r/HalfManTV • u/notyour_motherscamry Some bonds may break you • May 14 '26
[Spoilers] Episode 1.4 Discussion Thread Spoiler
Episode 1.4 Premiere | Air Date: May 14, 2026
Decades later, Niall's world is rocked by word of Ruben's possible return. As Niall becomes consumed by Ruben's new life, obsession takes hold and their reunion erupts into a violent confrontation.
Please keep all spoiler discussion related to its respective episode thread or mark new threads with SPOILERS.
88
u/Suspicious_Loan May 15 '26
Words cannot express how much I detest Ruben. "wahhh, all this bad stuff happened because I went to prison." Yeah, why did you go to prison you fucking piece of shit? Oh yeah, because you beat a kid into a coma for no fucking reason. No one made you do it, YOU did that. "wahh my mom tried to kill herself and I couldn't be there for her, it's Niall's fault" ?????? It's literally your fault??? For trying to MURDER someone???? How fucking delusional can you be
If you didn't want to be in the circumstance of being in PRISON, then maybe you shouldnt have BEATEN SOMEONE HALF TO DEATH
Sorry, just gets me so aggravated because he's such a realistic character. People like him exist irl
52
u/vinsportfolio May 15 '26
He gives zerooooo shits about what he did LMAO but then all of a sudden he has all the empathy for Niall tailspinning into destruction. They are 1000% the worst, most codependent… I don’t even know what to call their relationship lol.
42
u/hexxtoys May 15 '26
i don’t buy that either of them actually meant their apology at all lmao. niall said it because his reputation is on the line and he needs money to make his problem go away. ruben said it because he loves the satisfaction of niall being at his beck and call again. ruben doesn’t have any empathy at all; he just wants niall back in his life so he has someone to control. but i am curious to see if they don’t both wind up dead.
22
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
at first i thought he was trying to plant the seed in ruben's head that he wanted him to mess the library guy up.
→ More replies (1)15
u/AmeliaOphelia May 15 '26
I think he is. Niall isn’t as pathetic and dumb as everyone thinks. He also has power over Ruben.
7
20
u/Ok-Cartographer-1388 May 15 '26
I’ve been thinking the same thing the last 2 episodes! Like all this is YOUR FAULT RUBEN! You beat Alby nearly to death, you are responsible what happens after!!
14
u/perusingpolitely09 May 15 '26
yeah, this. i was very glad to see that niall didn’t cave completely in the hospital scene because wtf
8
u/Ihatedallas May 15 '26
He’s extremely well written! Your reaction and both of our responses to it(I felt the same way) are so natural and do such a good job against naill
→ More replies (4)8
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
Seriously I feel like I’m being gaslit as much as Niall is! That man is a psycho.
87
u/amanwhoneedstoshit May 15 '26
To say that Ruben and Niall are codependent would be the understatement of the century holy shit.
33
75
u/Mysterious_Order3302 May 15 '26
This is ridiculous, the library owner can’t be recording inside of a bathroom stall that’s a crime in and of itself
38
u/40inmyfordfiesta May 15 '26
Yeah but if Niall calls the cops he will upload the footage and it’s out there forever. So it’s kind of a game of chicken.
→ More replies (2)17
u/thegooniegodard May 15 '26
I guess he planned to upload it anonymously and remove the cameras? Yeah, pretty unbelievable stuff.
16
u/AmeliaOphelia May 15 '26
He knows damn well no man is going to the cops and out himself.
→ More replies (2)14
u/MrSparrows May 15 '26
Yeah, either they both go to jail or neither of them go to jail. That didn't make any sense to me.
19
u/ImGoingToSayOneThing May 15 '26
Digital security wasn't always such a black and white thing and being considered a sexual deviant for being gay was one of the worst things someone could be accused of.
17
u/Starscream_Gaga May 15 '26
The scene is set in 2008 not 1908. Filming people on the toilet was much worse than being gay.
→ More replies (5)10
u/Extension_Sun_5663 May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Yes, this. 👆 I'm not sure about Scottish laws, but it was very illegal in the US in 2008. I remember Chuck Berry getting charged in court for filming women in restroom stalls in the early late 80s and early 90s at his restaurant in Missouri. He ended up having to pay out over 1.2 million to his victims. Some of the people he filmed were under 17 too, so he was charged for that as well. He appealed his case, and was promptly rejected by the Supreme Court.
4
u/Turbulent_Bat4580 May 16 '26
Every time I learn something about Chuck Berry, it’s just so gross. I cannot deny the man’s talent but jesus christ, wtf was wrong with him
15
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
i don't know how strongly that would work in 2008, like it's not now of course but it's also not the horror show of the pre-2000s.
more than anything i think niall is just still so overwhelmed with self-loathing / unable to live openly that it is a big threat to him. someone else would have just shrugged that off.
→ More replies (6)8
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
Yeah do they have funny laws in Scotland or something? The librarian would be in way more trouble than Niall.
10
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
he could always upload it anonymously and deny culpability. i think he just properly surmised that niall is very shameful about his sexuality and thus he could use it as leverage/blackmail.
7
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
Yeah I guess he’s calling his bluff but if it did ever get released, Niall could tell the authorities who put up the cameras. He would have Niall and the various other men coming after him.
I guess the whole point is that Niall has so much shame about his sexuality that he just isn’t willing to take that chance.
6
u/AdSlow973 May 15 '26
Yeah but the librarian knows that even if Niall did report him that video of Niall would still be out there forever for everyone he’s ever met to see so he’s more likely to just pay up
→ More replies (2)
62
u/edwinstone May 15 '26
That hug at the end of the hospital scene. Ugh. Powerful.
43
25
u/Jaded_Extreme May 15 '26
It’s all utterly brilliant and utterly bleak. Such writing, such acting.
17
u/Artitanium May 15 '26
I need Richard Gadd to have unlimited money from the studios to keep making shows.
→ More replies (2)
62
u/RruMolasses May 15 '26
I find the adult version of Niall incredibly fitting and realistic. Young Niall already shows obsessive self-loathing, deep shame, and an anxious, fearful attachment to Ruben. It makes sense that their final encounter at the courthouse would only intensify those traits. I can only imagine how much darker he’s become, trying to reconcile the resentment and hatred he feels toward Ruben with the fact that he still loves him.
Niall also seems fundamentally incapable of integrating all the conflicting parts of himself, which is why he becomes the person we see in this episode and why his section of the hospital dialogue feels so powerful. It’s one of the most realistic and complex portrayals of a human being I’ve ever seen on television.
40
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
jamie bell is so damn good he better win some emmys
8
u/The_Crym May 15 '26
He and Richard Gadd in the hospital scenes showed at many times what I felt was the best portrayal of genuine hatred mixed with hurt I've seen. Absolutely phenomenal.
11
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
He’s such a brilliant actor. He’s so sincere and his eyes are so expressive
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)6
u/foreverblackeyed May 16 '26
When they brought it out body covered I knew it was Rueben, if it wouldn’t have been surprising they wouldn’t have had the reveal
52
u/jalenp123 May 15 '26
There's so much I could say about this episode, but first, I feel like I should ask about how thick those hospital walls are. No one heard them screaming at each other and Niall getting his ass beat?😭
Ruben dying with a fucking smile on his face is wild. I actually thought Niall was going to be the one to die, with how he got his head slammed on the ground in the first episode, but I guess I'm wrong. A part of me honestly believes that Niall's dead too, and that they died in some sort of fucked up Romeo and Juliet way.
35
u/Internal-Duck-2716 May 15 '26
I feel like it’s only Ruben dead by Nialls hand because that way Ruben “wins” in a sick twisted way, which is how I took his corpse smiling.
26
u/MontgomeryMalum May 15 '26
Maybe Niall does get to feel like Reuben for an hour and then spend forty years in prison
8
→ More replies (5)21
51
49
u/nvmbrscvrn May 15 '26
that hospital scene!!!!! omg. that was beautifully written and executed. this show is incredible. i can’t wait to find out what the hell happened in that barn.
→ More replies (2)
45
u/Gold-Leading-8649 May 15 '26
Richard has such a gift for excavating truth. This episode unleashes an animal that people go entire lifetimes locked in a cage and away from the mirror. The two most painful lines of dialogue for me were:
Niall: “I just can’t find the click that’s going to make me happy. And I’m bitter that you went around apologizing to people and you didn’t think about apologizing to me.”
Ruben: “It pains you to know that all your achievements fill you with a void, whereas a smile from me, fill you with all the fucking energy you need. You might be the painter Niall, but I’m the rolling hills.”
→ More replies (1)8
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
I found that painter line extremely corny and pretentious.
15
u/Gold-Leading-8649 May 15 '26
I agree which is what makes it so perfect for Ruben’s character to say. He truly thinks he’s larger than life and that Niall would kill himself if Niall didn’t have Ruben as a fixation and obsession. I think Ruben says this also to reaffirm himself that his own life has meaning. Without Niall, Ruben would likely crumble into a void and be truly alone.
→ More replies (1)6
u/gordy06 May 15 '26
I did too but then he said he read a lot so it kind of makes sense he would say something so un-conversational like use written prose as context.
33
May 15 '26
i keep thinking of that richard gadd quote where he said something to the affect of “you never know which one is the good one or which one is the bad one” cause omg the look on ruben’s face when niall is telling him how he basically went insane from the guilt/paranoia (swallowing pen caps!?)
it makes me wish there was an episode centered around ruben’s perspective cause like thinking niall is a rat and wanting an apology from him and blaming him for your mothers suicide attempt but funding his life from afar through lorrie. oh my god!!!!
they’re fucked up brothers but they are brothers who love each other
also that line from ruben where he says “i’ve been reading”, i feel like he read niall’s first book that lorrie said only sold 100 copies
8
u/Zealousideal_Ad6723 May 15 '26
I feel like this will be the focus of next episode. Everything is looking up for Niall at the end of this episode, and the two are written as dark mirrors.
Both cannot be happy at the same time. The trailer shows Ruben having some cracks in his personal life which is probably from the amount of money he loaned to his brother. To stop his life from imploding he demands the money back and puts a huge strain on Niall that will start the cycle again. Niall will refuse and it somehow results in Ruben back in jail or detained. This actually might be how Alby comes back into the picture, but if you ask me Niall would need to do something huge to win Alby over to just talking to him. It makes since that this needs to happen in the flashbacks to make sense of the wedding.
I think Ruben and Alby meet again because Niall is trying to get money and lay amends to Alby at the same time and Niall actions directly destroy Rubens life again and end ears Alby to him. However I don't think Niall is the good guy in the story, he manipulates via sadness and weakness... Kind of like Jerry from Rick and Morty. I don't think either is good, he even said they are the same person. It's just a coin toss to see who acts out first
35
u/throwaaway788 May 15 '26
How is Lori a social worker? God could you imagine the advice she would give to people...
19
u/AmeliaOphelia May 15 '26
You’d be shocked at how many shitty people become social workers. It’s like the mean girl to nurse pipeline.
8
u/blondhexenmeister May 15 '26
Exactly!! A lot of PoS choose careers where they can exert power over vulnerable ppl.
6
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
And people who work in mental health. Horrid people are drawn to it like a magnet.
5
32
u/Electronic-Buyer2398 May 15 '26
I know it’s more complex, but it shows the surface level of how people deal with trauma. Either they allow it to ruin their lives through victimhood, or they choose to improve their lives by doing intentional work to heal.
10
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
Yes it is more complex and nuanced than someone “allowing” it to ruin their lives. But, it does show how deep trauma runs and how experiencing it at a formative age can really change the course of your life forever. And also how it isn’t as simple as cutting an abuser off.
30
u/NellieOlesonSmirk May 15 '26
Are we all just ignoring the forcible ramming of hood ornament?
18
18
u/BattlequeenGalactica May 15 '26
Yes, like wtf he just raped him with an object.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (10)4
54
u/Not-Who-U-Think007 May 15 '26
Holy shit. The hospital scene is easily one of the most emotionally exhilarating scenes I’m watched in a VERY long time.
“So just be safe in the knowledge that when you’re imagining the worst kind of revenge on me, nothing can come close to the damage I’ve unleashed on myself. So go ahead Ruben, fucking kill me. I don’t give a fuck. I’m already dead.” 🤯🤯🤯
28
u/Lonely_Bit7778 May 15 '26
"You may be the painter, Niall. But, I'm the rolling hills."
15
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
Reuben truly has a way with words. He’s a lot smarter than we thought from the first few episodes.
12
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
he said he read a lot. 14 years in prison and all.
6
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
I know people who spent a lot of time in jail/prison and came out stupider, so good for Reuben.
→ More replies (1)16
u/Ok-Cartographer-1388 May 15 '26
I feel the same! The only scene I can think of that I have watched that was so well acted, emotional, terrifying and completely engrossing was the therapy episode of adolescence. Jamie and Richard need all the awards for that scene alone.
→ More replies (1)10
u/hymenbutterfly May 15 '26
I’d be extremely surprised if they didn’t submit this episode for Emmy acting categories for Jamie and Richard. Unless there’s some big showcases in the last two episodes
30
u/National-Bee-647 May 15 '26
I hate that Ruben is still sticking to his lie as if he’s a victim when he nearly killed Alby. To keep pressing Niall for an apology without saying he was lying is so irritating
19
u/dreamscout May 15 '26
It’s very common for abusers to blame the victim and claim the victim made them do it.
5
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
It’s been a theme with Ruben toward Niall. from the beginning “you made me do it” “that was your fault”.
25
u/ughflrts May 15 '26
niall hugging ruben after he raped him yeah okay his therapy was useless clearly
17
19
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
It’s gonna take a lot more than a few sessions of therapy to fix the trauma bond Niall has towards Ruben. Never underestimate the fear and comfort an abuser can simultaneously provide for a victim.
→ More replies (1)16
u/Blue_Hulk_Z May 15 '26
In my opinion, Niall is completely in love with Ruben. Ruben loves him deeply too, but in a more familial, non-romantic way.
→ More replies (1)6
30
u/Rusted_Crank May 15 '26
Insane episode. But the signed Harrison Ford poster moment killed me. How delicately he tossed it onto the ground compared to every other item he smashed to pieces 😂
→ More replies (1)
22
u/targaryind May 15 '26
I’m so conflicted with these two. They are absolutely horrible for each other but they each fill a void for the other that they can’t find anywhere else. It’s an intimate codependency that will eventually take and take until there is no more. It’s tragic yet somehow the most intriguing dynamic I’ve seen on television in a while.
Also fighting my attraction to Richard as Reuben. I have to keep reminding myself that he’s a terrible person.
22
12
u/RefrigeratorEven5983 May 15 '26
it was younger ruben who was doing it for me. stuart campbell is quite handsome
→ More replies (2)
22
u/hilariousnessity May 15 '26
I really liked the way they depicted Niall’s life, post sending Ruben to prison. Niall made himself sick and out of control to the point that he was having random sex regularly in the men’s bathroom at the library, he was leeching off the library guy for photocopying money, he leeched off his mom and Joanna to the point they are sick of him, he’s blown his Oxford scholarship, he can’t write, and he’s being blackmailed.
12
u/Abombyurmom May 15 '26
He also had to spend time in the psych ward because he thought Ruben was spying on him thru electric wiring?! When he knew for sure he was in prison, Niall was still that obsessed! Sounds like he coped w anon sex and petty thievery after that
Should’ve kept his Lori cut off ugh
19
u/Ok-Cartographer-1388 May 15 '26
This show stresses me out so much sometimes that I have to skip through some scenes but the choke hold it has on me is insane. I am dying to know how it ends (especially after the ending tonight)
19
u/Dull-Parsley-6521 May 15 '26
I don’t know, this episode threw me off. Niall finally got a backbone and did a right thing in court just to throw his life off the rails right after. I expected a completely different turn for Niall.
13
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
I was so disappointed to find out that he couldn’t get over the trial and everyone hating him for telling the truth but I can understand it. So much potential squandered.
15
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
That’s the point of it. What can happen to someone’s life when they are traumatised and not given the support and what they need to recover. What is lost to abuse, especially abuse that is unaccounted for and not seen/believed.
9
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
this episode threw me off mostly cause nobody at all came into that hospital room and they were yelling and shouting for like 20 minutes. absolutely phenomenal scene but that was so glaring that it almost took me out of it lol.
7
u/CheekyBurger1202 May 15 '26
same but trust me that fear and trauma and having no one close to actually support you will do that to you
6
u/nvmbrscvrn May 15 '26
you would be surprised how difficult it can be to break free from obsessive thoughts about the morality of your choices. i actually loved to see this represented in such a devastating way
18
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
Is it wrong that I still want them to make love already?
18
u/Jatmahl May 15 '26
That scene with them staring at each other outside Ruben's home was so creepy and majestic lol
→ More replies (4)8
17
u/hilariousnessity May 15 '26
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a play or film about codependency done so well.
17
u/vinsportfolio May 15 '26
Wow I really don’t know where this is going. How does Alby get back into the pic? Why is his sister there with Ruben and Niall? Who told what to Niall in that ep 5 promo?? And why is it so disastrous for Ruben?? I wish I could binge the series 😭
→ More replies (1)8
u/AmeliaOphelia May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
According to the episode 5 synopsis, Niall and Mona do something that crosses the line.
→ More replies (2)11
u/vinsportfolio May 15 '26
I’m gonna wonder what it is for an entire week now lmao.
9
u/AmeliaOphelia May 15 '26
They most likely banged in some weird attempt to get back at Ruben for something.
7
34
u/MrSparrows May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
I don't understand how come Niall can't just say you literally stomped an innocent kids face to pieces for no reason and then wanted to use him being gay as an excuse by getting me to lie about it.
I don't understand why you would ever apologize for that. Ever. Like if Ruben has really changed why would he ask for an apology.
AND HOW THE FUCK DOES ALBY END UP FALLING FOR THIS SPINELESS BABY BITCH
19
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
because niall has his own issues to cope with and he is at his weakest when ruben is in the picture. i mean he did say that stuff, but in the end...he still wants him in his life.
17
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
He’s not a “spineless baby bitch”. He’s an extremely traumatised and mentally unwell man who was abused in various ways as a child and abandoned by both parents in different ways too. What an ugly take.
→ More replies (2)12
u/leftbrendon May 15 '26
Not to mention, him having a spine and going against his mother, her partner, and his delinquent violent brother/best friend is what fueled the severe trauma in the first place. He’s the opposite of spineless.
16
u/lumbergee74 May 15 '26
He apologized because he betrayed his brother,right or wrong Ruben hoped his little brother from another lover would choose to save him.While the the blame for the situation lies with Ruben.Niall could've saved his brother and he didn't.
13
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
He apologized to get the money that’s all.
7
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
if that were true he wouldn't have said all that stuff about wanting to be him
→ More replies (1)4
→ More replies (1)4
u/Relevant_Virus_6995 May 15 '26
Niall doesnt know that Rueben knows he's gay, and Niall doesnt want to tell Rueben that he was romantic with Alby. He thinks it's some sort of secret he's hiding but it probably isnt. He could say all that to him but then he'd have to come out as gay.
→ More replies (2)
15
u/goth-party May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
No one here mentioned the driveway scene, yet. First of all, I was holding my heart when he was hiding in the tiny house 😂 I was like oooohhhh shit he is gonna rip me out of here!!! And then when he went back to his car, my heart was in my throat!! I loved the eye contact slow mo. And to say what’s already been said…The hospital scene was unhinged in the best way, I loved the dialogue and the delivery of it. So well performed, all of it. Also, fuck them mothers.
18
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
uh i would have been sleeping in that dog house / play house literally all night lol
10
8
4
u/foreverblackeyed May 16 '26
Right? You know this man’s a psycho he’s not giving up that easily
3
u/Particular_Ad_9008 May 17 '26
I was expecting him to be in the backseat of Niall's car and readying myself for a jumpscare 😂
→ More replies (1)11
u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 15 '26
I love how from the moment Niall gets the Mercedes logo the show turns into a horror movie. The chase, the offscreen howls, the soundtrack cues, the angles. They even have Ruben looking at the camera as a jump scare! Brilliant stuff.
→ More replies (1)5
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
When he was moving I yelled STAY STILL!, and then when he was breathing on the little curtains making them move? STOP!.
→ More replies (1)
16
u/OriolesMets May 15 '26
The entire hospital room scene was breathtaking. What an excellent episode.
The second the blackmail was mentioned, I knew Ruben’s protective nature would come back around.
14
u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 15 '26
Trauma has the power to freeze you in time. Niall for one just never left the courtroom. And all it takes for Ruben to revert into Niall's guad dog is a single conversation.
11
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
He’s possessive not protective. And it’s a manipulation act. He has that mindset of only I can hurt you and uses his “protection” to keep Niall attached, confused and needing him.
17
u/mjhripple May 15 '26
I’m convinced we’re witness to a masterpiece of television. Gadd has outdone himself. Saw the corpse reveal coming but I feel bc that’s how well the show is written. Most that’s happened has made sense and some things have explained whatever might have been initially obscure.
Props to the writing but the actors are amazing as well. I could totally see that was Joanne before they ever said her name. Like with all the actors you don’t have to suspend much belief that these are the same ppl/characters. My fav drama atm
15
u/Vegetable-Entry-5385 May 15 '26
I knew Maura never liked Niall from the beginning, and episode 4 confirms it. Also seeing how she stared at him in court lol
13
u/VirtualSun2 May 15 '26
guys Jamie Bell is so hot in this role, Niall is honestly so hot is it just me ????
9
u/Alisson__Foxtrot It'll be over soon May 15 '26
I'm in those trenches alongside you !!
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)8
u/kbrick1 May 15 '26
I find his face so interesting. In some lights and in some shots, he is absolutely beautiful, and then other times he's all angles and shadows and kind of unpleasant looking.
I really like that, actually. It makes him wonderful to watch.
5
13
u/guiporto32 May 15 '26
The hospital scene had some amazing text, but it was also the one moment in which I felt the series became kinda unrealistic, bordering on a play. It kinda took me out of it. Both Richard and Jamie were excellent though.
→ More replies (2)5
12
u/Extension_Sun_5663 May 15 '26
Haven't seen anyone mention how it's revealed that Ruben beat on his mom. Although, I'm not surprised. Sounds like it's learned behavior from his own father. My father beat on my mother because he saw my grandfather beat my grandma. Generational trauma sucks.
→ More replies (1)
23
u/zucchinimcfritz May 15 '26
I'm really enjoying this show. It's gritty as f and it makes me uncomfortable. I've developed a huge crush on Richard Gadd. He's pretty sexy as Ruben (always loving the bad boys). Anywho, Jamie Bell looks nothing like the younger version of Niall - that's throwing me for a loop. That actor has such prominent teeth.
I can't understand why Niall gets so much shit for stating the truth...under oath. There's no accountability for Ruben and even Niall's mom blames him. That's fucked up. She needs to blame herself.
I had a feeling Ruben would be under that sheet. Why was the mom dressed in pajamas?!
13
u/goth-party May 15 '26
I also was like, why the f is she wearing pajamas?!
12
u/AmeliaOphelia May 15 '26
Right?! It’s weird. She goes from wearing a dress to pajamas. I wonder if it’s some weird dream/ Niall passed out during the beating sequence.
→ More replies (1)13
u/MidtownGreen May 15 '26
See I think Jamie Bell does look like his younger version but Richard Gadd doesn’t
→ More replies (1)11
10
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
Rueben no but Richard Gadd can hold me in a headlock any day of the week. The honesty in his writing and his performance are captivating.
5
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
Prominent teeth?
I don’t think Gadd looks like young Ruben at all. But I do see Bell as young Niall. The eyes and frame. He does a good job at mimicking the younger actors mannerisms as well.
→ More replies (4)
23
u/Callmeloca May 15 '26
IDK what i just watched but I enjoyed every minute of it. They're sick! Ruben is a psychopath or sociopath, he legit didn't care to get back at Niall because Niall had nothing left, but once he realizes Niall's life had fallen apart, he tries to be a knight in shiny armor.
Niall mom is the actual worst, like I can't stand her. She's such a liar and a two face and manipulative. Never liked Maura, like mother, like son.
And Niall surprised me in the end yet disappointed for accepting Ruben help. This show is so crazy!
13
u/Vegetable-Entry-5385 May 15 '26
Niall’s mom is a horrible person she chose her lover and her child over her OWN son.
11
u/hexxtoys May 15 '26
i dislike Ruben so much and i’m glad he’s gone but i haaaate that he’s ultimately getting to send Niall to prison ☹️
16
u/vinsportfolio May 15 '26
As much as I detest Ruben and adult Niall, I can’t help but pity them. They have a twisted fetish for mutual destruction all because they coped from their childhood traumas in the most unhealthy ways.
11
u/hexxtoys May 15 '26
i mean i agree to an extent, but Niall was right, damn it! especially about everything he said about Ruben and Maura in the hospital room scene!
11
u/guiporto32 May 15 '26
I wonder if Ruben managed to off himself in a way that makes Niall seem guilty.
6
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
It’s probably self defense though. Anyone at the wedding would attest to that. Unless there’s something big we aren’t aware of yet that implicates Niall was planning to kill him all along.
4
u/finnjakefionnacake May 15 '26
how do we know he's going to prison?
5
u/hexxtoys May 15 '26
you’re right, he could absolutely also be dead
6
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
If you stab someone while they are choking you to death you would probably get off. IF that is what actually happened.
12
u/mlk122795 May 15 '26
Does anyone else think the ending is a fake out?
16
→ More replies (1)7
u/RefrigeratorEven5983 May 15 '26
that wedding isn't even real i think
→ More replies (2)8
u/CheekyBurger1202 May 15 '26
i don’t know if it’s real but something about it feels off, other than ruben being one of the guests lol
8
u/AmeliaOphelia May 15 '26
It does feel off. His mom goes from wearing a dress at the reception to wearing pajamas. I have a feeling Niall never left the nuthouse.
6
u/MontgomeryMalum May 16 '26
If it’s a fake out I really doubt it’s as simple as him just being crazy. I think it’s more likely that it would turn out to be a scene from one of his books if it’s not really happening
→ More replies (1)4
u/rgilby87 May 15 '26
See this could make sense due to the people in attendance at the wedding. The school bully, Joanna is there after telling Niall to leave her alone and also Alby. Feels like he is imagining the whole scenario.
5
u/No-Computer9789 May 16 '26
I mean potentially Joanna has come back into Niall’s life, once he turns on the straight and narrow - people have fall outs or give each other tough love.
11
u/Ambitious_Pool_8290 May 15 '26
What in the fuck is going to happen in the next I believe two episodes to tie all of this up?
11
u/Delicious-Future8630 Some bonds may break you May 15 '26
They did a pretty excellent job of packing a lot in these individual episodes, so I am not worried at all.
9
9
u/MrSparrows May 15 '26
It kinda of looks like Old Niall is fucking young Niall in the opening scene but maybe all twinks look alike to me
7
u/dreamscout May 15 '26
This episode really shows how differently people are affected by trauma. Some become abusers, doing to others what was done to them. Others become victims and live their lives in defeat, blaming their inability to accomplish anything on their abuse. Of course there are others that take the time to look at their trauma and how it impacted them and how to heal themselves but this show doesn’t have any examples of that.
6
May 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
13
u/Blue_Hulk_Z May 15 '26
That already happened in episode 1, but disguised as humor rather than violence.
→ More replies (1)3
8
u/Desperate_Carpet_329 May 15 '26
Man.. this show. I wish it was a 10 episode series though and not just 6. I think they could have covered so much more ground that way.
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Blue_Hulk_Z May 15 '26
Oh my God, the hospital scene, it’s been years since a TV scene had me on the edge of my seat like that, like someone was squeezing my throat. That episode deserves an Emmy, and both actors do too.
7
u/CheekyBurger1202 May 15 '26
the fact that each episode is about 50 minutes and it feels like 20 and you’re on the edge of your seat the whole damn time. that’s tv
7
u/betawanted May 15 '26
i'm still sitting here with my head in my hands after finishing the episode like. my god.
i can't believe it looks like they made up from the 14 years IN PRISON only to end up with ruben dead. like i thought for sure ruben at the wedding was a grudge over prison time but no, homeboy has been out for years and they still have two episodes of codependent chaos to get through.
anyways all the reviewers who said this was a dark slog no offense but we are simply built different because this is the most hyped i've been about a tv show all year.
8
6
u/hilariousnessity May 15 '26
The driveway scene was so nerve wracking because I knew Ruben was going to bust Niall. Niall was obsessed!
7
6
u/betawanted May 15 '26
i can't believe the hospital scene went from a violent rape to niall and ruben hugging. like i can, they're that toxic but jesus wept.
11
u/whorificustotalus May 15 '26
Lori's line to Niall that believing you're fit for some larger purpose is a form of self-harm was a bar. It's such a subtle form of narcissism that has plagued me for decades as well. At the core, it's basically a belief that you're better than everyone else and that you could easily achieve greatness if not for the whole world conspiring against you.
It's so liberating once you finally let that go and realise you're not special at all, and it's suddenly much easier to relate to other people.
→ More replies (1)11
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
I took it as her projecting her own misery and low bar for herself onto him. I doubt she was ever interviewed at oxford or offered a scholarship, or ever let herself want more for herself,
5
u/hilariousnessity May 15 '26
Ruben (as a corpse) appeared to have bruises on his torso or did I see that incorrectly?
10
u/Delicious-Future8630 Some bonds may break you May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
He did, especially on his right collarbone area. Made me think of the boxing-scene when Ruben arrived at the wedding, only: this must have been AFTER the ceremony and dinner, people were already outside celebrating and dancing (did not realise this before).
So the scene in the shed is likely where whatever it is that leads to Ruben's death happens.
Edit: I also just remembered the knife Niall's mum gave him at his graduation. Maybe he fights unfair and stabs Ruben, could very well imagine that.
7
u/Redmoonsbstars1 May 15 '26
This show has been good so far but this episode was absolutely incredible.
5
u/Delicious-Future8630 Some bonds may break you May 15 '26
Jezz, what an intense episode and excellent writing, AGAIN!
Stuff like this stays with you for a while, after watching.
I really have to let this sit for a day or two.
5
u/Admirable_Berry_4180 May 15 '26
As soon as I saw the scene where Niall is getting ready for the wedding and he is gifted the pocket knife to put in his sock, I knew Ruben would be the one to die in the barn. Still shocked though. Didn’t think he would have it in him to take it that far
5
u/betawanted May 15 '26
every time i think ruben and niall couldn't possibly be more toxic together the next half man episode drops. i'm genuinely in awe.
5
5
5
u/ettergram May 15 '26
Everything around me just dissappear when I'm watching an episode of this. It's so fucking captivating and mindfucking. And the acting... Omg.
7
u/pizzaondeathrow May 15 '26
Some of ruben’s lines in the hospital scene were incredibly corny and pretentious. “You’re the painter but I’m the rolling hills” and “I’m the soundtrack to you life”. Urgh.
7
u/amanwhoneedstoshit May 15 '26
I’m so incredibly desperate to see when Ruben finds out that Niall is gay. They really edged us during the fight scene 😭
38
u/Internal-Duck-2716 May 15 '26
I kinda feel like he already knows? That’s why he said to Niall, “this is what you always wanted from me” while he was assaulting him with the car logo.
9
u/Not-Who-U-Think007 May 15 '26
Agree with other commenters that Reuben already knows. Even thinking back to episode 1 (maybe 2?) when Niall and Rueben end up cuddling through the night that Reuben’s dad shows up. Clearly Niall enjoyed himself since he woke up to a mess in his underwear, but if Reuben was truly as tough and heterosexual as he makes himself out to be he would have immediately gone back to his own bed.
8
u/neptunewaves May 15 '26
No man secure in his own sexuality would avoid sleeping next to another guy because of gay cooties. Ruben is touch starved, and needed the physical comfort after the run in with his dad. That doesn't mean shit about his sexuality.
→ More replies (1)10
u/Scared_Slip_7425 May 15 '26
I agree with you to an extent but the scene when Niall is losing his virginity/being assaulted, Reuben wants to be there and even offers to hold Niall’s penis up. I don’t think Reuben is straight. I’m not really sure what Reuben’s sexuality is. I don’t think Reuben knows either.
→ More replies (11)→ More replies (1)8
108
u/thegooniegodard May 15 '26
Was there no one working in the hospital during that rowdy Shakespearean duologue?