After episode three’s climatic conclusion, Half Man returns with a monumental shift in the narrative. We bid farewell to Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell’s as the young brothers, with Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd going full-time as flashbacks inch closer to present day.
At the wedding, Ruben’s toast to the new couple is intercut with a chaotic scene a mere hours in the future. As Ruben talks amidst nervous laughter, we see wedding guests rush to the barn where the two brothers have been locked inside. Silent sirens flash as police arrive. Ruben describes Niall as a man that knows what he wants and takes it. Standing next to the new groom, Ruben unexpectedly hugs Niall.
The action pushes us back to 2008, 14 years after Ruben’s trial. Niall is an Oxford dropout with one book published. Struggling to write his second, he survives by selling stolen library books online. In addition to tallying up a debt, he frequents the library as one cruising spot, exchanging meaningless sex with random men in the restroom. He also has nightly encounters at an abandoned lot, where random men watch others in cars.
One night as a spectator, Niall recognizes Gus, his high school bully. Knowing each others’ secret, the two go for a drink. Catching up, Gus reveals Niall’s worst nightmare: Ruben is out. He’s working for an oil rig company, making 100K a year and married to his high school sweetheart, Mona.
Niall buries this new anxiety in another man but is caught by the library manager. Thinking he’ll simply ban him from the premises, the manager blackmails Niall with footage of his sexual escapades. Demanding £2ooo for his silence, Niall goes to Joanna, who refuses to help this time. At his mother’s, the conversation explodes when he learns his only solution is Ruben, who has bailed him out several times before. Everything from the house’s mortgage to Niall’s therapy sessions have been covered by his brother. After falling apart, Lori suggests its time he faced his fear.
Outside Ruben’s home, Niall attempts to vandalize Ruben’s BMW, setting off the alarm. Ruben chases the unknown assailant into a neighbor’s yard. Thinking he’s evaded detection, Niall locks eyes with Ruben as he drives away. Distracted, Niall crashes into a parked car.
Niall awakens in the hospital with Ruben at his bedside. The two brothers exchange blows — figuratively and literally. Backed into a corner, Niall confesses he told the truth out of bitterness toward Ruben. How he would trade years in jail to walk one day in his brother’s shoes. Niall concedes to any further attacks as he sees himself already dead.
Ruben sits in awe at of some the lows Niall has encountered, including the recent blackmail. In exchange for an apology, Ruben agrees to pay this debt. And to Niall’s surprise, Ruben apologizes as well. Stunned, Niall collapses in his arms.
This therapeutic moment sharply contrasts with the scene at the wedding. Guests gawk as medical examiners roll a covered body from the barn. Alby and Joanna stare as Lori rushes toward the gurney. Expecting the worst, she reaches to uncover the sheet: there lies Ruben.
Episode 4 is incredible feat in storytelling and acting, with Bell and Gadd’s final scene a lesson in how forgiveness isn’t for the other person but one’s self. While Ruben’s circumstances forced him to change, Niall remained stuck, drinking poison and expecting Ruben to die. Addicted to a bitterness rooted in his inability to live authentically. His choice to trace his sexuality on the outskirts of society left him stagnant professionally and personally, trading anonymous encounters to bury the dissatisfaction with his life.
Bell commands every scene as adult Niall, who has yet to stop performing at his own detriment. And Gadd’s ability to silently author attention as Ruben is a credible acting flex. It’s also equally great to see him happy.
Another noticeable theme apparent throughout the series is the argument of nature vs. nurture. Here, both boys are fatherless, from the same neighborhood and with the exact same resources. One is naturally talented, but has had his confidence stifled by society’s homophobia. The other, bucks at any sense of conformity, which allows him greater access through normal spaces. Ultimately, it comes down to individual choices.
With two episodes left, what could have possibly transpired for this reconciliation to result in Ruben’s death?
Rating: 10/10