‘Half Man’ Stars Dissect That Chaotic Testimony Scene & More (VIDEO)

We’ve been waiting with dread to find out where it all went so very wrong between the “brothers from another lover” in Half Man, and this week’s episode finally reveals at least one reason for the bitter breakup of the two magnetically-connected characters. Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Half Men Episode 3.

The episode begins with adult Niall (Jamie Bell) and his new groom, Alby (Charlie de Melo), in a state of abject terror over the presence of Ruben (Richard Gadd) at their wedding reception. Niall offers for the newlyweds to just make a run for it from the man, who we learned from last week’s episode was the cause of the scarring on Alby’s face, since Ruben beat him nearly to death during their college years. However, Alby wants to face the music … or the muscles, as it were. As they walk down out to their party and are doused with confetti by their loving supporters, they both turn into statues at the sight of Ruben pulling away from the crowd at the end, giving them eye daggers, until he innocently lifts an instant camera to take a snap of them.

From there, we journey back in time, again, to the ’90s, months after the attack landed Ruben in jail. Young Alby (Bilal Hasna) has spent six months in a coma as a result of his injuries, and now Ruben (Stuart Campbell) is facing up to 10 years in prison for his assault and battery of the boy. Niall’s (Mitchell Robertson) mother reveals to him that Ruben’s mom has cancer, and she wants him to help Ruben with his case. How? Well, he’ll have to visit Ruben to find out. He’s a changed man, she insists.

Indeed, when Niall arrives at the community center Ruben’s been volunteering at as part of his penance, what he finds is a gaggle of lost little boys who are being endlessly charmed by Ruben. He’s playing games with him, teaching them good manners, and going out of his way to show them a good time.

Is this good-natured behavior all a show or a true turnabout for Ruben?

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Stuart Campbell told TV Insider, “I think it was sincere. I think he genuinely has a relationship with the kids in that halfway house that he can’t get with adults, or he’s not able to sort of deal with adults, but with really young children, or probably with animals or something, he has a sort of energy that it just becomes a little bit more natural or easy. I really don’t think that was artificial at all.”

Still, when Ruben reveals what he wants from Niall, it’s not an easy decision for him to make, and he seemingly only agrees to it because of his delicate treatment of the boys.

Reluctantly, Niall agrees to go along with Ruben’s plan to claim that Alby groped him before the attack, and that’s why it happened. His reasoning deeply, quietly offends Niall, of course; he surmises the court will sympathize less with a gay man who puts the move on a straight guy and go easier on him. After Niall talks to Joanna (Julie Cullen), whom he has slept with but seems to understand his true proclivities and desire to start fresh at Oxford, he wavers. Ruben notices and demands that Niall practice his statement multiple times, playing to his sympathies about Ruben’s mom (whom he somehow senses is sick) and his fear until Niall says it so convincingly that Ruben is satisfied.

Upon entering the courtroom, though, all bets are off when he sees poor Alby’s face, contrasting with Ruben’s blank expression. Even though Niall does as planned and even defends his claim from the barrister’s credibility attacks, he eventually caves and tells the truth. At that, Ruben lashes out at him, promising to make him “ugly” for his betrayal.

“I feel like Niall’s scared of the truth,” Mitchell Robertson explains of the confession. “He has fear of the truth, and he’s run away from it, and in some ways, he probably, as much as Ruben is destructive to his life, he probably also doesn’t want to lose him. There’s so much confliction for Niall in that scene. And you can really see it, you really feel it in that scene as well, just how lost he is with what decision to make. Even when you see, when he makes a decision [it] almost bursts out of him.”

For Campbell, Ruben’s outrage in the moment is also based solely on truth. “The reaction was genuine, deep heart, because … I genuinely can’t believe that you’ve done this.” The actor continued, “It’s not like there’s loads of like manipulation or thoughts going on, [he’s a] very immediate kind of character, very present kind of character, touching things and being right in the immediacy, in the present…. As much as the possessiveness, toxic element is in there, I really do care and love him and feel the need to protect him, so the fact that you’ve done that is genuine pain and heartbreak.”

HBO

That complex confluence of love and pain is also evident in adult Ruben’s eyes when the action returns to the present day, as Ruben takes a seat next to Niall and Alby, and asks, “Shall we begin?” He then taps a glass, and begins a toast with what seems to be a warning, “Hello. For those who don’t know me, I’m Ruben Pallister. And I’m going to tell you about Niall Kennedy.” With that, we’re halfway through Half Man, and there are still many questions to be answered. For now, check out the above video for more comments from the cast about what we’ve seen so far.

Half Man, Thursdays, 9/8c, HBO & HBO Max