Alby vs Toxic Fandom/Half Man Episode 3 SPOILERS
Let's be honest, Alby does not deserve the hate that he received. And I notice a pattern when it comes to many TV shows when there are POC as the main love interest by I digress. Richard Gadd is AMAZING at writing diverse characters who are used as pawns in white men's trauma healing.
Alby should NOT have tried to out Niall. I wholeheartedly agree, HOWEVER Ruben is a hot headed psychopath, who is coddled by his equally manipulative mother and her partner. Niall mother put her son in a situation filled with manipulation and shame to the point he couldn't even come out to LESBIANS.
Ruben, his mother and Nialls mother represents the Dark Triad very well, which falls on the head of Niall who simply wants to be free of that, and Alby and Joanna see that.
Ruben getting him to lie in 1980s homophobia, would've put Alby on a damning situation, and Niall probably would've screwed up his chances to Oxford in the end.
Niall is unfortunately weak, due to his mother's permissiveness of her partners son and his behavior.
People like Ruben and his mother are more common than we think, but because he is a semi-hot white male and toxic Fandom wants Niall and his psychopathic stepbrother to be together, Alby and Joanna will be seen as the enemy.
We shall see next week, but this was a great episode!