Half Man’s final episode opens back in the barn. Ruben wraps his hands as if preparing for a fight. Niall struggles to keep his composure. Ruben asks if his brother loves him. Niall answers yes, but Ruben demands a broader definition. Niall replies honestly: it’s a dangerous, chemically dependent love. The best and worst feeling all at once. Ruben’s next question shifts us to the past: “How long did you wait until you took what’s mine?”

A few years prior, our two leads are in familiar territory. Ruben is locked up for nearly killing Benji. And Niall, high from the success of his second book, continues his toxic behavior: sex, drugs and self-loathing. Their two worlds collide again when Maura, Ruben’s mother, dies.

Lori insists Niall be there to support Ruben but suggests he get tested given his recent activity. During his blood test, Niall runs into Alby, now a nurse. Alby delivers Niall’s results; he has chlamydia and syphilis. With both treatable, Niall stomachs the courage to ask Alby out for drinks.

The two catch up, with Alby forcing Niall to dig deeper into why he remains closeted. Niall fancies this theory, but ultimately returns to his safe space. The abandoned lot is now a bathhouse where he indulges in sex, meth and cocaine. After being recognized inside, he rushes home but drives head-first into a light pole. As he’s arrested, a random man snaps his photograph.

His arrest and time in jail makes him late for Maura’s funeral, where Ruben is accompanied with Mona and her son. Niall arrives just in time to witness Ruben speak. Here, a vulnerable Ruben shares his mixed emotions around his mother. Their tenuous relationship and the one time she was proud of him. He regrets not being able to make her proud again.

The sentiment is fleeting as Niall confronts Mona about being with Ruben. Ruben assumes Benji fathered Mona’s son, when in reality Niall is the father. Niall and Mona trade insults when Ruben enters the room. Sensing something wrong, he threatens to wreck the truth out of them when his parole officer interrupts. Mona agrees to stop visiting Ruben.

Afraid of being outed via his arrest, Alby convinces Niall to tell the one person who doesn’t know: his brother. At the prison, Niall tells him he’s gay. Ruben has no qualms about his sexuality, stating the real homophobe was Niall all along. Niall’s honesty prompts Ruben to admit a dark secret about his father. The drunkard’s abuse went beyond hitting, leaving Ruben feeling like a half man, especially when his body would respond to the violations. The two support each others truths and continue exchanging revelations. Niall gets too comfortable, blurting out the paternity of Ruben’s son. The laughter and smiles cease.

Back in the barn, Ruben wrestles Niall to the ground suffocating him. Niall grabs a blade from his sheath and stabs Ruben in the side. The wound only annoys Ruben more and he angrily covers Niall’s mouth until he’s motionless. Niall lies dead on his wedding day. Ruben stares in shock as he bleeds out. The screen abruptly cuts to black.

Our series finale ends tragically, as both leads unfortunately succumbed to their life-long deficiencies. Instead of living with pride, Niall wallowed in self-hatred, feeding an insatiable appetite with destructive vices. And Ruben, unable to exist beyond his physical attributes due to unearthed abuse, drowned in his violent tendencies. A bleak tale of loneliness.

Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd deliver magnificent performances, especially the latter. One may say it’s easy to deliver anger and rage, but Gadd show’s his depth when Ruben is overcome with grief and sadness. It is quite ironic the one person Ruben killed was Niall, the single person that knew him best. But as they say, we always hurt the ones we love.

Rating: 9/10