Half Man episode 4’s shock twist ending cements this show as one of the year’s best

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Half Man episode 4 spoilers follow – major ones.

Throughout the series Half Man, there’s a pervasive sense of violence. Whenever Ruben, played by the show’s creator Richard Gadd, is on screen, the atmosphere becomes incredibly tense and unsettling, creating a constant feeling of dread.

As a fan, I’m honestly on the edge of my seat watching this character. You can just feel that something bad is about to happen – someone’s going to get hurt, and it’s going to be soon. He has this intense look in his eyes, and he’s so physically powerful, like he could explode with anger at any second. Seriously, if you want to see what I mean, just watch the end of episode two – it’s a clear warning!

We were really shocked by what happened to Ruben in the most recent episode! Just one more spoiler warning – we’re about to discuss a major plot point from the end of Half Man, episode four…

Considering how close Ruben and Niall (Jamie Bell) were, some kind of violent confrontation felt unavoidable. It always seemed likely that one of them might not survive, but it was surprising to see Ruben in danger, especially so early in the six-episode season.

The latest episode opens with a chaotic scene at Niall’s wedding – guests are frantically trying to get into the barn, where Niall and Ruben are having a private conversation. The police arrive, but the reason for their presence isn’t revealed until the very end of the episode.

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We see a heartwarming reunion between Ruben and Niall in a flashback, then the scene jumps back to the wedding. Paramedics are carrying someone out of the barn on a stretcher, and it’s easy to think it might be Niall, considering Ruben’s powerful build and tendency to be violent. However, the person under the sheet is actually Ruben.

So did Ruben die? Did Niall kill him? Did someone else get involved?

It’s still uncertain how this will play out, but killing off a main character with two episodes left in the season is a really bold move.

You’d expect the scene to end with a dramatic cliffhanger after seeing the covered figure – hinting at a big reveal later. But the show doesn’t hold back; it delivers everything right away, true to its name, Half Man.

It’s particularly surprising considering how central Ruben is to the narrative. He’s one of the two main characters in Half Man, a show focused entirely on his relationship with Niall and the harmful dynamics between them.

We definitely haven’t seen the last of Ruben. Even with that surprising revelation, the show has already made it clear this isn’t a straightforward story – it jumps around to different times in Ruben and Niall’s lives. Expect Ruben to reappear in the final two episodes, likely leading to a full explanation of what happened at Niall’s wedding.

This does show us that Niall isn’t the only one who’s suffered. While Ruben has done terrible things, he’s also a victim – not just now, but throughout his life, because of the circumstances that contributed to who he became.

Highlighting this issue at the end of episode four was a smart move, especially because that’s when viewers realize Niall isn’t as innocent as they initially thought.

He exploits Joanna’s kindness and is unkind to his mother, a pattern he acknowledges himself. In fact, the first line of his new book reveals a painful truth: “When I was younger, I destroyed my brother’s life.”

Whether you actually agree with that statement or not, Niall is hardly a good guy at this point.

It’s important not to minimize the harmful things that happened to him, like when Ruben pressured him into losing his virginity. However, Niall wasn’t perfect either; he had his own flaws and made mistakes.

The possibility of violence remains a powerful and persistent threat, not just in what has happened or what is happening now, but also in what is to come. It feels unavoidable, highlighting how deeply ingrained aggressive behavior is in a society struggling with harmful ideas about masculinity.

Each episode of Half Man keeps getting better and more surprising, solidifying its place as one of the year’s most compelling TV stories.

You can watch Half Man on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK. Check here to find out when new episodes are released.

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2026-05-15 18:51