Richard Gadd’s ‘Half Man’ Takes Toxic Concepts of Manhood To Task With Performances Both Ferocious and Tragic

Alci Rengifo

A relationship with a bully does not always take on a definite, cliché form of helpless victim and abuser. The worst cases can have a more complex dynamic. Richard Gadd’s new show for HBO, “Half Man,” will unnerve some viewers with its raw depiction of what can only be termed an abusive relationship. The term “toxic masculinity” has become such a part of our contemporary lingo that it threatens to be watered down. Gadd does no such thing and presents a raw portrait of what the term actually means. Much of it is more unsettling than purely entertaining, capable of making us flinch. Not all art is meant to stay in comfort zones, or else what would be its value as human expression? More than a limited series, this is a horror film divided into six chapters.

Niall (Jamie Bell) is a friendly-looking chap getting married in Scotland. Before the ceremony, we see him having an intense, escalating verbal standoff with Ruben (Gadd), his half-brother. As the argument threatens to come to blows the narrative cuts to the past, where a teenage Niall (Mitchell Robertson) is the target of merciless bullies at school. To his instant terror, Niall is informed by mother Lori (Neve McIntosh) that his stepbrother Ruben (Stuart Campbell) is moving in after spending two years at a juvenile detention facility. The real reason for this move is that Lori is lovers with Ruben’s mother, Maura (Marianne McIvor). Homophobia runs rampant in the town and Niall is constantly mocked for his home life. Ruben arrives like a feral hurricane, imposing himself in the room shared with Niall. He then shows his brand of loyalty by beating up one of Niall’s bullies enough to leave him a bruised, bandaged mess. After Niall helps Ruben cheat on an extremely important exam, the latter rewards him by bringing in his girlfriend to initiate the younger stepbrother in sex. And so the wheel keeps turning, even as Niall goes to college and Ruben follows like a dark shadow.

“Half Man” is Gadd’s follow up to his Netflix hit “Baby Reindeer,” also dark but morbidly funny with its semi-biographical tale of obsession. Some reviews are bemoaning how different this show is, as if Gadd has some duty to produce work just dark enough to stay digestible. Maybe it is a subconscious reaction to the mirror “Half Man” holds up to viewers. In a way, this show is more relatable because while many of us have never dealt with a celebrity stalker, bullies are just a constant reality of human existence. Niall’s luck of the draw is to be the kind of gentler, quieter soul who is instantly read by someone like Ruben. Even Lori can be unconsciously mean, saying in passing the kind of phrases that will lodge inside Niall and contribute to his insecurities. Yet, this is not a classic story of the nicer guy trying to free himself from the abuser. The toxic bond that forms between the brothers is a twisted form of co-dependence. Niall resents Ruben while also craving his presence, mostly because the bullying sibling provides an unhealthy sense of protection and affection.

The writing by Gadd is very keen in assessing the social forces that contribute to this kind of situation. Neither mother is actually there for these boys. Ruben’s own bluster is his form of grabbing acceptance. When he arrives at Niall’s college dorm, two girls who befriend Niall find themselves trapped in Ruben’s own games where he seduces them both without any care for anyone’s feelings. It helps turn Niall into even more of a confused mess. He is gay and in the closet, until meeting a student (Bilal Hasna) who sees through the shy young man’s facades. They become involved in secret, though when Ruben finds out a violent incident nearly derails Niall’s life.  Homophobic violence would be expected of an overbearing alpha like Ruben, yet we also sense it’s his way of ensuring Niall never leaves his orbit. Niall has no way of escaping this man and it is terrifying to see years later Ruben arrive, played by Gadd with an animalistic presence, and make his brother feel like time has not passed. The old wounds take forever to heal. 

Shame is a key element of the storytelling in “Half Man.” There is the shame Ruben can make Niall feel and how the latter is still in the closet. On another layer, it is about how having bullying forces dominate your life early on can produce a stunted individual in multiple ways. Niall keeps being cornered into regular situations that feel unnerving to him, like a girl wanting to have sex at a party. Niall should have the freedom to be honest about who they are, but Ruben’s eyes are always watching. Think of people raised in extremely religious homes where imposed concepts of sin leave them emotionally stunted. Niall is the same way. Like Netflix’s “Adolescence,” this is a series that dramatizes the topic well while taking it seriously. We tend to create new monsters by being monsters to each other. Niall will always feel like a half man for not realizing soon enough that dignity is more important than macho.

“Half Man” premieres April 23 with new episodes airing Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and streaming on HBO Max.