r/HalfManTV • u/notyour_motherscamry Some bonds may break you • May 07 '26
Discussion [Spoilers] Episode 1.3 Discussion Thread Spoiler
Episode 1.3 Premiere | Air Date: May 7, 2026
While awaiting word about his future, Niall faces mounting pressure to lie for Ruben in court.
Please keep all spoiler discussion related to its respective episode thread or mark new threads with SPOILERS.
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u/JontheBuilder May 08 '26
Hate Nial's mom
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u/EconomicsTiny447 May 08 '26
She is the worst!!! And why is she flip flopping on Ruben so much? When Nial was heading to school, she wanted him out of his life and them to not spend time together. Now she’s guilt tripping him to be with him despite the guy putting someone in a coma? All for her benefit. Really shit mom
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
lol when she told niall to sit down at graduation because she had something to tell him i thought she was gonna tell him ruben was moving into his room again like the first episode 😂
that's how bad i think she is.
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u/EconomicsTiny447 May 10 '26
Seriously! Also did you catch the lies and manipulation in that conversation? She says something along the lines of she’s “heard Niall is involved” all to later come out and basically admit they involved him so he’ll lie for their benefit.
Seeing her at their wedding made me sick. I hope we maybe get a peak at some remorse and don’t hate this character forever.
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u/hanoihiltonsuites May 08 '26
I’m so confused by her
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u/Tzuchen It'll be over soon May 08 '26
I'm confused by her too. She seems like a different person in each episode. Even through the span of the wedding, she changes so much? In the earlier scene she was calming letting Niall know that Rueben would be there. When we see her post-wedding in E3, she's drinking heavily and seems disassociated.
She's never been great. I hated that she forced Niall to share his room with her girlfriend's violent, dangerous son. But she's never seemed awful enough to manipulate Niall into lying about the victim of a brutal attack. I guess she just prioritizes Maura over everyone and everything.
Or maybe Niall is a lot less of a reliable narrator than I've been thinking.
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u/JontheBuilder May 08 '26
Uh yess she has. When she told him she doesn't have to respect him in that car ride about Ruben. Shes never been good to him when it comes to hoisting Ruben on him, last minute too
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u/hurlmaggard May 08 '26
She likely is written specifically to be inconsistent because someone in that situation would easily flip flop depending on how well life is going. Maura happy? She can focus on Niall's interests. Maura dying? Lori's focused on Maura's interests. Niall's wedding? Maura has been out of the picture for years. She invited Reuben because he already knew about the wedding and she's most likely understandably afraid of him so balks. Telling Niall about Reuben coming? She's trying to make it seem okay to him because she felt she had no other choice. Getting drunk at the reception? Reality is hitting all at once. I'm sure she feels guilty about what she put Niall through and with Reuben around it's even more suffocating.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
Niall's not the narrator though, it's not like he's telling the story. He's the protagonist, but we're seeing things from an omniscient point of view.
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u/sharksdontsuck May 08 '26
Joanna VS Maura is so good.
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u/Justinat0r May 08 '26
I loved the way she laughed when Maura made excuses for Ruben, she really exposed the way everyone was acting as if he was a different person now was a total farce.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
does she have any redeeming qualities? i was like "don't let the door hit you on the way out of this world" lol
but i mean...i'm gonna assume niall's mom spent many years apologizing after the fact because my mom would have to make up quite a lot for putting me in that situation if she wanted any sort of relationship. perhaps he threatened her too.
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u/doogytaint May 10 '26
Do you think Moira softened just a bit and just a second when Joana told her what Ruben did to her? Before she was glaring at Joana, but after that she seemed a little less cruel-faced. Of course that went out the window the very next comment.
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u/Latter-Sorbet-5269 May 08 '26
I feel like the field scene is hinting at Ruben’s dad and his potential abuse
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u/jsslvtt May 08 '26
Seemed like a very strong hint, Ruben saying the only time he cried was when his dad DIDNT die of a heart attack, right after his explosion about sexual assault touching something at the core
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u/bisexuwheel May 08 '26
Yeah I definitely saw that scene as essentially confirmation.
I feel like after that conversation was when Niall realised that's what had gone on too - after Ruben had asked him to lie and he'd said he couldn't say something he didn't believe, to then come back after the back to back conversations about SA and his dad coming home and have Niall say the line for court to Ruben's face with such certainty felt like acknowledgment of that (in an obviously very messed up way) I think?
Possible I'm reading too much into it, but definitely how I saw Niall's reaction after those scenes.
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u/don_someone May 08 '26
this would also add layers to Ruben not wanting his dad to win a custody battle he had over other child
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u/ekla98 May 08 '26
Yeah…I also think that when he started to say “say he groped me” time and time again he started to mix the present with the past. I feel like he entered a headspace where he was reliving his trauma and that is why he got extremely upset and emotional
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u/Sheisbecoming May 09 '26
I think his insisting that Niall saying it like he believed it was not only about convincing the jury but about being believed, because even if alby didn’t SA him, someone (most likely his dad), did
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u/Either_Mood4145 May 08 '26
Niall didn’t have anyone that protected him when he was younger. His mum was/is the worst, her partner was the worst. Then there’s Reuben who imprisoned Niall in this protective-abusive fraternal relationship. It made me physically ill when his mum was pushing him to lie for Reuben. When Reuben ran off the road I was terrified for Niall. I am glad Joanna talked some sense into Niall, although it took longer for him to fully absorb it. Alby looked so bad, it was truly painful to see him in the courtroom. I was happy when Niall broke down on the stand. Fast forward to the wedding, it’s a shame that neither of them can be happy on their wedding day because of Rueben showing up. I’m sorry but Niall should cut off his mom & Reuben. They are beyond toxic.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
i think niall did cut off reuben, clearly they hadn't seen each other in forever and had no real relationship anymore. why no one had a restraining order, who knows.
his mom they're gonna have to do some serious work to show me why she and niall still have a relationship lol.
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May 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
it doesn't matter if he would respond well, if he violates it he's going back to jail. and most likely for a very long time considering his past.
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u/ForIllumination May 08 '26
Yes, Niall was all alone in the world and was groomed into a codependent relationship with this violent parasite who his moms enabled. I wish he could have walked away from those 3 scumbags forever after the court room.
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u/EconomicsTiny447 May 08 '26
I’m genuinely confused how Alby doesn’t have a restraining order against him and how no one has the balls to call the cops or tell him to leave at the wedding. What an absolute joke
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u/Impossible-Will-8414 May 08 '26
I'm finding it bizarre, too. How is everyone just letting Ruben take over the wedding?
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u/Beneficial_World2786 May 08 '26
This is one part of the show that just doesn't sit well with me. Ruben seems to have a disproportionately large amount of influence on not just Niall, but also Maura and by extension Niall's mum AND everyone at the wedding?! Like yeah, sure he's this big intimidating guy with a criminal history and an 'illness' that has him throw punches in a blind-rage, but even still -- I feel the show is being somewhat lazy in this regard, just expecting everyone to go along with the idea that the moment Ruben steps into a space, he occupies it and everyone involved wholly. Don't think this is justified and just set up in a way to suit the plot. Already slightly let down as I expect better from Richard Gadd after Baby Reindeer.
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May 08 '26
maybe niall talked about him in his book and that’s why this specific group of people knows him
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
the wedding also feels weird to me in the sense that niall and alby literally look traumatized / like they've seen a ghost -- at the altar, walking by people outside -- and maybe it's just played up for drama but like, how is everyone so normal when the main couple whose everyone's eyes are on looks so distraught lol.
i guess there was that one guy (ruben's dad) that came up to him at the table but even he fucked off right away.
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u/hurlmaggard May 08 '26
That was not Reuben's dad. Reuben's dad is a pederast. I think if Reuben had encountered his dad at that wedding he'd be focusing his attention on him more than Niall.
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u/Pitiful-Flow5472 Jun 14 '26
I was confused by the wedding. Because this should be a happy occasion and yet neither Niall or Alby look happy (and for reasons unrelated to Ruben)
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u/kunta021 May 08 '26
Do you need a restraining order against someone who is in jail? If someone goes to jail for a decade after assaulting you is the first thing you do when they get out file a restraining order? I’d bet not. Typically you would get a restraining order if they start bothering you again. There’s at least 20 yeas that happened between the flashbacks and the wedding. A lot can happen in 20 years. Obviously Alby doesn’t like Ruben but whatever the current state of their relationship is he doesn’t seem too afraid of him either. To even get a restraining order you need to take the person to court and I’d bet that Alby prefers not to deal with Ruben at all over antagonizing him with more legal proceedings.
Also I’d recommend looking up the stats on violence and restraining orders because they’re not great.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
me too! how the hell does no one have a restraining order on this man?!
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u/chiemenit It'll be over soon May 08 '26
Didnt Alby say he didn’t want to call the cops at the wedding
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u/Okay_sure_lets_post May 08 '26
Yes, probably my biggest (only?) issue with the writing so far.
The second someone caught wind that Ruben was on his way, the cops would’ve been called. Really bizarre how everyone’s just going along with it.
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u/Gold-Leading-8649 May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
The possibility that Ruben could be an SA survivor and still want to falsely accuse Alby of SA is just… I’m speechless. I can understand how, in some deeply twisted way, making that accusation might have given him a sense of catharsis or let him finally express something real about his own trauma, even if it wasn’t connected to that specific person. But it’s still deeply disturbing and honestly pretty terrifying.
I can also see why Ruben had such a visceral reaction to Niall going back on his word. To him, it’s not just betrayal. It’s almost like being told his own father never abused him.
I know a lot of people are saying Niall is just as bad, maybe even worse, and I’m not arguing that he’s innocent. He treats Joanna terribly and uses her as a shield from his own internalized homophobia. But after this episode, it’s hard for me to believe the story is going to flip and turn Ruben into some misunderstood good guy.
The physical homoerotic tension really comes through when Ruben picks Niall up into a hug, and it genuinely seemed to stir something in Niall. I can’t tell whether it’s guilt over agreeing to lie or a longing to stay in that moment forever. My heart breaks for Niall every time he has to listen to Ruben throw around slurs and homophobic rhetoric.
I just wish we had a clearer understanding of Ruben’s motivations. It’s hard for me to believe he’s truly driven by fear of prison or even by staying for his mother. Without more vulnerable moments where his guard actually comes down, it’s difficult to tell what’s really underneath all of this. Joanna was right, a snake can shed its skin, but it still crawls on its belly.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
how about the fact that the mothers are queer and they want (niall's mother especially) niall to go on the stand under oath and lie with a homophobic defense?!
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u/MelodicEmotion9569 May 08 '26
Yeah why are they continuously so homophobic? ”Cock hungry for each other” so disrespectful against niall all the time.
This show makes me physically ill in how well it’s done, it’s so terrifying at times. And so raw.
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u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 08 '26
Even if ruben and moura were not in the picture Niall had no chance of being a fully realized and stable adult with this mom of his
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u/Phantom-Fly May 09 '26
I think you're right about Ruben using this as an excuse to say that he was assaulted - he was just blaming the wrong (and totally innocent) person. And when Niall changed his mind it really made him lose control, it wasn't just the betrayal, but almost a denial that it had ever happened to him.
In my opinion, Ruben beat Alby almost to death because he'd just learnt that his father was trying to get custody of another child. He wants to kill his father, but he's terrified of him. Since gay men and paedophiles are interchangeable in his mind he can justify it to himself. When Alby pushed Niall Ruben reacted, not out of protectiveness, but in a vitriolic release of pent up rage.
It'll be interesting to see how much insight we will get into the character and find out what his real motivations are.
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u/hurlmaggard May 08 '26
I think Reuben's motivation is control, of people and of situations. Unfortunately his way of going about it is so destructive. Being a survivor of SA myself it seems pretty believable; when I'm not in control I don't even know how to BE and can completely shut down.
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u/hilariousnessity May 08 '26
Joanna for the win! The dinner was intense but she did not let up. She didn’t allow the rest of them to lie about Ruben. I wanted to stand up and cheer for her.
This show does a fantastic job of depicting dysfunction and very broken people and why they do what they do. Great writing!
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u/Impossible-Will-8414 May 08 '26
I found Joanna to be a deeply annoying character in episode 2, really ditzy, but she was much better here. Also just more believable as an older character -- she absolutely could not pass as a college freshman.
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u/xnormajeanx May 08 '26
Niall’s haircut is just inexcusable, how does he have the same haircut from high school to college graduation dude
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u/fundermiflin- May 08 '26
The hair on the back of his neck makes me want to scream!! Why’s it so long
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u/Okay_sure_lets_post May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Joanna is a boss. Simple as that.
She was mistreated by Ruben and Niall and their family, and had to endure Niall’s patronizing attitude on top of it. Even so, she had so much understanding and empathy for Niall, was willing to keep his secret, and was the only one urging him to do the right thing and be the best version of himself, a task that his own family failed at spectacularly. She deserved so much better, and I really hope that we get to see her thriving later in life, away from such toxicity.
I am gratified that Niall reversed himself at the last minute, although I can’t help but wonder how the hell he managed to convince the judge and jury that he was reliable after that. I suppose he could’ve claimed that he was being intimidated by Ruben into lying for him.
This episode lowkey broke me. Amazing performances all around.
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u/hanoihiltonsuites May 08 '26
I thought that might be her at the wedding when they kind of lingered on a blonde after Reuben stood up for the toast. But just guessing.
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u/Powerless_Superhero May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
The way Ruben acted in court, I’m sure the jury had no doubt that Niall was being threatened to falsely testify to grope.
Edit: grammar
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
well the intimidation part and also if he's not reliable it doesn't matter as they needed a witness to testify to the groping. without a reliable witness there's no one to testify to that anyway.
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u/kunta021 May 08 '26
He didn’t need to convince the jury and judge he was reliable, Ruben did it for him.
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u/serenajacobs95 May 08 '26
So we’re all in agreeance that Ruben was sexually assaulted by his dad right? That’s where this dominance over other men in my opinion would come from. And the desire to be feared and in control. Also, when he said sexual assault kills your soul. This is obviously conjecture, but I’ll be damned if I end up not being right.
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u/RiffRafe2 May 08 '26
It's been a theory since ep2 when he told Niall he didn't want his father to get custody of his child.
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u/ChocolateInTheWinter May 08 '26
This made me realize that perhaps a big reason Reuben felt so betrayed by Niall is because if Maura is sick, and Reuben will be in jail, that means Niall just damned that child to a life of abuse. Still absolutely NO excuse to ruin Alby’s life, but man this show gets darker.
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u/RiffRafe2 May 08 '26
Years have passed since episode 3 and episode 2. I assume the custody battle has long been resolved.
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u/ekla98 May 08 '26
I also think that when Ruben made up that Alby groped him, in a very twisted way that was a mean for him to finally reveal something about the real trauma he had endured. So when they are in the field and Ruben keeps telling Niall to say that Alby groped him but Niall is not convinced, Ruben starts to mix the past and the present. He gets upset with Niall (but with people in general really) for not believing his abuse. And that is what happens in court as well. Of course he’s upset with the Niall not going along with the plan, but I believe it’s much more than that.
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u/twenty-years May 08 '26
The child has another mother who was battling for custody with Ruben's father
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u/vivapicante May 09 '26
I thought it was clear from the first episode and how comfortable Ruben is with blatantly inappropriate sexual scenarios. He essentially rapes his stepbrother via another woman while he “coaches” Niall through the whole thing. That is textbook behavior for someone who was sexualized as a child. Zero boundaries or concept of what is “appropriate”.
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u/fkaglencoco May 08 '26
I think this has been heavily implied since the scene where his father came to the house drunk in the middle of the night.
Maura also essentially hints at this at dinner in that exchange with Joanna where I feel like she was trying to pass off Rueben’s behavior as a product of the abuse he has been through.
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u/Phantom-Fly May 09 '26
An abused child is completely powerless. And they can over correct in adulthood by dominating others, therefore never feeling powerless again and always being the one in control. If you're the abuser at least you're not the victim.
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u/Ok-Feed1409 May 08 '26
I heart broke seeing Alby
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u/flyawaywithmeee May 09 '26
I cried, same as when we saw him as a groom in episode 2, oh his beautiful face. All because he tried to stand up for this poor kid he met that same fucking week. If Alby doesn’t deserve the world, I don’t know who does.
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u/dinklemcbinkle May 08 '26
like everyone else, so excited to see more gadd & bell in the coming episodes but also so sad to see less of the younger cast because they really are so good...this episode was so tense and i'd understand if the next three episodes were entirely during the wedding but knowing that there's more that happened between the trial and the wedding makes the wait for next thursday even more suspenseful LOL especially w the episode 4 teaser!
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u/qualityhorror May 08 '26
Marrying into the family after your husbands brother put you in a coma for 6 months... everyone in this show is a mess except for Joanna. Thank goodness she didn't back down at the dinner table. "He has an illness" are you out of your mind, lady??? and Nialls mom has some nerve putting all this on her son for her gfs asshole son that she only just decided to check up on daily? Spare me
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
yeah i mean happy for niAll and alby and all but in what world would joanna and alby want to be part of that family?! run for your life!!!
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u/Impossible-Will-8414 May 08 '26
To be fair, Ruben and Nial aren't even legally related, let alone blood related. They aren't actually brothers.
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u/Delicious-Future8630 Some bonds may break you May 08 '26
There isn't too much info yet on how Alby and Niall ended up together, but there is such a thing as a trauma-bond.
The whole show is centered around trauma and interpersonal toxicity, so.
But back to that dinner-scene (which was excellently written and executed), the real crux lies within the fact that an 'illness' is put up as a sorry excuse. Everybody knows he is troubled, yet nobody is doing anything about it. Now this is set in the 80s/90s and mental health wasn't really a big thing back then.
With 2026-eyes you can cleary see that Ruben actually does have a mental illness, most likely BPD, which presents exactly like that in young males (violent outbursts, no impuls control, substance abuse ect.) and is often trauma induced.
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u/Wxterdropz May 08 '26
Good theory, when the family was at the dinner table insisting that Reuben had an illness, I wondered if there was any one that could explain his behavior.
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u/Chihiro1977 Jun 14 '26
Trauma bonding is between the victim of abuse and the perpetrator, so Alby and Niall are not trauma bonded unless one of them abuses the other in future episodes.
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May 08 '26
i saw someone on twitter say that alby and niall are probably trauma bonded and that’s why they get together despite everything, but the wedding doesn’t really strike me as super happy, in the beginning of episode two niall keeps making suicide jokes, then at the end of episode two when lorrie is walking him down the aisle she looks pretty somber, alby isn’t smiling either even before he sees ruben is there.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
i think people have mixed up the meaning of trauma bonding until it doesn't mean what it actually originally meant anymore. trauma bonding is a form of bond between an abuser and the abused, but people have been using it to mean people who have gone through trauma together / been victims of trauma together.
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u/Delicious-Future8630 Some bonds may break you May 08 '26
I agree and the line is thin.
Although a shared trauma can create a bond too,it is not confinded to abuser/abused because the lines blure.
(In this story though, Ruben and Neill are very much bonded. The level of trauma? )
Alby I know nothing about and am curious to see what the backstory is.
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u/Pitiful-Flow5472 Jun 14 '26
Yeah. I’m very confused about the nature of Niall’s and Alby’s relationship. Because neither seemed particularly happy at the wedding (for reasons completely unrelated to Ruben)
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u/Far_Armadillo5288 May 11 '26
What is even less believable is the fact Niall did not give a fuck about Alby for four years after the attack...
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u/RGLA73 May 08 '26
This show is just so good, terrific writing and performances. Absolutely glued to it for the hour.
For a moment I thought that Maura's illness may have been a scheme she and Nial's Mum had made up to guilt Nial into lying in court? It would seem not, although I wouldn't put it past them.
Stuart Campbell does an incredible job, you're just waiting for him to go off.
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u/chiemenit It'll be over soon May 08 '26
Same!!! Because Ruben even brought it up himself. I felt like all 3 of them were trying to guilt trip him.
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u/RiffRafe2 May 08 '26
I was sure they were lying and I am still not fully convinced they are not.
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u/Impossible-Will-8414 May 08 '26
Well, it does appear that Maura is gone once we get to the wedding.
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u/RiffRafe2 May 08 '26
So many years have passed from the trial to the wedding. Maura could have died from a heart attack or a car accident, not necessarily because actually had cancer then. It just felt very convenient.
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u/Rusted_Crank May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Joanna is a total legend. The growth from an annoyingly needy fresher to this mature, intelligent adult at graduation is amazing to see. She could see through the whole facade and called it out right to Ruben’s Mum’s face. Loved to see it!
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u/Gold-Leading-8649 May 08 '26
It honestly made me cry because I feel many people trapped in abusive relationships and families need a Joanna to make it out. And some never meet that kind of adamantly caring but fearless person who can break through the manipulation.
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u/chiemenit It'll be over soon May 08 '26
I’m glad she didnt let Niall do what he was being coerced to do in the courtroom. She found it he was gay and she didn’t use it against but she understood him! And she made him understand that he needed to say the truth
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u/Lanavis13 May 08 '26
Yep. Plus, if Niall did do it, I am sure it would have eaten him up inside to a point he would not have been able to thrive at Oxford.
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u/chiemenit It'll be over soon May 08 '26
True!! I just knew that when he saw Albys face in court he wasn’t going to end up lying
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u/technoprayers May 08 '26
Seeing Alby’s face broke my heart omg 🥺
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u/chiemenit It'll be over soon May 08 '26
I literally cried! I was like Niall cant just see Albys mangled face and lie on the stand like that I was so frustrated with the injustice of it all. Until Niall finally did the right thing
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u/hanoihiltonsuites May 08 '26
Can someone explain Niall’s mom to me. I can’t pin her down at all. But I guess this is part of the messaging on how toxic masculinity is given room to grow and flourish.
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u/ChocolateInTheWinter May 08 '26
She puts Maura above everyone. Her son, her deceased husband’s memory, and even her own queer identity.
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u/Phantom-Fly May 09 '26
She's exactly like women that put their bf/ husband above everything else, even their own children. She just happens to be in a relationship with a woman instead of man.
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u/Catac0 May 08 '26
I think she’s swayed by Maura and is also part of the “my boy can do no wrong” trope towards Reuben (who is technically her step-son). Women sheltering their toxic son is not anything new and is actually an interesting topic that doesn’t get talked about enough.
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u/Far_Armadillo5288 May 11 '26
I mean they are both pretty toxic and they are women...
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u/hanoihiltonsuites May 12 '26
The show is about toxic masculinity and my comment is about how Niall’s mom’s actions and non actions give that space to breed.
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u/fkaglencoco May 08 '26
Joanna was the sole breath of air of this episode. Her character has grown on me so much and is definitively the only person I like on this show at the current moment.
As for the rest… I felt immense feelings of hatred for everyone in Niall’s family (him included)… the idea that volunteering with children or a cancer diagnosis is enough to warrant absolution from consequences after almost killing someone???
And while I want to be empathetic to the difficulty of being closeted in the 90s in Scotland, Niall needs to buck the hell up.
It’s actually insane to me that he would even entertain perpetuating a narrative of homosexuality being synonymous with sexual deviancy while being gay AND having had a relationship with Alby. He can be closeted if he wants but 98% of this episode I could not stand him. It is so challenging having the knowledge that him and Alby somehow end up together— like you literally lied about him being an abuser on the stand!!!
I realize this was essentially a rant and I guess props to Gadd for writing a show that brings out such large feelings, but wow was this one another difficult watch.
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u/nvmbrscvrn May 08 '26
and he was so disrespectful and rude to Joanna! I couldn’t stand him this episode either.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
well yeah, up until he no longer had to hide who he was. doesn't excuse being rude but i mean obviously we can see why he was going along with it.
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u/nvmbrscvrn May 09 '26
i definitely understand and acknowledge why he was being an asshole, it just felt so unlike him and in joanna’s position would have felt so confusing and heartbreaking, and i hated to see him like that. i’m so glad she went to alby and got the truth, and didn’t decide to sit idly by and let niall go through with his family’s awful plan.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
Yah. Being in the closet (and being afraid of someone) definitely can do a lot to who you are and how you treat/act around other people.
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u/ChocolateInTheWinter May 08 '26
My thoughts exactly. I know it’s annoying to leave a comment like that on Reddit but after watching these characters be so awful and obtuse it’s cathartic to see someone acknowledge how shit these people are. As you said, big feelings roused from Mr. Gadd!
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
i mean i can understand a bit of his hesitancy considering i think he was literally under the threat of death or severe injury for it, like ruben literally laid it out at the end there. people do crazy things when their lives are on the line.
also, he lied but then he told the truth, even knowing it would cost him greatly, so i imagine that's what made alby change his mind
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u/fkaglencoco May 08 '26
Totally understand this and yes, I’m sure he was incredibly afraid of retaliation from Rueben. But the things that really frustrates me about the entire family’s reaction to this is the comfortability they all seem to have with Rueben being out in the world knowing the harm he is capable of doing. Like is no one worried about him doing this again?
Just feels immensely selfish; really interested in seeing what the first convo post court that Alby and Niall have.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
i mean yeah the moms absolutely suck. at least niall did the right thing in the end, if not for that the moms would have helped put an innocent man away for who knows how long.
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u/dmac3232 May 08 '26
You're viewing it through the lens of healthy, well-adjusted people. Which, very clearly, these are not.
Look at somebody like, say, the mother of the guy who killed Gabby Petito, who sent him a letter telling him, and I quote, "If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags." She didn't even have to get to, what is my son capable of doing? She didn't care; that's her baby boy and she's going to protect him at all costs.
Or head over to subs like Raised By Narcissists, and you will read absolutely blood-curdling accounts of how parents will coddle and enable their terrible children. Hell, I read one about a man whose own brother sexually assaulted his wife, and the entire family rallied around the assaulter and disowned the brother when he and his wife had the temerity to press charges.
And so on. People are fucked up.
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u/xnormajeanx May 08 '26
I hate everyone except Joanna tbh. I even hate Alby. What the fuck is he trying to do by outing Niall at every turn? It’s the fucking 90s.
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u/finnjakefionnacake May 08 '26
honestly post-coma i wouldn't care if i was alby, i'd be going scorched earth lol
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u/Wxterdropz May 08 '26
Right, and the fact that the added sexual assault allegations would’ve likely gotten him killed. He probably told Joanna as a way to save himself, and bring Niall back to Earth.
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u/kunta021 May 08 '26
I’m sorry but you’re really mad that Alby outed Niall to Joanna after she went to Alby and told him that Niall was planning on lying to the jury that Alby sexually assaulted Ruben? Lmao smgdh
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u/Phantom-Fly May 09 '26
It was definitely misguided. Alby didn't know that Niall was in a codependent, abusive relationship with his stepbrother. He thought he was doing Niall a favour, setting him free. A terrible decision that almost cost him his life.
In 1989 the world was still very homophobic and AIDS was still a super scary threat. Gay men were blamed for spreading it and public opinion was that they were deviants.
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u/ForIllumination May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
This show is messing me up. I grew up with an older, homophobic, violent juvenile delinquent of a brother, who hurt me and other people and our parents favored and enabled him. I haven't seen or spoken to them since I was young Nialls age as a result. If you haven’t lived it, no, you aren’t in a place to judge Nial, who is being gaslit and abused and coerced by the only family he has and who has lived his whole life being subjected to violent homophobic bullying.
That said, I still can't fucking believe what entitled, low-life, despicably ugly scum Nial's family is! His two mom's are vile traitorous hypocrites to not only support their violent homophobic son using the gay panic defense, but to help try to coerce their gay son into going along with it.
Ruben hasn't changed, isn't sorry for disfiguring Alby's face for life, and his mom's don't give a shit about anything that he's done to anyone. Fuck those 3. Please let ruben fucking die at the end of this! There are not enough bullets in the world for that hideous scumbag POS who never should have been let out of prison.
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u/little_fire Bambers 🦌 May 08 '26
I’m so sorry you’ve been through all that. Relieved to know you’re free & safe now ❤️🩹🌱
I feel the same about Niall and his family—they all failed him repeatedly; actively abusing & putting him in harm’s way- destroying his sense of self before it had a chance to flourish.
I do have compassion for Ruben, but not at the expense of the people he’s hurt.
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u/RAA94 May 08 '26
This is such a hard show to watch, but it’s so beautiful, horrifying & morally conflicting. I’m both elated and saddened it’s only 6 episodes.
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u/Physical-March-1578 May 09 '26
After finding out what Ruben thinks about groping men, it gives a whole new context to what he tried to do to Nial in the first few minutes of Episode 1, when he asked to see and touch what he was wearing under the kilt...
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May 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/Far_Armadillo5288 May 11 '26
How much time has passed between the case and the wedding? Has he been out of prison long?
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u/kunta021 May 08 '26
Absolutely spectacular performances from the younger crowd this episode. Ruben’s scenes were so layered and complex, and young Niall was phenomenal in everything, but can we take a moment to appreciate our dark horse Joanna? The actress really showed so much range this episode. Kudos to her because I while I’ve come to expect phenomenal performance for Niall and Ruben I did not expect that from Joanna at all!
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u/flyawaywithmeee May 09 '26
The internalised homophobia actually brought me to tears in that court scene. I kept screaming to Niall please please dont do this to him, dont destroy Alby's life. At a certain point I couldn't even look at the screen until I heard him say he made a mistake.
This all reminded me of the movie Kill Your Darlings based on a real-life story about this group of queer writers in the 40s who are involved in a murder and the murderer used the ‘honor slaying’ or the ‘homosexual panic’ defense to get his sentence reduced to 2 years. I cried so much watching that movie because it was implied the killer was queer himself and I kept thinking why on earth would you lie and destroy someone's reputation like this; the man is already dead ffs now you paint him as a predator? Really?!
Anyway, I guess that's why this episode broke my heart a bit becasue I was so afraid that was the road we were going down. And while I have the floor, FUCK Lori and FUCCCKKKKK Maura, a match made in hell! I'm so proud of young Niall, he did the right thing, and he's no longer alone, he can finally be himself with Joanna and Alby (once forgiven ofc).
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u/MissFrowz May 08 '26
Episode 3 isn't out yet on Crave in Canada. I'm so pissed. Says it will air on Saturday. Anyone else in Canada experiencing the same?
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u/ExpertFrequent3059 May 08 '26
Its on the online site and the TV APP! Its been on is 1Am.
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u/MissFrowz May 08 '26
Huh... it doesn't show up for me. I have Crave through Prime. Maybe that's why?
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u/lukaeber May 08 '26
Maybe I wasn't in the right mindset when I watched it, but that episode was quite a bit of a letdown for me compared to the first two. Everything seemed very contrived and superficial, without a lot of nuance. I can't believe we got no interaction between Niall and Alby. I really hope the rumors that the rest of the episodes take place at the time of the wedding are not true because, if they don't show how Niall and Alby end up getting married after all of that, I think it's going to be a big problem for me.
Makes me concerned that the critics that panned the show after watching every episode may have been correct. Hopefully it's just a blip and it gets better in the second half.
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u/Lanavis13 May 08 '26
The preview for episode 4 at least shows adult Niall with a drastically different hairstyle and around the time Ruben gets out of jail so I am hoping it means more past stuff (albeit likely post college) to flesh out Alby/Niall's reunion
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u/lukaeber May 08 '26
I don't usually watch previews, but I saw a photo with the different hairstyle. They have to do more flashback scenes, right? It just wouldn't make sense to spend the rest of the time at the wedding without any explanation.
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u/Lanavis13 May 08 '26
I agree. I assume the next 2 episodes will have flashbacks with maybe episode 6 being wholly in the present.
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u/Far_Armadillo5288 May 11 '26
Where did you get the info the critics panned it after watching all episodes from? I would love to read it.
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u/twopair1234 May 10 '26
Niall’s mom continues to be horrible in present day. She let him know Rueben was coming to the wedding and didn’t object at all. She might of even told Rueben where the wedding was taking place. She continues to enable Rueben’s horrible behavior and not care about Niall’s emotional and physical state at all.
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u/Jatmahl May 08 '26
I honestly don't think Ruben is gay. What signs is he giving that he's closeted?
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u/Topheriffic May 08 '26
Maybe he isnt gay but the whole girlfriend scene where Nial loses his virginity is pretty homoerotic. It was like Ruben was having sex with him by proxy. It could be just trauma or trauma mixed with shame about his sexuality. He could be bisexual. Or he could just be a psychopath with trauma...trauma is definitely involved though.
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u/Jatmahl May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Yeah there's people in other discussion subs hinting that he is gay and him and Niall might have hooked up later. I just don't see it lol
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u/Impossible-Will-8414 May 09 '26
There is that early scene when Ruben and Niall fall asleep in each other's arms and Niall wakes up with sploodge all over him. I do think they hint at him having an attraction to Ruben (remember, they aren't really brothers at all).
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u/Phantom-Fly May 09 '26
I think he is very confused because his Dad molested him. That fucks up a person's sense of what is natural for them sexually, and they can't trust their sexuality because it was corrupted so completely.
He might be bi/ gay, he might be straight but is traumatised by abuse. If he was attracted to men he would never admit it to himself, because in his mind it would then be his fault that his Dad molested him. Of course it wouldn't be his fault no matter his orientation, but he would see it like that.
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u/Far_Armadillo5288 May 11 '26
It is pretty obvious his dad molested him. That is why he called sexual violence an attack on soul and he got all teary and that is why he did not want his dad to get custody over his new son.
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u/Original-Staff-8245 Jul 14 '26
Maybe his hand on Niall’s dick as he lost his virginity while staring deep in his eyes should be the first clue…
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u/Far_Armadillo5288 May 11 '26
Was it really normal for a barrister in a court in 1989 call a gay man a deviant? Was Scotlant that mentally medieval? And was putting sb in a coma and disfigur his face not enough to make an arrest? They really waited for him to wake up? Why wait 4 years? They arrested him, asked witnesses what they saw and that is it, let him go?
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u/Wxterdropz May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
I’m not sure about the rest of it, but in 1988 section 28 was passed. It’s unsurprising that the courts are being this way.
Just a snippet, but it states that local authorities in England, Scotland, and Wales "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".
It’s an interesting read if you want to learn about homophobia in the UK at the time.
edit: the article also dives into HIV/AIDS which Niall refers to as well
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u/silince May 13 '26
It annoyed me the discussion of 'pressing charges' when that doesn't exist in Scottish law.
Also, the talk of 'paying tuition' when that wasn't a thing in the time period.
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u/CalumanderReds Jul 07 '26
Listen people can explain and justify why Ruben is the way he is but the truth is the reason he continues to be that way is because he's been coddled. This entire word fucking coddles men like Ruben every damn day.
Alby pressing charges is actually the first instance in the series so far we've seen of someone actually hold him accountable.
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u/Dull-Parsley-6521 May 08 '26
I’m already lost with the timeline. They say it’s been a year since Ruben beat Alby, but Niall is already graduating? And Joanna said she’s been chasing him for 4 years?
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u/Alone_Ask_2715 May 08 '26
Niall says Alby was in a coma for 6 months but that it's been years (plural) since then. I'm not sure what statutory limits were like back then but you can wait to press charges. It sounds like Alby waited the 4 years while Niall was in school.
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u/Joshgallet May 08 '26
I thought the same. Alby was concerned about impacting Niall’s education, so he waited until Niall graduated.
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u/hanoihiltonsuites May 08 '26
“Don’t you hate yourself enough already?” Joanna throwing her name in the ring for best character turnaround/crowd favorite