HBO’s ‘Half Man’ has ‘Baby Reindeer’ creator’s signature pain but with less punch
With Richard Gadd, what you see is what you get. The creator of Netflix's 2024 word-of-mouth sensation "Baby Reindeer" had us all buzzing about his deeply dark and disturbing drama based (at least in part) on his own experience with sexual violence and stalking. The conversations of "did you see that?" between friends and family propelled the mildly famous Scottish comic to international fame, nabbed him and his costars a haul of Emmy and other awards and propelled his career forward by light years. So it's all eyes on the creator as he releases "Half Man" on HBO, his first post-"Reindeer" series and an announcement to the world of who he is as an artist beyond one popular (and deeply controversial) hit. Any viewers of "Reindeer" will instantly recognize Gadd's touch (if not his appearance) in "Half Man" (Thursdays, 9:00 ET/PT, ★½ out of four), a dark and twisted story of two de facto stepbrothers over 30 years of a traumatic and precarious relationship. It is distressing, nightmarish and disturbing; all the emotions elicited by "Reindeer" in a new package on a new network.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. "Half Man" is not "Reindeer." Its themes are the same, its star is the same (although Gadd's physical transformation for this role is astonishing), but it is missing a vitality the first series had. Maybe it's authenticity (although there is much controversy over the verisimilitude of "Reindeer"). Maybe it's the novelty of "Reindeer," or the quick pacing. Or maybe it's the unnerving performance of his costar Jessica Gunning. But "Half Man" does not have the same effect as "Reindeer," and whatever is lacking here − or perhaps whatever is actually too much − is to the series' detriment. "Half Man" is a slog to get through, offering no moments of relief from the dark, no recovery for a viewer weighed down by the enormity of it all. It doesn't even take all six episodes for the story to become one-note, dull and tedious, even as it piles on innovative moments of torment for its characters. "Half Man" focuses on an inextricably bonded pair of men, Ruben and Niall, played by Gadd and Jamie Bell (who seems to have shrunk to skin and bones even as Gadd has bulked out substantially). Stepbrothers of a sort, their mothers were semi-closeted lovers much derided by their community in 1980s Scotland. The series starts back in that decade with younger actors as Ruben (Stuart Campbell) and Niall (Mitchell Robertson), forced into cohabitation and uneasy partnership as Ruben returns from a stint in juvenile detention to live with Niall and his mother. Bullied and downtrodden at school, Niall at first fears his "brother from another lover," then begins to cherish the other boy's explosive rage and sexual prowess as Niall begins to reap the benefits by association. The series follows both lives as they grow from teens to men in a world steeped in sexual confusion, abuse, trauma and always returning to their reluctantly magnetic relationship. The two men's lives are intertwined in ways big and small over the course of the six-episode series, culminating in an outbreak of violence at Niall's wedding that symbolizes the core of their disturbing relationship. The series is relentless in its macabre perversity as it documents their lives. If you thought "Reindeer" never let go of its nihilism and despair, Gadd decided to one-up himself for "Half Man." There's an argument for Gadd to continue the tone, themes and shocks that made him so famous. When HBO came knocking on his door after the surprise success of "Reindeer," it's likely they asked for more of what already won acclaim, viewership and Emmys. Gadd's signature, if you will, is this probe into toxic masculinity meeting mental illness meeting sexuality meeting cruelty and sadism. It is a disquieting pool to paddle around in, and Gadd has waded too deep this time. It's not very far into "Half Man" (perhaps no further than a disturbing sexual assault in the first episode) that you might start to wonder what the line is between examination and exploitation. Is Gadd a profound auteur boldly tackling these upsetting themes, or is he simply going for the same shock, horror and gruesome titillation that plagued much-criticized sexual violence-heavy shows like "Game of Thrones"? Why does Gadd's storytelling about the vulnerabilities, perversions and hurts of men have to include nudity from nameless female characters? Why does he need to show the queasy abuses and traumas so vividly in order to uncover their effects on the psyche? Is this a new version of hit British toxic masculinity drama "Adolescence" or a total train wreck? There's no denying Gadd's skill here as an actor, disappearing into the volatile Ruben with almost alarming skill. His three costars are likewise enrapturing, the young actors Campbell and Robertson are particularly stunning in complex and difficult roles. No matter your feelings on the subject matter, the company presenting it is committed to putting on a good show. It might come down to personal taste and mileage. You might be able to stomach the series to get to some of the deeper moments, or you may be turned off at the first scene. You may fall somewhere between seeing Gadd as brilliant and seeing him as a something of a choreographer of misery. For anyone who sees "Half Man" they will certainly have one repeat of their experience of watching "Reindeer." The show will get them talking. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: HBO’s ‘Half Man’ has ‘Baby Reindeer’ creator’s signature pain but with less punch
