HBO's Step Brothers Show Is Insane

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]Before we begin, uh, we just hit 100,000 subscribers and that's kind of insane.

[00:00:05]So, thank you so much. I'm I'm externally very calm, but internally I'm I'm screaming.

[00:00:13]Now, all we need is nine more and we'll hit a million. Yes. And now, let's get into Halfman. Guys, I've been watching Half Man and I need to process it with someone. We're only halfway into the season and it's already overwhelming in a good way and also in a scary way. The show is a coming of age about a closeted gay kid in the late 80s, early 90s in Scotland. It's also about being completely stuck between a rock and a hard place. Except the rock and the hard place are the same thing. What do you do when the biggest threat to your life is also the only thing keeping you alive?

[00:00:45]And the more the story progresses, the more it begins unpacking levels of toxic masculinity through a very unique perspective of a young closeted kid whose first bully is also his first protector and also somehow his sexual awakening. How do you hate someone you need and how do you love someone you fear? Jesus spitting bars. And the more we explore the dynamic between these two stepbros, the more the lines of toxic masculinity, homoeroticism, and homophobia start blurring because masculinity is this funny little thing that when you perform it to the max, you become kind of gay. Also, the show is from the creator of Baby Reindeer, Richard Gad, and that was a [ __ ] mindfield trip of dark [ __ ] but also very insightful [ __ ] I have a video on it if you want to check it out. I'll leave the link somewhere here. Also, it is a highly triggering, messed up story, so content warnings abound for the rest of the video. A lot of violence and sexual violence and homophobia and just yeah, all that bad [ __ ] So, if that sounds like a fun time to you, then get a snack and a drink, sit back and relax, and let me tell you about this messed up story of Nile and Reuben.

[00:01:56]The show opens and we're at a wedding.

[00:01:58]People are dancing, having fun, and inside a barn are our main characters.

[00:02:03]On the left is Nile, looking slim, tired, frail even. And to the right, we have our antagonist, Reuben, and immediately hot. Like, there's an entire ecosystem of adult content built around this exact aesthetic. I'd ride him till the walls were dripping in sweat. It'd be till the cows come home, the bulls go to work, and whatever else Animal Farm was about. And I'm not afraid to admit it. There's serious tension between these two. Nyall is frustrated. Reuben chose today, the day of his wedding to do this, but Reuben is friendly, hugs him, says he's proud of him and that he looks gorgeous. Cat calls him a little, gropes him, even says, "If we weren't family," as he's trying to lift up his kilt. And put a pin on this interaction because I will be coming back to it at the end of the video. Reuben then asks Nile to tell him one last time what he is before he loses him forever. And what he is is a brother from another lover, which sounds incestuous as [ __ ] even though they're not bloodrelated. Reuben then punches Neil twice really hard, knocks him to the ground, and we go back to the past. Back to the almost back to the future. A few decades prior, and Nile is a slender, insecure 15-year-old kid who is terribly bullied at school.

[00:03:11]And not to point fingers here, but with that haircut, I'd bully myself. The bullying is mostly homophobic, and it's not just because people suspect that Nile might be gay. It's also because his mother is almost most definitely a lesbian. Nia lives with his mother Lori and her friend Mora.

[00:03:30]Okay, they're both single middle-aged women living in rural Scotland together in the same room in the same bed.

[00:03:37]They're just good friends. And the thing is, they're not officially together or out. Not even to Nile. Nile still holds on to the belief that they're just really, really close friends who just happen to sleep together. But town folk ain't stupid. People talk and things are said. So Nile is also a victim of homophobic abuse on behalf of his mom.

[00:03:56]Nile even says at one point, imagine the irony of two lesbian mothers and one gay son, which you know, given that this is in the 80s, it was a really tough time.

[00:04:05]In fact, male homosexuality was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967, and it took Scotland until 1980 to do exactly the same. That's more than a decade. Ironically, female homosexuality wasn't criminalized because people just chose to pretend that they didn't do that in private.

[00:04:22]>> Okay. But even after decriminalizing it, they didn't necessarily make it okay or make it more positive to be gay. They just didn't make it a crime, but it was still pretty much a taboo topic. Nile, as I said, is routinely bullied, and he takes it always. Absolutely incapable of standing up for himself. And to get a sense of how gay these bullies come off as. They keep calling him a fat, which, you know, takes one to no one. They keep shoving him against a wall and getting real up and close with him, which is kind of gay. And then one of the bullies rubs one of Nile's cards in his ball sack for a solid 20 to 30 seconds only to then shove it in Nile's mouth. How badly do you want Nile's mouth on your dick, sir? Sounds pretty gay to me. As an adult, I'd smack the [ __ ] out of this little. But as a bullied gay kid, I can feel the terror that Nile feels. But nothing compares to the sheer terror brought about when he finds out that Mora's son, 17-year-old Reuben, is coming back to school following a 2-year stint in juvenile detention. Why was he there, you ask? Cuz he bit someone's nose off. Curiously, one of my husband's exes ended up in prison after doing just that. It's like, what is it with British people and noses? Tasty snack. One thing Halfman does really well is navigate Nile's emotions and making us feel the claustrophobic nature of his predicament. Reuben is the epitome of masculinity taken to the extreme. Rude, aggressive, physically intimidating, prone to violent explosions of blind rage that could literally kill someone.

[00:05:44]Put a pin on that. And Nile is a terrified, closeted kid who can barely muster an entire coherent sentence in the entire episode. He is literally too anxious to speak. I had that, too. Not just because I was bullied for being gay, but also cuz I had a stutter. And oh my god, speaking in public with a stutter, [ __ ] no. Once the starter gets going, baby, it's gonna end with me in tears. And Nyall and Reuben not only have to live together, they have to share a room. And this is where things get interesting. What makes Reuben so intimidating is also what makes Reuben kind of hot in a very closeted way. He doesn't beat you up, but he could. And it's like that threat of am I going to get punched or not. As a kid, that shit's terrifying cuz it's confusing as [ __ ] Nile is in a deep state of denial.

[00:06:30]So, he's having trouble reconciling all of these emotions that he's feeling. And you'd think that with a lesbian mother, it would be easier. And he does allude to that later, that it is pretty stupid of him to not come out when he literally has a lesbian mom at home living with her partner. But with men, it's different. I think that's part of the psyche for Reuben, who accepts his mom, has no problem with his mom being in a relationship with a woman because he sees it differently. To him, it's just an interesting story he'll tell at a party 10 years later. Whereas when it's two men, it's like the desecration of a man's soul. More on that later. Reuben's violent tendencies may have started when he was raised by the alcoholic drunk who stands outside of their home all night shouting homophobic slurs at their mothers and pleading with his son to come home with him. And when Nile wants to get their moms, Reuben puts him in a chokeold, tells him that no one is to know about this, and they fall on the bed. And the tight choke hold eventually softens enough for Nile to breathe comfortably, but still tight enough that now they're just spooning like they're straight up cuddling.

[00:07:33]And they cuddle all night. And Nile wakes up the next day with a big splotch on his pants.

[00:07:40]He came. Listen, there are layers to this, but bottom line is this is very realistic. The intimate hold, the fact that Nile probably felt safe, ironically, because the big scary man spooned him all night after threatening physical pain. This is bad. This is really confusing and it's really going to mess with him. On their way to school, some of the bullies shout homophobic slurs at Nile. So, Reuben corners him against a wall and almost forces him to ask for help. And when he does, he tells him to go to school so he's not a witness. And holding a box cutter, he goes and he [ __ ] one of the bullies up badly. And although that stops the bullying, that also leaves Nile [ __ ] his pants. So imagine his face when Lori and Mora ask him to try and convince Reuben to take an exam at school the next day so he can actually stay in school. It becomes very evident that everyone keeps scrambling to cover for Reuben and to give him the best possible chance to succeed in life.

[00:08:34]Despite his many stints in juvenile detention, and his many problems, his anger issues, his lack of respect for authority figures, he just Yeah. They keep ignoring the evil they have in the house and trying to dismiss it as he'll grow out of it. It's just how he is.

[00:08:51]It's how he's wired.

[00:08:53]Girls, I never speak ill of the lesbians. But these two don't start. But it also doesn't help that they infantilize Nile. They treat him like a baby. And that's maybe why he hasn't outgrown out of this sheepish personality that he's afraid to speak up. God damn it. And when Nile sees Reuben in his room relaxed and dancing and interrupts him, Reuben puts the fear of the devil in him if he ever tells a soul about what he saw. So Reuben is also not this image of masculinity that he presents to the world, right? It's all performative at the end of the day.

[00:09:28]It's all a performance. Ironically, the one time that Reuben isn't performing is when he's dancing, when he's carefree, when he knows no one is around to see him be his fruity little self. So, Reuben ends up attending the exam, albeit late. And when pressed for time, he freaks out, flips a table, and walks off. But Nile, in the middle of the confusion, ends up answering just enough right questions that Reuben passes his exam. And it actually brings him closer to Mora, who thanks him for keeping her son in school. And then something really [ __ ] up happens. A core memory that is also a destructive, traumatizing event.

[00:10:04]In the middle of the night, Reuben sneaks into the bedroom with a woman and they start making out and loudly talking about how they don't want to wake Nile up, almost like they want to wake him up. And Nile is up and he starts spying on them. And they catch him and they confront him. As in, she climbs on top of Nile and they start teasing him that this is his opportunity to lose his virginity to be with a woman. And Nile is clearly not into it, looking anxious and scared as [ __ ] And he tries to get up a couple times where Reuben holds him down. And Nile can't even express how much he doesn't want this because he's afraid Reuben will kill him. So, they keep teasing him and realize that he doesn't even have an erection.

[00:10:41]Eventually though, Reuben grabs his face and starts breathing into Nile's mouth rhythmically so they can synchronize their breathing and Nile can enjoy. And that closeness and intimacy is what allows Nyall to be raped because that's what this was. But for Nile, this was also a bonding moment with Reuben. How is he supposed to reconcile these two things in a in a healthy way without copious amounts of therapy when their first sexual interaction looks like this? It's horrific. And for Reuben, this is just what lats do. The homeerotic aspect of breathing into another man's mouth as he's ejaculating did not even cross his mind. In fact, Reuben says later that this was a thank you gift for Nile's help with the exam.

[00:11:24]A manly gift for a bro.

[00:11:27]So, like the worst part of it all is that in this rape, in this violation, the aggressor is like fully convinced that he didn't do anything wrong. In Reubin's mind, this was absolutely legitimate. It was It was so cool. It was like the best thing that he's ever done for someone. You couldn't tell him otherwise. He'd kill you if you did. And Nyall, confused as he is, dismisses all the negative feelings and emotions he's feeling when Reuben shows him kindness, shows him a brotherly bond that he's never had, like actually protects him, vows to be his ride or die because their moms, as it turns out, are sleeping together. So Reuben tells him, "We are now family. Family is ride or die, and that means that nothing comes between us. Nothing comes before us." And that's [ __ ] up. It's like this unspoken manly cavemanlike bond that the brotherhood has. You know, it's the same thing with sisterhoods. Difference is sisterhoods don't threaten people's safety. Yeah.

[00:12:18]We're back in present time, and after punching Nile a couple times, Reuben helps him settle by breathing in his face again very up and close and intimately. Then he tells him it'll be over soon before covering his mouth. Cut to black. And that was episode 1. So much to unpack in the relationship of these two step brothers. the performance of masculinity, but also the genuine anger issues and the different ways in which these two kids are treated and how much attention each of them really gets.

[00:12:48]But ultimately, it's the manosphere, the real life manosphere outside of the digital. This was the '8s. This was way back when before kids were hammering their faces to get bigger cheekbones, which again sounds pretty [ __ ] gay to me. Or before kids were injecting their faces to make their jaw lines bigger and manlier. Again, pretty [ __ ] gay to me. This is where it all started, you know, in the in the weeds of people's bigotry back when. Episode 2, back in present time, back at the wedding before Reuben arrives, we find out Lori is still alive and kicking, but Mora has passed away already. And then she casually tells Nile that Reuben is on his way. No one invited him. No one told him about the wedding, but he found out he's on his way. And the first couple times that Nile reacts to hearing that Reuben is coming, I thought that he was like exaggerating a little bit. In episode one, he he nearly had a panic attack. In episode two, he he runs off completely catatonic. But having seen the first three episodes, he's not exaggerating. I get it. I'd be freaking the [ __ ] out, too. I'd be [ __ ] my pants. back to the past and Nile is now going to college in Glasgow and his mom is excited for him to finally be away from Reuben so he can be his own person and have his own interests and his own friends. So they definitely bonded after that event in episode 1. He moves to Glasgow into a shared apartment with Joanna, a very bubbly all up in your business blonde girl, Celeste, a French exchange student, and Albi, a very friendly gay guy. And Nile has a tough time fitting in. He just lets everyone else control the conversation, push him around. He doesn't even correct people when they mistakenly call him Neil instead of Nile. But he goes out with the girls and Celeste is laying it on thick as [ __ ] She wants to find Scottish dick. Her words, not mine. And to make him even more uncomfortable, Ali clocks Nile's act from a mile away and says he can see the performance Nile is putting on and is curious to see what is actually underneath.

[00:14:36]I know all about the performance. Yeah.

[00:14:38]Can clock it a mile away as well.

[00:14:40]Everything you do becomes about the performance. How you walk, how you talk, how you sound, how you sit, how you lay down, what you listen to, what you watch, everything becomes a potential flashing billboard neon sign says, "I like dick." Nile then gets blackout drunk and pisses himself on the dance floor, so Albi has to carry him home. So Nyall, upon waking up with piss in his pants, freaks out, has a mini panic attack, and calls Reuben in a desperate bid for support and protection. He invites him over. Okay, a lot has changed, right? Episode one, he was terrified of even seeing him. And now he's like, "Come save me, daddy." And as soon as he gets there, he's imposing loud, direct, confrontational, and knowing about a cute French girl, he starts laying it on thick on Joanna instead, hoping that Nile and Celeste will get it on. And then a spin the bottle game leads Reuben and Celeste to make out for like a solid minute. And Joanna's like, "Thank you. Thank you.

[00:15:37]Thank you." It goes on for a while.

[00:15:39]Like, they fully make out. And then Ali walks into the room and Reuben does his whole like intimidating thing because he heard about Albi in his conversation with Nile and he basically forces him not only to give him a handshake but also to join the spin the bottle game.

[00:15:52]Nile then spins the bottle and it lands on Albi and Reuben like bullies them into kissing each other almost like it you have to do it. I don't care if it's a gay kiss. Like in the name of the game, in the name of shits and giggles, it don't matter what you do. But if you had any desire behind that kiss, then that's the sin. And this is what I find so so funny because in a lot of these straight circles, like what straight men do behind closed doors when no one's looking, they must be getting up to so much gay [ __ ] in the name of just bros being bros. Bros helping each other out, you know, lending a helping hand to a friend. And it's just a full-on [ __ ] and hand. Don't start with me. They later go out to a club and Reuben has to sneak in because he's not a student and he causes a scene and then Nile's entire reality becomes about trying to stop Reuben from getting into a fight because anything can set him on a nuclear rampage of violence. Whether it's a a shove, a small misunderstanding, Reuben is a ticking time bomb. And so now Nyall is anxious as [ __ ] So he was struggling without Reuben and he's struggling with Reuben. Nyall needs to become his own person. After making out with Celeste, hot and heavy, he actually lets her go into the club, tells her he's going to wait for her, and then leaves with Albi.

[00:17:05]So, yay for the gays talking on the way home, but like never leave your friend in the club after she's taken drugs.

[00:17:12]Hello. That that's that's like what the Don't piss me off. Don't do that [ __ ] That's not funny. on their way home and this is like the third conversation these two have had. The first two conversations lasted less than a minute and Nile tells Albi of how he lost his virginity and how his brother was there.

[00:17:28]And Albi's like, "Yeah, that makes sense now why you feel like he's a part of you." And I'm like, "This is not enough of a of a reaction when it's oh my god."

[00:17:38]In a way, opening up about this event almost humanizes Nile in the eyes of Albi. and they end up the evening watching movies at home and talking and it was such a a sad but also tender moment. They both pretty much know the other one is gay and they want to like get it on, but Nile also says that he's never done this and that he wants to go at his own pace. Albi is all good with it and he says, "Of course, no problem.

[00:18:00]What would you like to do? We can just talk. We can just watch a movie." And Nile says, "How about a hug?

[00:18:07]>> We can hug, baby." And it was like heartbreaking but also very sweet but also very heartbreaking that the first time that he's able to be with another man the way he wants like freely. And all he wants is just the most basic form of affection but also one of the most powerful ones.

[00:18:26]A simple hug that is so sad but also so sweet. Nonetheless, as soon as Nile hears Reuben getting home, he rushes out of the room in a panic. Baby steps. The day after though, Reuben wreaks havoc like he does. The night before he spat on Joanna's face after calling her an ugly [ __ ] Then went home, slept with Celeste, and then in the morning did a bunch of drugs, destroyed the house.

[00:18:48]Celeste is on the chair half dead from whatever high she is on. And Reuben is almost in a manic state. And then Joanna just storms in and says, "Get the [ __ ] out or I call the police." So Reuben, hearing the police, leaves. That opens the door for Nile and Ali to talk further at night. And Nile actually breaks down in tears. Nile's been nothing but trauma dumping on this guy, but they get it on again until Reuben enters the house and Nile stops petrified again. Alb's had enough and explains how he was forced out of the closet by a guy who hooked up with him and then accused him of hitting on him.

[00:19:19]Yes, the good old strategy of he was hitting on me. I'm straight, man. No homo. Alb's lesson from that story is that he is thankful that someone forced him out of the closet because it was the only way he was ever going to come out.

[00:19:31]And the way he's saying this to Nile sounds a lot like he wants to push Nile out of the closet. And we don't do that.

[00:19:38]No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We don't out people. No, ma'am. Unless they're Lindsey Graham. Don't do it. So Nile decides to tell Reuben, but he gives up on that idea like pretty instantly because Reuben is going through his own [ __ ] And he's very abrasive. He even tries to get Reuben to go back home to leave. And that's when Reuben really gets aggressive and violent and um threatens Nile and says that what is yours is mine. We share. You don't get to go to [ __ ] fancy college and leave me. You go, I go. We share everything.

[00:20:06]And Nile pushover that he is, of course, stay however long you want. But he gets home and he lies to Albi and says, "Yes, I told him." And he was actually really cool. So like Nile is incapable of confronting either of these men for very different reasons. For Albi cuz he doesn't want to lose him and for Reuben cuz he doesn't want to die. Okay, good, good, good, good. Problem is, Reuben then gets home and Albi of course wants to praise him, give him his flowers for being so accepting. It is really no easy feat being this accepting when you were such a meatthead before. But he quickly realizes that Nile didn't tell him anything. Ruin still doesn't know. And for some goddamn reason, this just pushes Albi over the edge and he decides to be the one to out Nile. So, he's about to out him like forcefully. You're not doing it. I'm I'm going to do it.

[00:20:52]Nile tries stopping him and Ali pushes him off, accidentally knocking Nile down. And instantly, a fit of rage takes over Reuben, who charges at Albi and beats him to a pulp. Nile tries stopping him a couple times, but Reuben just shoves him out of the way and he continues beating Albi up, like pretty severely. Albi is then taken to the hospital and Reuben is taken to jail.

[00:21:13]And then we're back to the wedding. Nile is walking down the aisle and he is marrying none other than Albi whose face is still disfigured from the attack and Reuben is there. And a lot to unpack in that event. Like that was that was really intense because a Albi had no business outing anyone. Like shut the [ __ ] up. Mind your business. Seriously, like just stop talking to Nile. It's that easy. You don't have to insert yourself. You don't have to save everyone. Also, Reuben prison. That's it. that prison. And Nile, grow the [ __ ] up. Get out of the closet, man. Jesus Christ. Get a new haircut, too. Episode 3 starts and Nile and Albi are discussing the fact that Reuben is there. He's an unpredictable loose cannon, but they don't want to call the police on their own wedding. So, as they're walking out of the church in what is meant to be one of the happiest moments in their lives, they're actually terrified for their lives cuz Reuben is there. Look at him. He looks [ __ ] intimidating. That's trigger material right there. If you know that reference, you dirty person. Back to the past and Nile is now graduating from uni. So, it's been a few years. And somehow his mother, who is in a lesbian relationship, still hasn't realized that her son is gay cuz she still thinks that Joanna is his girlfriend. Speaking of Joanna, she remained close friends with Nile. Celeste went back to France and Albi was in a coma for 6 months. He woke up and then a few years after he decided to press charges. The reason why he waited so long is a mystery. They don't know, but it is strange and it is causing Reuben to change his tactic. And that's what Lori is there to tell him to go speak to Reuben because he's going to change his tactic and it involves Nile.

[00:22:50]And Nile is freaking out cuz he might be outed once the court proceedings start.

[00:22:54]So he goes to Reuben. And Reuben's new tactic is for Nile to say that Albi groped Reuben. That way Reuben can convincingly argue that he was merely defending himself from a sexual predator, a sexual deviant. And Nile is the only one that can do that because he's the only one that was there in the room. He goes to his mom who tells him, "I think you should do it. I think you should lie on that stand and put your entire future at risk." And Nile is not with it. Nile is not with it for many different reasons. First, it didn't happen. So, if he gets up there and says it did happen, it's a lie and he could actually go to jail. But also, he has to rely on the narrative that he was a sexual predator and that's why he got beaten nearly to death when that was not the case at all. And that only pushes forward this false notion that gays are sexual predators by nature. It's like a lot of levels of [ __ ] up what he needs to do to help his brother, but he's also got no choice. Somehow he's given some time to consider it and he's feeling pulled in every different direction. So when Joanna compliments him a few times, he sleeps with her. I don't know if it's because she's the only person that's kind to him or if maybe he is fearing a future where he doesn't get to go to Oxford and live his life elsewhere and he ends up stuck in the small town so he might as well just get a a wife now. Or maybe it's his last ditch attempt at trying to have a normal heterosexual life close to home so he doesn't have to go out and escape this. I guess the episode is all about him wanting to go to Oxford. He has an interview to go study creative writing, but he feels like he messes it up because he has so much on his mind. He speaks to his mom again, who eventually finally reveals that they're insisting with him so much because Mora is dying and she doesn't want her son to spend the last years of her life in prison. And I got to say, as far as compelling arguments go for helping someone, that is a really [ __ ] compelling argument. When your own mother is telling you this, it's like, [ __ ] It's, you know, but it's like Nile has no one in his life that is like the voice of reason, the voice of don't [ __ ] up your life for this toxic energy in your in your life. Like even his own mom, you know what I mean?

[00:25:01]That's messed up. They have this mentality of constantly covering for Reuben, forgiving his sins, saying that boys will be boys. They have like a hard time really confronting the crimes that Reuben has committed. They're quite frustrating, actually. Like over dinner, Joanna makes the remark that sometimes you have to separate the child from the parent. A comment that rubs Mora the wrong way. Even after several stints in prison and after sending several people to the hospital after violent attacks, Mora is still trying to excuse her son, saying that he has an illness, this anger that takes over him and he's not able to control himself. And Joanna just tells her to her face, "He seemed pretty calm to me when he spat on my face after calling me an ugly whore." Oh, Joanna, that was very classy, Joanna. Yes, that's that's how you do it. But Joanna also finds out that Nile is planning on lying on stand and saying that Albi groped Reuben. And she pleads with him not to do it to no avail. And then Reuben shows up. He drives off with Nile. And when Nile hesitates about what he's going to say in court, Reuben stops the car after almost crashing it, gets out, and physically threatens Nile again. Nile is finding it difficult to believe the logic of the argument that if he only groped you, you would beat him up enough that he would be in a coma for 6 months. And then he even says, "I've seen a guy stab you and by that evening you were eating Cheerios." And that's when Reuben really loses it. And he says, "When someone stabs you, they attack your body. When someone gropes you, they attack your soul, who you are as a man." And he has this very visceral reaction >> BECAUSE IT'S [ __ ] DIFFERENT THAT YOU CAN REALLY see how fragile his masculinity really is. How afraid, terrified, horrified, how angry he gets at the at the idea at the mere thought, the possibility of someone perceiving him as anything other than the manliest masculine man that has ever walked the earth. A man who would allow himself to be groped by another man and not beat the [ __ ] out of him. Uh-uh. This is a man we're talking about. This is about protecting the sanctity of his manhood.

[00:27:05]And I just know that Reuben goes around groping women like all day every day.

[00:27:11]And I find it so funny that men are just so insecure that they can't they can't handle like a a tenth of the attention that they force on women. Mind you, he wasn't even groped, but just the idea, the hypothetical fake idea of someone even groping him just sends him into the spiral of hatred. And this is how damaging toxic masculinity is. And this is how damaging patriarchy is on men as well as women. Y'all think that being manly and boys will be boys and never crying, never talking about your feelings and just taking it all in the chin and moving on like a man, getting home, drinking beer, watching sports, and that's it. Simple laugh and not processing your emotions. You think that makes you better and stronger? No. that makes you a ticking time bomb for violence and like make love, not war.

[00:28:00]You know what I mean? Like go to therapy, please. And it's a similar reaction that he had when Nile caught him dancing. It all comes down to how he's perceived by other people, how well he's performing this masculinity of his, cuz that is all a performance. And after a lot of emotional blackmail, Nile agrees to lie on stand. He gets home and Joanna is there after having been to see Albi who told her the full truth. And she is very good in this scene. Joanna, the character, it's very good because she is very sympathetic towards Nile.

[00:28:34]She understands the pain he's always been in now that she knows and she sympathizes with him and tells him that nothing about him is wrong the way he is. But then she's also very stern in her condemnation of what Nile is planning to do, spewing all of this hatred when he shouldn't, when he doesn't have to. Joanna started off as like a a a nosy girl all up in your business, but honestly, so far, she might be like the best person that Nile has met, and that's when he finds out that he actually got into Oxford to study creative writing, which was his absolute dream. So, the court date arrives and Nile testifies over the statement change that he's made. He is now added that he saw Albi grope Reuben.

[00:29:15]He's grilled over the inconsistencies of his story until he has to state whether or not he thinks Albi is a sexual deviant. And somehow out of nowhere, Nile has had enough and he grows a backbone and says loud and proud, "No, Ali didn't grope Reuben. He didn't even touch him." And without missing a beat, in a fit of rage, Reuben jumps out of a seat screaming, threatening to kill him.

[00:29:40]And then we cut to present time. Reuben sits next to Nile and then prepares to give his wedding speech where he is going to tell the guests all about Nile.

[00:29:49]And that's the end of episode 3. That's the end of the first half of the season.

[00:29:54]Wow. You know, Baby Reindeer was really good, so I had high hopes for this. And I am not disappointed. It's very interesting seeing Richard Gad on the other side of this dynamic of violence and danger. Like in Baby Reindeer, he was being stalked. He was the one scared. And now he is the threatening presence in the room. And my god, does he play the role? Well, I don't know if he bulked for it, if he was already there. I don't remember him looking like this. Godamn. Like, if you needed a reason to watch the show, hello. It would till the till the walls are sweating. I did say put a pin on that earlier and we were going to come back to it at the end of the video. Here we are. And that was in the first episode, their very first interaction. Reuben is very sexually suggestive, groping him, etc. And that made me think that the relationship between them had been more than just stepbros that they may have actually had an intimate romantic relationship of sorts or even just purely sexual. And I think that misdirection was put there specifically to put us in the confused mind of a confused Nile in the past. And now looking back after knowing that Reuben had no idea that Nile was gay and Reuben now probably just found out about it after he went to prison. So they've likely not had an interaction after Reuben found out that he's gay. So now I'm seeing this as just homophobic teasing. It could be both. I don't know why I'm over analyzing that. But it was interesting the misdirection making us think that these two might have actually slept together because from that first interaction. If anything, I imagine the relationship may have been not a relationship, but like an abusive dynamic where Reuben would routinely Nile. I really thought that's what we were going to see. So, I'm glad we it's not that. I'm glad that it's not that like cuz that would have just been too much. This, I think, is very interesting because the the writing is really good and they're really able to explore so many different facets of the dynamic between these two brothers. not only between them but how they exist in society, how they perform in front of different people, and how much the perception of who they are affects who they are, if that makes sense. It's very incredibly layered, and the way the things are revealed, how much it shows, it works well to put you in the mindset of the main character, that fear that consumes him. I felt it watching it. I felt claustrophobic whenever Nile felt claustrophobic. I felt like I was having a panic attack anytime that Nile started hyperventilating. And then there's a grittiness to the TV show which feels very like of the time, especially like the setting of the past. Scotland back in the8s, gray skies, just like a gloomy aura all around because Nile's life is just a show of misery. Damn. And this is where you start to see the effects of the manosphere, right? This is where you start seeing kids turning one way or the other. This is where you see all of these formative events that affect young men for decades and decades after. It's these formative years that you actually have to pay attention. This is when you teach them good values and this is when you teach them emotional maturity. This is when you help them process their feelings and emotions so they can grow up functional adults. You start by dismantling the toxic aspects of the patriarchy. And the ironic thing is, if we really wanted to get down to it, if we really wanted to be honest with ourselves and figure out why [ __ ] ain't working, it's because we would be working better under a matriarchal system. Biologically speaking, women are better at designing systems. Women are better at making decisions for the community, for the whole. Women are better at governing. Men are better at lifting heavy [ __ ] If we really want to get down to it, the patriarchy is the problem. Don't know what to tell you.

[00:33:38]Who am I going to convince? Right. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to be covering the rest of the season by episodes.

[00:33:43]There's three left or if I'm just going to wait until the end of the season to do a final season wrap up wrap up. I will say that breaking down one episode per video would allow a lot more dissection of the details. But I don't know. You you guys you guys let me know in the comments down below what you'd prefer. But that's it for today, guys.

[00:34:03]Thank you so much for tuning in. If you like this video, make sure to leave it a like down below. Subscribe to my channel if you haven't already and click the bell notification so you never miss a future upload from me. And once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for 100,000. And here's to the next 100. And soon enough, we'll be at a million. Oo, then it's over for y'all.

[00:34:21]That then I'll be then I'll be on then I'll finally get an editor. But until next time, stay safe, stay sane, stay stupid, and stay stuttering. Bye, guys.