Some TV shows are perfect for relaxing after a long day, or watching to cheer yourself up on a rainy evening. 'Half Man', the latest creation of smash hit 'Baby Reindeer' creator Richard Gadd, is not that.
Plot and Characters
'Half Man' is a relentless, miserable drama that follows two half-siblings Niall and Ruben throughout their lives which are one violent drug fueled clash after another. The story unfurls through two main timelines - teenage years and adult years.
In the adult timeline, Niall is getting married when his criminal half brother Ruben crashes the wedding, fresh out of prison and determined to wreak havoc. In the teenage timeline, Ruben has also crashed back into Niall's life hell-bent on destruction. The two boys are sons to lesbian mothers who are living together, forcing them to live under the same roof and try to get along.
Performances
Richard Gadd plays the adult Ruben and it is truly a show stopping performance. He is almost unrecognisable from his role in Baby Reindeer, partially due to an impressive 40kg weight gain of pure muscle. It's not all brawn though - Gadd is a master of the menacing energy that oozes from every pore of Ruben's being. He's matched in performance by Jamie Bell, who plays the older version of Niall. Bell's kicked-puppy demeanour makes his innate desire to ruin his own life unbelievably tragic. In the same way that Gadd can display pure hatred through his eyes, Bell is an expert at showcasing heartbreaking pain.
Viewer Reactions
Despite how unlikeable the two main characters are, their relationship is one that I could not get enough of. There is one scene where the pair confront each other in a hospital ward, and the writing is so compelling I almost forgot to breathe. They are so toxically entwined in one another that any escape seems impossible, and their dynamic bleeds into every other person who has the bad luck to orbit their lives.
The show has an eight-star rating on IMDB, with one person calling it “the feel bad series of the year”. They wrote: “While there is hardly a glimmer of hope anywhere in the six episodes, I could not stop watching it. Richard Gadd is front and centre in it, and what a force of nature he turns out to be. His character Ruben is not one you will easily forget. 'Half Man' is readily recommended, if you can stomach it that is.” Another wrote: “This is an intense watch but incredibly rewarding and strangely engaging. The acting is superb and there are genuine heartfelt moments that draw you in before flipping round to jolt you upright.”
Half Man is available to stream on BBC i-Player.
