There are going to be plenty of casual viewers who are put off or simply don’t understand the ideas. the theme, of toxic masculinity that permeates the entirety of this series. People will watch it and say “ohh a gay brother!” Completely miss the point. He was able to “get there” from Ruben’s touch, his eyes, his utter lack of judgment.. Not in a “gay” way, but in an “I trust you and feel comfortable enough with you around” way. A la, the evolved, vulnerable, modern man.
Those literal micro reactions, eyes darting to Ruben’s for approval, whether at the wedding or spin the bottle, tell everything. He loves Ruben not in a sexual way, but as a true brother. Although neither can admit to/recognize it as of yet
Whatever be the true examination of what it is to be a toxic man, unable to verbalize his thoughts and emotions, expressing love through violence, the codependency, the fear of verbalizing/voicing said thoughts and emotions, destroying his reality and yet still being inextricably drawn to each other, I just love it!
People so often miss the nuance within shows and I really don’t care because shows like this do not come around very often. Entirely un-formulaic, unbelievably amazing writing, extraordinary acting, casting, cinematography. We are two episodes in and I am already firmly in the camp of this is the reason I continue to watch film/TV