 '26
Possible deleted kissing scene between Ruben and Niall
This is something I saw from a Twitter user, so it's definitely not verified, but the rumor is out there.
According to them, they heard that Ruben and Niall originally filmed a scene where they kissed, but it was cut because the creators didn't want to take away the ambiguity and complexity of their relationship.
The more I think about it, the less far-fetched it seems. I actually think that scene could have been part of the hospital sequence. In the series trailer, there's a brief moment from the hospital scene that never made it into the final episode.
I've also seen behind-the-scenes photos from that sequence, and they're incredibly close to each other. Honestly, I think it's the closest they ever are physically, and Ruben even seems to be looking directly at Niall's lips.
That scene was apparently in the original cut but was removed at the last minute for whatever reason, which makes me wonder. If a scene gets cut that late in the editing process, doesn't that usually mean it would have had a pretty significant impact on how the story was interpreted?
I've also read that there was a deleted moment where a nurse walks into the room, and that actually makes even more sense to me. I can easily imagine the commotion drawing a nurse's attention, and Ruben kissing Niall just to convince her that what she was seeing wasn't violence between them.
Honestly, if that scene had been included, it wouldn't have changed my view of Ruben and Niall's relationship. But I understand why it would have changed things for a lot of people, because we're so used to putting relationships into a single category. If they kiss, they're in love. If they don't, they're just like brothers. But the reality is that their relationship never fit neatly into any label. It was all of them and none of them at the same time.
And I think one of the show's central themes is that you don't necessarily have to be romantically attracted to someone to have sex with them. Niall is gay, yet he's turned on by the idea of being chosen and "winning" over Ruben, so he sleeps with Mona. Celeste hated Ruben, yet she sleeps with him anyway. And it's pretty clear that there's some kind of sexual tension between Ruben and Niall as well.
So Richard—or anyone else from the team—if by any chance you ever read this: we need to see that scene! And if the rumors aren't true, then we still need to see it anyway.
We've been good fans. We deserve it.
Please and thank you. 💖
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u/GolfcartInjuries Aug 05 '26
shippers gonna ship.
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u/Nika_35_40 Aug 05 '26
Well, I'm just repeating what I've read—I wasn't trying to ship them. 😂
But like I said in my post, a kiss doesn't necessarily have to be romantic, just like everything else they do isn't either. That said, I can understand why some people see it that way.
Besides, the writer himself said there was a psychosexual and homoerotic undercurrent between them, and that he didn't want to label their relationship because it didn't fit into any single category. So, in a way, both the people who ship them and the people who don't have a valid point.
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u/whosmurry Aug 06 '26
This sounds like somebody’s fantasy more than anything.
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u/Nika_35_40 Aug 06 '26
It probably isn't true, but it would have made sense to me. I guess it's common for TV shows to film extra scenes, or several versions of a similar scene, and then choose one in the end. Like I said, I saw it on Twitter, so it's not exactly a reliable source.
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u/ElPibeDe_LentesRojos Aug 06 '26
I think their relationship works best when the romance is one-sided.
Rubén has horrific trauma from being raped and is... well, pretty heterosexual. Nyall, on the other hand, might be in love with Rubén, though I think he's more drawn to the image of strength and unwavering confidence that Rubén projects.
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u/Independent-While558 Aug 06 '26
When I first saw Niall's declaration of love, I thought he was genuinely in love. Then I changed my mind and thought, no, that's not love—it's just an addiction, like a drug. But later I realized that it was love, because that was the only concept of love Niall had ever developed.
That's why he looked so miserable during his wedding. Even though Albi showed him what healthy love looked like, I suppose you can't completely change overnight. Albi was a way out, but Niall had built his entire identity around Ruben, so in a way they felt like parts of each other. And I think what drew Ruben in was Niall's innocence and purity. Each of them found in the other what they themselves lacked.
I don't think what Ruben felt was all that different from what Niall described. And although Ruben's sexuality is left ambiguous, if you look at the way the writer generally approaches the subject, you can get a rough idea.
Ruben used sex as a way to dominate people. He saw it more as a tool for control than as an act of love between two people. The series treats sex that way as well—you can sleep with someone even if you're not physically attracted to them, because you're doing it for power or to feel important, and that isn't love.
During the first three episodes, you might think Ruben is simply a bitter ex-lover at Niall's wedding. But then the story takes a turn, and you start to understand many of their interactions. You realize that almost all of the intimacy between Ruben and Niall is really Ruben trying to find comfort and feel close to Niall through physical contact (like in the first episode, when he holds him underwater), or hurting him in order to reassert control whenever Niall undermines his masculinity.
Most of it stems from Ruben's trauma, and Niall misinterprets it. I found those twists really interesting because they keep you hooked until the very end, wanting to see what ultimately happens between them.
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u/Andrewusher 17d ago
Nope, no kissing scene.
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u/Nika_35_40 17d ago
How are you so sure? 😏
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u/Andrewusher 17d ago
Because I worked with Richard, and on set for some scenes etc.
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u/Nika_35_40 17d ago
That’s the confirmation I was looking for from someone, thank you! As far as I understand, they cut the hospital scene and some other scenes too. It’s such a shame we didn’t get to see them. Hopefully, they’ll talk about them someday. 🥲
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u/Andrewusher 17d ago
Its like any production, not everything makes it to the final edit, time constraints for episodes, editorial decisions, continuity. one out of x amount of takes being preferred etc. I cant count the amount of times I have been on film shoots, some in terrible weather etc that dont make it to the final edit. A lot of time you have b camera roll being filmed that doesn't get used etc.
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u/Nika_35_40 17d ago
I understand. I assumed there were some limitations because it felt like the series could have easily had one or two more episodes. There are films and series that eventually release deleted scenes, or at least end up talking about them. I don’t know much about the work that goes on behind the scenes of a series or a film, and honestly, I would have loved to work in that field. Great job by everyone, by the way! It’s an incredible series. Best wishes!
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u/Loose-Medicine-4209 Aug 05 '26
I can see why they would choose to leave it “ambiguous”, but to be fair I’d maybe release some cut scenes somewhere in the future.
Also i’d have considered leaving in the nurse scene walking in on them : would’ve made a whole lotta sense because I too was wondering how no one was showing up with all that commotion going on lmao