Half Man Final Analysis When Toxic Masculinity Looks Like In Two Different People

 

Spoilers for Half Man below

Watching Half Man, without question one of the best shows of 2026, two different thoughts occur to me. On a creative level Richard Gadd has with this follow-up series to Baby Reindeer established himself as one of the unquestioned breakout talents of this decade as a creative force and a rival to such other current masters as Vince Gilligan and Noah Hawley for sheer genius in writing. And on a thematic level it proves to me at least why Adolescence struck me as a derivative story that had nothing really interesting to say about the subject of toxic masculinity while Half Man actually does have something to say and unlike the latter series, doesn't shy away from every aspect of it: the filthy sexual talk, how much it filters down at every conceivable level and most horrifyingly the reality of the violence, something Adolescence never even hinted at.

Richard Gadd's work as Rueben is extraordinary. Buffed up, with every sentence out of his mouth the kind of braggadocio and sexist talk, groping men's genitals through their clothes, with violence in every moment about him, talking what makes a man a man you could see Rueben as a living, breathing incarnation of any of those from who we consider part of 'the manosphere'. And all the more astonishing because the show begins in the late 1980s and ends in 2014 when the truly toxic portions of that subculture were barely known beyond the cultures of the dark web.  Gadd's Rueben is a living, breathing argument that the problems with masculinity starting long before the internet even existed and have always been there beneath the surface.  If he's not able to give a real explanation at any level as to how Rueben got that way, that's not a flaw considering how much of our culture is just as uninterested in dismissing their problems even in a far less politically correct era and an area of the U.K. that would have been more disinclined to ignore.

What's all the more remarkable is how Gadd makes it clear that at every level Niall is the other side of Rueben, a young man who is perpetually bullied as a teenager and is so filled with self-loathing about his homosexuality that as the world becomes more accepting of it, he feels more determined to hide it – and not from those around him, who make it clear that they all know but from himself. After his college relationship with Alby ends in Rueben's horrific beating of the young man, an event that eventually leads Reuben to prison, Niall seems more determined to hide his true self, having sex with men in the library where he works trying to self-publish novels, then ended up marrying and even impregnating Joanna and using money to engage in conversion therapy. Considering all the horror stories we've heard about in America over the 21^st century, there's something rather shocking about a man at that same time voluntarily deciding to engage in it rather than face who he is.

Niall and Reuben both have a deep-seated self-loathing: Reuben takes out his rage on those around him but Niall punishes himself. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about Half Man is how openly Niall's mother  seems to prefer Rueben to her own son, despite the fact of his clear sexual preferences which mirror her own. She's never physically abusive to him in the series but at every level we can see a kind of emotional abuse that began in his childhood and has always been there.  Gadd never has her state it directly but its possible she sees Niall as a living, breathing embodiment of her experiments to be part of 'normal society' and she has been taking it out on him ever since. She always seems more interested in her relationship with Rueben's mother then anything Niall does and the fact that she essentially wants to bully him into perjuring himself as his trial is telling. The fact that Mona has cancer is something of a beard: she cares more about her lover then her son's well-being.

Even as Niall mentally degenerates to the point of having to be institutionalized she seems to think less of his emotional well-being. She doesn't bother to tell him Rueben's been released from prison and she hides from him that she's been borrowing money from him all this time to pay for her sons wellbeing at any level. She clearly thinks her son doesn't deserve any respect and has no problem arguing he's got no gifts.

Our sympathies should be with Niall but the moment Jamie Bell starts playing him as an adult we see him as a needy little man who can't get over the fact Rueben is doing so well after getting out of prison. He's worn himself into an emotional panic and insanity sure that Rueben would go after him even when he was behind bars and when Rueben basically chooses to ignore him and even help him financially, this actually enrages him even more then if he'd chosen to take revenge. He eventually stalks him on social media, finally going to his home and is outraged to see Rueben is doing well financially and has married his childhood sweetheart (who as we saw took Niall's virginity) The best thing for Niall to do would be just to walk away but the two are drawn together like magnets.

By the penultimate episode Niall seems determined to destroy Reuben and take away everything he does. When Rueben asks for the money back he lent him years ago Niall takes it as a sign of him bullying him again, while ignoring the fact he used the money he was supposed to return for the ill-fated conversion therapy.  Reuben is angry because Mona wants to take dance classes mainly because he thinks she's cheating on him. Niall starts hanging out with her and basically says she should, pushing her. Niall then gets Mona drunk, learns that Rueben has fertility problems (which for a man who cares so much about being a provider is a blow to his masculinity). After that he deliberately tells Reuben that's he going to be a father which is clearly to goad him. Eventually Rueben explodes at her and it's only through intervention that Niall stops him from going to back to prison – after which he and Mona have sex on the kitchen floor. When Niall learns Mona has been cheating on Rueben with someone from dance class, it's not clear what bothers him more than Rueben was right or that she doesn't seem bothered about having sex with her brother-in-law. Niall then seems determined to tell Rueben what happened just so he can piss him off – and then he learns not only has Reuben lost his job as an oil-rigger because of his violence but he needed the money back because he has told Mona he's lost everything.  Niall's reaction is to have sex with a male prostitute – and then when Reuben comes back and demands to know the meaning of a voicemail, he takes the blame away from himself. This leads to Reuben going to the home of the man Mona was having an affair with – and basically beating him nearly to death just as Niall arrives.

The series finale plays all of these things out in a horrible fashion. Niall has finally achieved literary success by making a fictionalized version of Reuben's behavior and yet it's only Reuben that anyone's interested in. Reuben is back in prison now for the second assault and by this point Mona's had a child – but she has no idea who the father is.  She's ended up backing in Rueben's orbit which paralyzes hum further.

Rueben is now addicted to cocaine and is regularly going to bathhouses where it’s the only place he can confront his sexuality. After one of them he ends up at Mona's deathbed where's she finally passing and he ends up vomiting on her. Reuben is allowed out on compassionate release but not before he makes it clear he hates that he's been robbed of everything.

During this period Niall reencounters Alfie who's recovered and has even become a nurse. Niall is still in such denial he can't even acknowledge his sexuality on a hospital form. Even after admitting he immediately goes to another bathhouse and this time everything goes wrong. He crashes into a police car where someone who recognizes him takes photos and sends to his agent. This all happens on the day of Mona's funeral which he shows up late to and can't get through without cocaine.  Rueben ends up giving a eulogy in which he acknowledges his horrible failures, including that his mother was never proud of him and that he knew he'd failed her. He wanted to apologize.

Even at her funeral all Niall cares about is keeping his secrets which are really about him. When he finally goes to see Alfie after everything that happens he admits why he's terrified to come out – he's afraid of what Rueben will think.

Its in the penultimate scene of the series where the biggest conversation comes out and its behind prison walls. Niall finally confides his greatest secret – and Reuben tells him he's always known, ever since they were kids. When Niall tries to argue how much Reuben's talk affected him Reuben says "I'll accept ten to fifteen percent of the blame. No more. The real homophobe, it was you."

And its there Reuben gives his biggest secret about his father, how the beatings were the best of it and in fact he was sexually abused. Because there was some part of it that almost seemed to enjoy he has spent his entire life unable to accept who he is and has been acting out ever since. This is a variation on the story Gadd told us that affect Danny in Baby Reindeer but in his case we see a man who has spent his entire life acting out. The title 'half man' comes from what he's felt himself as..

It's at this moment of pure honesty that Niall and Reuben are by the far most open: they reveal that they hated each other's mothers, all the things they've done – and Niall lets slip he had sex with Mona. This explains why Niall knows why Rueben has come – at the start of the episode he promised he was going to kill the man who was responsible for keeping him away from his mother all these years and he came back to just that.

And in the final moments we see him do that. Reuben rapes Niall and suffocates him, and despite his biggest struggles Niall ends up dead. We also know Reuben will die of his wounds

Gadd admitted this ending would be polarizing to viewers but from the moment this story began the viewer knew it couldn't end with both of them alive.  Throughout the ceremony Reuben said of Niall Kennedy "He knows what he wants and he takes it." As we've seen throughout the series that's exactly what Niall has done. He's seen Reuben as the cause of all of his suffering when it was at most 10 to 15 percent and he has spent the second half of the series taking as much of what Reuben had as he could. Some of it Reuben did by himself but as we saw throughout the series Niall has done everything he can to push Reuben there, directly or indirectly.  The only thing Niall could take from Reuben was his life and he manages to do just that - even though it kills him in the end.

Half Man is not an easy watch by any means; Baby Reindeer seems like a feel-good romp almost in comparison. But it is a necessary one and it more than demonstrates that maybe there is no such thing as toxic masculinity. Perhaps just the idea of masculinity can be toxic for men to embrace. Niall and Reuben are two sides of the same coin, two men who each destroy their own lives. In Reuben's case he takes his aggression out on the world; in Niall's he takes it out entirely on himself and in both cases it leads to other wreckage. The sad part is by the end of the series Niall says that Reuben is the only person in the world that fully understands him, the best and worst thing that's ever happened to him. And Reuben agrees.

Half Man will be a major contender for Emmys in a few months' time but I can't say whether it deserves to win. There have been many strong limited series over the 202-5-2026 season. I still believe All Her Fault deserves to win and I could argue just as strong for Love Story.  Season 2 of Beef and The Beast In Me are likely to be the other major contenders and while I haven't finished either both are more than formidable.

I can't say whether Richard Gadd deserves to repeat for Best Actor; this is already a formidable field which includes Matthew Rhys,  Oscar Isaac and Paul Anthony Kelly all of whom are more than deserving. I do believe Jamie Bell, who has submitted himself for Best Supporting Actor even though he's technically a co-lead, probably should win in that category although at this point my personal preference remains Jake Lacy for All Her Fault. (Lacy portrays a different and more frightening kind of toxic paternal and fraternal figure.)

And Half Man truly needs to be applauded for targeting several subjects that are difficult viewing and that our society is still struggling with even now. And it is a truly more realistic portrayal of violence among males in a way that Adolescence for all its technical marvels refused to. Adolescence struck me as false because it only told us the consequences and never showed us the brutality. Half Man shows us the consequences in more detail then the viewer may be comfortable with but that is necessary that we as a society look at if we are try to understand the lost lives of Reuben and Niall.

Final Score: 5 stars.

My Reactions to the 2026 Astra TV Nominations. Part 2: Drama

 

 

First of all the first major awards show that has to deal with Season 3 of Euphoria is not particularly high on it. It has a presence, probably more nominations it deserves but the Astras don't seem to like it much more than their critics or the fans do. For this relief much thanks.

We also see no real presence for Knight of The Seven Kingdoms the most recent and exceptionally acclaimed series from Game of Thrones. Ditto Industry The Morning Show or more strangely Slow Horses.  And there is a certain bizarre disconnect between what series are nominated for Best Drama and those that receive the majority of the acting and other nominations.

So what is here?

 

DRAMA SERIES

 

The Diplomat, The Pitt, Paradise and Pluribus are almost certainly going to be nominated. Heated Rivalry is ineligible.

Of the remaining five From is an intriguing show that has never been able to break in. The Boys has managed a presence before but its final season has been polarizing among both critics and fans and its series finale underwhelming. Outlander has never been able to make much headway at the Emmys.

Landman was nominated by the SAG-AFTRA and other critics groups but to this point Taylor Sherdian's shows have never been able to make an imprint at the Emmys. I'd really like to see High Potential nominated for Emmys but I think Matlock has a better chance. I'm shocked that there's so little presence by HBO here: not just Euphoria but also Task and The Gilded Age. That doesn't mean they're not going to be recognized, see below

 

BROADCAST NETWORK ENSEMBLE

Can't argue about High Potential, Matlock or Will Trent. Grey's Anatomy and 9-1-1 are perennial presences here. I'm kind of surprised to see Marshals here but I guess that's the Taylor Sheridan effect.

 

CABLE DRAMA

Seriously? Euphoria over The Gilded Age and Task? Then again they did nominate Welcome to Derry so I shouldn't complain that much. From and Outlander were listed above.

I really do think The Audacity deserves to be considered for nominations and will be advocating for it in my predictions in the weeks to come. I'd have preferred either Dark Winds or Dexter: Resurrection to The Beauty.

 

STREAMING ENSEMBLE

Paradise, The Pitt and Pluribus deserve to be here. The Boys and Stranger Things are odd choices over Slow Horses. I don't know about Landman.

 

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Sterling K. Brown, Noah Wyle, Gary Oldman and Mark Ruffalo are locks for nominations. Walton Goggins was nominated by the Emmys for Fallout for Season 1 and could repeat. Billy Bob Thornton has received nominations from the Golden Globes for Landman.

Sam Heughan has little chance of being nominated for Outlander and Antony Starr has less for The Boys. Billy Magnussen for The Audacity is another story: there has been a lot of buzz for his performance and the Emmys do have a habit of nominated lead actors from AMC series. I think he has a better chance than perennial favorite of mine Ramon Rodriguez for Will Trent.

Decent group. I could argue for Harold Perrineau for From but basically fine.

 

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Kathy Bates, Rhea Seehorn and Keri Russell have been nominated by every awards show group at the end of 2025 and Carrie Coon was nominated for Season 2 of The  Gilded Age. Zendaya may still be able to carry over for Season 3 of Euphoria though her odds of a three-peat are dropping like a stone.

In descending order of likelihood Ella Purnell might get in if there's enough momentum for Fallout: she's been a force in TV during the 2020s and deserves recognition. Olson might be able to get in if there's enough of a push for Hacks and Michelle Pfeiffer could pull it out for double dipping as well. Chase Infiniti's presence depends just how much the Emmys wants to honor The Handmaid's Tale anymore and given how it dropped off the map for its final seasons I think the answer might be know. Angela Bassett deserves recognition but I don't think she'll ever get it.

I'm slightly surprised Helen Mirren isn't here for Mobland but maybe the Golden Globes were an anomaly.

 

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Billy Crudup and Tom Pelphrey have been among the few constants in the awards in the end of year awards. Patrick Ball will probably be for The Pitt and James Marsden deserves to repeat for his work in Paradise. Zach Galifinaakis has now received his second award nomination for The Audacity which means he will likely be considered. Shawn Hatosy has decided to go for Best Supporting Actor for The Pitt and considering he won as Best Guest Actor last year I think he'll carry over.

Personally I would love to see Jason Ritter considered for Matlock or Bill Skarsgard for recreating Pennywise in Welcome to Derry. I think Jack Lowden has a better chance of getting nominated then either Jamie Campbell Bower or Jensen Ackles. Why are they here instead of Lowden? Who knows?

 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

The Pitt gets a lot of love, deservedly. Katherine LaNassa and Taylor Dearden strike me as lock with Isa Briones next. I'm less sure of Sepideh Moafi at this point.

Alison Janney was robbed of a nomination last year for The Diplomat; the Emmys will make it right this year. Christine Baranski is a shoo-in for The Gilded Age as she was nominated for Season 2. I'd like to see Emilia Jones considered for Task.

I have to say I'm disappointed to see neither Kristin Scott Thomas for Slow Horses, Skye P. Marshall for Matlock, Julianne Nicholson for Paradise or Karolina Wydra here for Pluribus. I'll grant the considerable talent of Alfre Woodard, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Rebecca Hell (here for The Beauty) but these are superior choices. Still it's a good list and I'm glad not to see any presence from Euphoria in either supporting category.

 

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Eric Dane is clearly here for the sentimental vote for Euphoria. Bradley Whitford will almost certainly be nominated for The Diplomat. Giancarlo Esposito has been nominated for The Boys before.

The rest of the nominees are question marks. Paul Reiser may not get nominated for anything; Bill Pullman has little chance for The Boroughs. As for Macaulay Culkin for Fallout, you never know.

 

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Shailene Woodley is the frontrunner at the Emmys for Paradise and I'm glad to see Miriam Shor for Pluribus. I'm always glad to see Kieran Shipka nominated for anything and her work in Industry was superb. Isabella Rosellini was magnificent in The Beauty. I'll withhold comment on Tai Anderson till I see her work and I'm not sure if Elisabeth Moss can carry over to The Pitt.

 

DIRECTING AND WRITNG

Paradise, Pluribus, The Pitt and The Diplomat are nominated in both categories and will likely contend in both. Now to break it down for those in separate categories

Task will be contending for writing and having seen The Audacity I think it deserves to as well. The Gilded Age deserves to contend for direction as do Welcome to Derry and Fallout. If The Boys earns a major nomination it will be for directing. It's conceivable Industry will contend for writing. Much as I'd like to see High Potential in the hunt for directing or writing, I doubt it will. From and The Testament will likely contend for nothing and just as like 9-1-1 and Will Trent will come up short. Euphoria is nominated for nothing in either category which is correct and neither is Slow Horses which is wrong.

 

In the Book to Screen category we see A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms and The Testaments. This is the only nomination the former series got at all from the Astras. Whether that means the Emmys will similarly shaft it remains unclear but it is worth noting that the Astras have been kind to House of The Dragon in its two previous seasons, so the fact they've ignored a series that many feel is superior is striking.

How much this tells us about what the Emmys will do is unclear after the nominations. Its worth noting that Season 4 of The Morning Show has essentially been shutout by the majority of the other awards shows leading up to the Emmys save for Crudup. This group has given an official boost to The Audacity that it didn't have and perhaps for Matlock. Everything else pretty much falls along the pattern of expected. The Astras have never been fans of Slow Horses at any time, so Oldman's nomination is actually an outlier.

And the fact that the biggest contenders on HBO for nominations didn't get nominated for Best Drama while an HBO Max series that is ineligible did, is just another sign of how the Astra beat to their own drum. Again I tip my hat. Don't always agree with them, can't stay mad at them.

 

Tomorrow I'll wrap things up with Limited Series/TV Movie and any other ephemera I consider useful.

 

Emmy Watch 2026 Phase 3 Continues - The 2026 Astra TV Nominations Never Cease To Awe Me Part 1: My Reactions to Their Nominations for Comedy

 

At this point in my career I believe the two best groups when it comes to recognizing TV are the Critics Choice Awards and the Astra TV Awards, formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association. The latter still has a slight edge because while it continues to evolve away from its pattern it still acknowledges fairly evenly network, cable and streaming as equal forces when it comes to great TV. In the last couple of years they have been moving away from recognizing them individually but that doesn't make them any less superb when it comes to overall recognition.

Today they gave their annual set of nominations and for the sixth consecutive year I continue to be in awe of how well they recognize not just the best shows on TV but also quite a few that might otherwise fall under the radar of the viewer or might not get recognized by the Emmys. They have their quirks and foibles to be sure, but like the Critics Choice Awards, they get far more right in the nominations and awards then they do wrong and to this point they have as good a track record as both the Critics Choice and the Golden Globes.

Because they nominate so many shows, actors and unlike other award shows writing and directing I've always given multiple articles to assess each group. Before I would break them down between broadcast/cable and streaming, now its easier to do it the same way I do every other awards show: comedy, drama and limited series. There are also some other awards they give that have overlap as well as miscellaneous and I'll deal with them in the final entry.

Since this is the first official awards to deal with the 2025-2026, as opposed to almost every other awards show which basically only deal with 2025, the Astras are the first awards show that may give the first complete picture of what shows the Emmys might nominated in just over a month's time. Some of them the Emmys will almost certainly ignore because of their own prejudices; others they might very well be forced to take a certain look at. So let's take a look at the nominations and see the shows that are already favorites and the ones that, with these nominations, might be enough to get them over the hump.

This time I'll start with comedy.

 

COMEDY SERIES

Bill Lawrence has a big presence here with three nominations. I'm happiest by far for Scrubs being nominated but I'm also overjoyed for Shrinking and Rooster, which I might get too.

Abbott Elementary, Hacks and Margo's Got Money Troubles will all be among the major contenders for nominations and awards. Elsbeth is a dark horse, but as with the Critics Choice Awards its doing well with nominations. I Love LA is a long shot and frankly I'm surprised it was nominated over The Comeback. Ted has no realistic chance.

The Hunting Wives has been getting some buzz in the last few weeks since Netflix decided to treat it as a comedy. However I'm pretty sure some other shows will get in over it.

 

NETWORK COMEDY ENSEMBLE

No surprise seeing Abbott Elementary and Ghosts here; they've been getting nominated in this category since they debuted. Glad to see Scrubs and St. Denis Medical here. Odd to see Best Medicine treated as a comedy and Shifting Gears. Almost expected Reggie Dinkins to be here but a good group

 

CABLE COMEDY ENSEMBLE

Rooster, I Love LA and The Chair Company are here. The Comeback isn't which is a big shock. I'd like to see if MGM+ superb American Classic could make it and The Lowdown deserves discussion. Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia is always going to be the bridesmaid.

 

STREAMING COMEDY ENSEMBLE

Here are Hacks, Margo's and Shrinking. In case you were wondering where Nobody Wants This and Only Murders in the Building were when it came to outstanding comedy, here they are in streaming. You know what isn't here?

Season 4 of The Bear. The fact that the Astras chose to nominate the just cancel Gen V over The Bear is incredibly telling. As you'll see below The Bear was all but ignored by the Astras in the nominations. This is the second major group to all but ignore a show that just two years ago was the most nominated show at the Emmys. We may debate whether The Bear is a comedy or a drama but my fellow critics on one thing: it's not worth their nominating any more. I don't know if the Emmys will do the same this year; but this is another red flag as to just how much its fallen in less than two years.

 

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Four of the most likely nominees for Best Comic Actress are here, maybe even five. Jean Smart of course, Selena Gomez, Quinta Brunson and Lisa Kudrow. Jenna Ortega, who was nominated for the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes for Wednesday is here – but its notable that show wasn't nominated for Best Comedy Series. Elle Fanning is here for Best Actress for Margo.

Who isn't here? Ayo Edebiri for The Bear or Kristen Bell for Nobody Wants This, both of whom were nominated for Emmys last year. Who is here: Carrie Preston for Elsbeth, who has already been nominated for a Critics Choice Awards. Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow for The Hunting Wives. Akerman has received a nomination from the Gotham TV Awards. Rachel Sennott for I Love LA and Keke Palmer for The Burbs.

Overall I can't fault most of the nominations. I might have wanted Bell in for Palmer or Sennott but this basically covers most of my major contenders.

 

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

THEY NOMINATED ZACH BRAFF FOR SCRUBS! (Deep breath) I mean I know he doesn't have a huge chance but THEY NOMINATED HIM OVER JEREMY ALLAN WHITE. I love the Astras and not just for this.

Steve Martin and Martin Short are here, as they've always been. So's Adam Brody and Jason Segel. And I've overjoyed that two of my other dark horses are nominated: David Alan Grier for St. Denis Medical and Ethan Hawke for The Lowdown. Either of them probably have a better chance getting nominated than Braff, if I'm being honest: both have received nominations from other critics groups.

And there is superhero recognition: Yahya Abdul-Matteen II is here for Wonder Man and John Cena is back for Peacemaker.

No notes.

 

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Harrison Ford the out and out favorite this year is up for Shrinking as is Ted McGinley his co-star. Paul W. Downs present for Hacks as is Tyler James Williams for Abbott Elementary. Thrilled to see Nick Offerman here for Margo; overjoyed to see John C. McGinley here for Rooster, along with Phil Dunster and Donald Faison for Scrubs. Fine with Daniel Radcliffe here for Reggie Dinkins.

My one note is that Josh Hutcherson is here for I Love LA. I would have preferred Timothy Simons for Nobody Wants This or Michael Urie for Shrinking or even Andrew Scott for The Comeback. Still a good group and I suspect many of the Emmy nominees will be here.

 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Much as I hate Hannah Einbinder for her opinions I still love her work in Hacks and I'm glad she's her. At least four of the nominees here are locks: Sheryl Lee Ralph and Janelle James for Abbott Elementary; Michelle Pfeiffer for Margo's and Jessica Williams for Shrinking.  I'm overjoyed that Sarah Chalke is here for Scrubs.

The other four nominees are an interesting group. Charly Clive and Danielle Deadwyler for Rooster; Emma Myers for Wednesday and Odessa A 'Zion for I Love La. Again no one from The Bear is here as is no one from Nobody Wants This or Only Murders.  Some of the nominees in this category may start to rise.

 

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Jamie Lee Curtis is the only nominee for The Bear. How the mighty have fallen. Kaitlin Olson and Cherry Jones are on the rise for the final season of Hacks. Taraji P. Henson has been here before for Abbott. I'd love to see Christina Ricci nominated for anything. Amy Sedaris is a long shot for Elsbeth but you never know.

 

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

John C. McGinley double dips and in the best way for Scrubs. He will be competing against two greats for Shrinking: Brett Goldstein and Michael J. Fox and Christopher McDonald, the perennial bridesmaid for Hacks. Can Elijah Wood get nominated for playing himself? Hey Ryan Gosling, is for hosting SNL

 

DIRECTING AND WRITING

First the overlaps: Abbott Elementary, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Rooster, Shrinking, Ghosts, Ted and Gen V. The first four are almost certainly going to dominate both categories at the Emmys, the latter three no chance of nod either.

Elsbeth, Scrubs and The Comeback are all nominated in the writing category. The latter two have a chance of getting nominated as they in previous years even it was decades ago. Elsbeth's chances are dim, but not impossible. As for directing Wednesday might get a nomination but I'm less confidence about The Lowdown.

I should also mention two of these series were nominated in other categories: Margo's Got Money Troubles was nominated in the brand new Book to screen category and Seth McFarlane is nominated for lead voice over performance for Ted.

 

OVERALL REACTION

Aside from how thoroughly skunked The Bear was, the biggest omissions relatively are The Comeback and Nobody Wants This. I honestly thought they'd do much better. I'm shocked how well I Love LA and more positively how Scrubs did. But these are the reasons I love the Astras.

Palm Royale, which was a major Emmy figure for its first season was shutout for Season 2 (before it was cancelled). A foreshadowing? We'll see it

 

Tomorrow I'll deal with Drama which I'm mostly happy with even though…well, you'll see.

Jeopardy Season 42 Update: Characters Welcome

 

 

As I've mentioned more than once in my articles about Jeopardy not long before Alex Trebek passed away I was attempting to write on the 100 greatest champions in history. By the time we were two full years into the post-Trebek era the book was on hiatus and will probably never be published which, if I'm being honest, probably is the best thing for it.

Looking back on it years later one of the biggest issues was that the writing was very much that of an encyclopedia with little to interest someone who wasn't a Jeopardy fan. Part of it may have been because this was the most impersonal set of non-fiction writing I've done with almost none of my love of the show in it. However in recent years I've begun to think they may not have been my only problem.

I'd watched Jeopardy for more than a quarter of a century before I began to write the book on the subject. When I was writing it I mostly focused on the details of how each champion played the game, how they did on Daily Doubles, etc. Part of it was that my personality wasn't there but another problem was there wasn't a lot of the contestants personality. And that is at least partially my fault.

Jeopardy is an incredible show in large part because it was – and still is – perhaps the only game show where everybody takes themselves seriously. The contestants are the stars of the show and one of the things that makes them stars is just how intelligent they were and the breadth and depth of the knowledge they had. That's what makes it a great show.

What it doesn't necessarily lead to is the kind of personalities that lend itself to great writing. Jeopardy is a competition, mental rather than physical, but a competition and part of what makes a great competition is the personalities of the stars. And that's the one area where Jeopardy is lacking in comparison not just to television as a whole but other game shows. When you have to take the show seriously as you do Jeopardy there isn't a lot of room for antics or quirks. This was especially true when the show had a five game limit for champions – a week rarely gives anybody a chance to establish themselves as an individual on a TV show – and it really didn't change much after the limit was removed. For all his incredible intellect and competitiveness Ken Jennings really didn't get a chance to show much in the way of a personality during his incredible 74 game run. In the many postseason tournaments that followed he would get a chance to do so, particularly as he played against many of his fellow competitors but not much at first.

The same has to be said for almost every great Jeopardy player for much of the Trebek era, even when it comes to winners of Tournaments of Champions. Chuck Forrest and Frank Spangenberg, to take two of the most prominent of the early champions were known for their achievements on Jeopardy rather than any thing they did while they were on the show as individuals. This was true for every major winner during the five game period. Ryan Holznagel and Mike Dupee were great Jeopardy players but besides having their Tournament of Champions won in 1995 and 1996 I really couldn't tell you of any single distinctive personality trait. Gameplay is one thing, character is another.

This was true for pretty much the next fourteen years. And honestly it wasn't a flaw but something I think most viewers would respect. Indeed I'd argue its not a bug in the machinery but a sign Jeopardy is working perfectly. Everyone who has appeared on Jeopardy comes from every walk of life.  They're not actors or reality show stars; they're the average person. They're lawyers, they're teachers, accountants, students, writers, engineers, scientists, and while there are some actors, they're usually ones who didn't get their big break. The only role you're being asked to play is a game show contestant. You become a celebrity if you do well on Jeopardy, not the other way around for most entertainment.

And that's the main reason why, even though there are some fan sites devoted to Jeopardy, I only occasionally visit them and anytime someone rags on a contestant for having a personality they don't like – or indeed no personality at all – I roll my eyes. They're trying to win money on a game show answering incredibly difficult questions. They're not there to win likes and the raves of the online masses. My only qualification for a great Jeopardy champion is the number of wins and the amount of money they win. End of discussion. Likability doesn't enter to it.

That was true, by and large, of almost every super-champion while Alex Trebek was hosting. Oh, occasionally there'd be some with formidable personalities such as James Holzhauer and Austin Rogers but those were exceptions rather than the rule. I never understood what made so many people repulsed by Arthur Chu during his eleven game run or why Matt Jackson was considered so dynamic by fans. I admired them both for their incredible gameplay and I asked for little more.

I'm not sure when exactly that began to change. I don't think it began as much with the first wave of super-champions but the first Jeopardy Masters. Having four of the winningest Jeopardy players all of time sharing the stage with the winningest one in history really helped bring it out. James Holzhauer embracing the label 'self-described game show villain', Amy Schneider joking to Ken was it was like to after 40 wins because she had no one to compare it too, Mattea Roach increasing relatability (particular in the aftermath of her father's death while the tournament was being recorded), Matt Amodio's increasing wistfulness, Andrew He's charm and the utter joy that was Sam Buttrey helped make me and I suspect a generation of viewers really relate to Jeopardy champions in a way we hadn't in the decade past. That has played out in every Masters that has followed – and why I can only wait for whenever the 2026 one happens. (It's not on the summer schedule though producers say it will happen.)

While several players in Season 39 had intriguing personalities such as Ray LaLonde and Troy Meyer that combined with the endless postseason of Season 40 made it hard for them to stand out. Then in the aftermath we've been getting more great Jeopardy players who also have fascinating personalities.

We saw it with Drew Basile, who had the added advantage of having been on Survivor and Isaac Hirsch with his ridiculous suits and wonderful cheeriness, both of which were really on display in last year's Masters. There was a bit more last year from Liam Starnes being the first Jeopardy champion to be born during Ken Jennings run (which made everyone, not just Ken feel old) Kevin Laskowski a priest who seemed to know more about rap then the Bible and the lovable Drew Goins who became a fan favorite even as he earned a Second Chance (and a third)

 And then almost from the start of Season 42 it's been like great Jeopardy champions have suddenly become fascinating characters to go with them. We saw this play out in the final weeks of eligibility before the 2026 postseason began when Paolo Pasco, a crossword puzzle designer managed to win seven games in the opening weeks of the season. He was then defeated by Steven Olson, a band director who was just as much fun to watch as he was to play. Then TJ Fisher, an overly cheerful champion, lucked into 5 wins which would get him into the Tournament of Champions.

By the time the eligibility period was over we were greeted by another super-champion the extremely likable Harrison Whitaker, who won 14 games and $373,999. And ever since the postseason ended it seems like we've been getting the kinds of storylines that, if they took place in a soap opera, you wouldn't believe them.

Here's Jamie Ding, who wanted to describe himself as a faceless bureaucrat in his introduction, a man who as a boy had attended the National Geographic Bee that Alex Trebek had hosted. He went on to just win and win until he finished in fifth place in both money won and games won. The fact that's he also a child of immigrants and a person of color has led him to be the kind of person that Jeopardy as much as the world needs right now.

And how was he finally defeated? The man who won 24 runaway games lost in a runaway to chess player Greg Shahade. He won just 3 games and $74,602 but Jeopardy fans know that was more then enough for Emma Boettcher, the play who ended James Holzhauer's streak back in 2019, to be invited back to that year's TOC. That he isn't listed as qualified yet is a formality at this point.

Then less than two weeks after Jamie's run ended another super-champion arrived Tristan Williams. Tristan, who the internet compared to Woody in the Toy Story franchise made a different kind of history when he became the first player to win exactly 10 games. It's remarkable when you think about that in the 22 seasons since the five game limit was removed we've had 9 game winners and eleven game winners but no one who won ten. That meant we had three super-champions this season.

But wait, it actually gets better. Tristan was defeated last Wednesday by Chris D'Angelo. Chris has spent so much of his life to trying to make it onto Jeopardy that his sister Jen turned into a TV movie for Hulu called Quiz Lady which would star Awkwafina playing her brother and I suppose Sandra Oh is Jen. This film went on to win the Emmy for Best TV Movie in 2024. And now two years after that Chris finally made it on Jeopardy and today has officially qualified for the next Tournament of Champions. Real life has duplicated fiction in the best possible way.

For all we know Chris may become a super-champion in his own right but there's already another great storyline for the 2027 Tournament of Champions. Not one but two super-champion killers are going to be participating in the Tournament of Champions. The three players who get byes into the semifinals have already won double digits in games for the first time since the process was founded in 2022. And who else will be participating in the next Tournament of Champions?

Why Ron Lalonde, the identical twin brother of super-champion Ray Lalonde. Shonda Rhimes wouldn't write this stuff!

Now to be clear we are very much male heavy for the next Tournament of Champions: as of this writing only seven players have qualified and all of them identify as male. That's unless you count the winner of this year's Celebrity Jeopardy Mina Kimes, a journalist who happens to be an analyst on ESPN. But that's an interesting storyline as well, considering that one of the participants is the inspiration for a TV show. And as I said in a previous article any celebrity whose willing to risk national embarrassment competing against so many great Jeopardy players is okay in my book.

It's never been a necessity for a Jeopardy champion to have a good personality to go along with their great gameplay for me and other viewers. I will say its added an additional layer of pleasure to watching that I didn't realize I was missing or even needed. Just to be clear all future Jeopardy players, it's still not a requirement in your competitive play. But we're all glad when it happens.

And Chris? Now Awkwafina's going to want to get pictures with you to make her look good.

Homicide Rewatch: Narcissus

 

Written by Yaphet Kotto

Directed by Jean De Segonzac

 

When Homicide allowed cast members like Clark Johnson or Kyle Secor to take turns directing episodes this was somewhat revolutionary. These days its traditional to have cast members direct episodes whether its Ramon Rodriguez doing so for Will Trent or Zahn McLarnon doing so for Dark Winds as has happened just this past year.

Letting a cast member write an episode was far rarer and few TV series would do it during that period: only The X-Files would be willing to similarly indulge its cast. As television has become more serialized on every level and as the showrunner has taken a far greater role in TV production in the 21^st century this is something we will see happen in comedies but rarely dramas. Which makes sense: its one thing for Tina Fey or Amy Poehler to write episodes that let them stretch their creative muscles; it would be a lot to for Vince Gilligan to let Bob Odenkirk write an episode of either Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul even though has significant experience as a writer himself.  And with the average season shrinking in even network television there are simply fewer opportunities to allow this to happen.

In the case of Narcissus this may have been a case of the talent forcing the producers hand.  Yaphet Kotto would frequently grumble that even though Al Giardello was as a realistic and layered a character as his detectives, his character was rarely explored to his satisfaction.  And, apparently after meditating for five hours the inspiration for the story occurred to Kotto. How much rewriting was necessary after the first draft will never be known for sure but Kotto must have shown enough raw talent that Fontana and his colleagues would show faith in him. In each of the remaining seasons Kotto would write another script that would air close to the end of the season.

Al is put more front and center than he usually is on Homicide which one might expect. Less expected is just how much Kotto is putting forth racial issues that the series has rarely confronted directly.  Homicide was in 1997 one of most minority heavy casts on TV (and it was going to have more African-American regulars in the years that followed) and it had confronted race far more than network TV was willing to do – which may have been among the reasons it got neither immense ratings nor did well with the Emmys as its quality should have let it. But even in the relatively liberal era of the 1990s it was very difficult for any show to talk about it on network TV.

In Narcissus Kotto puts it front and center in a way the series hasn't since last seasons 'Scene of the Crime'. In that episode Homicide confronted how the Nation of Islam had taken a role in policing a black neighborhood and forced many of the African-American detectives as well as Al on different sides. In Narcissus the episode looks at it from different perspective, this time creating a militant black movement known as the African Revival Movement (Kotto never points out that the acronym is ARM and what that suggests) telling a story that has, like so many episodes of Homicide, improved with the passage of time.

In this episode Kotto asks a question both directly and indirectly: If a person is doing what is considered a greater good in public – particularly for those people that white America increasingly leaves behind  - should that overcome whatever sins you do in private?  Many in our increasingly judgmental society have done much to argue the answer must always be no, to the point of tearing down those who have done great things for the underprivileged decades earlier.

 Interestingly Kotto makes it clear from the start that he is reluctant to tear down someone so many of his people consider a role model when he learns Burundi Robinson, the man who has done so much good for the underprivileged in Baltimore, has been openly sleeping with many of the younger women within the movement, even fathering many of the young children that they see in the headquarters. His comparison of the accusations of Robinson to J. Edgar Hoover's decision to bug the Civil Rights Movement in the name of national security when in fact Hoover was a bigoted blackmailer  is a fair comparison – but it is also one that for generations many have used to defend the violent rhetoric of so many in the Black Power movement since the 1960s and beyond. Al Giardello has the advantage of being on the other side of this – he knows full well that black men are killing each other on the streets of his city and white America could care less – so he might view himself as something of a failure. That Robinson is a former cop makes the decision clearer. In the 1960s Al told Frank asked to choose between black and blue, he chose blue but we know already he has respect for those who've chosen black. The fact that he's initially willing to excuse Robinson, even though in his own words "he's a bit messianic" shows his issues.

It's possible under other circumstances he might be inclined to look the other way, were it not for what makes this episode incredibly powerful. Because the viewer knows from the start – but Al and the other detectives come very late to the party – that Robinson has a powerful friend whose been protecting him – but not by choice.

After a far more cinematic teaser then usually where the police are in hot pursuit of a suspect we realize that this has to deal with the ARM and that the leader is having a heated conversation with "Jimmy" He makes it clear he needs a favor and that "You and me, we're never gonna to be done." The suspect, who we will later learn is Benin Crown, runs into the headquarters – who seem to be expecting him – and Robinson tells them that they will honor a search warrant. "I used to be a cop!" he shouts. They decide to do this by the book and radio Homicide.

Pembleton takes the call on what he thinks is a dunker that the suspect is in custody. Munch wheedles Frank into taking it ("You won't miss the clearance) and they drive out to Carrolton. There they find the body of Kenya Merchant and the suspect is in the ARM. They also have a witness which stuns both men. "A witness in West Baltimore?" Munch says incredulously and Frank agrees. He then goes to the headquarters and argues they don't need a warrant.

Then we get the first sign things are hinky. Bonfather is there demanding that they get a warrant and chooses to overrule Frank. Frank then proves he knows the rule book department regulations state at the crime scene; primary detective has the rank. Given that the suspect ran into the building with evidence, the building is de facto extension of the crime scene.

Something stranger happens then. Bonfather, who never misses an opportunity to throw his weight around Giardello and has never been Frank's biggest fan, backs down without even a word.  When Frank asks the obvious next question – why Bonfather is at a crime scene at this ungodly hour – Bonfather doesn't answer him either.

Robinson makes it very clear that he's baiting the cops. Pembleton conducts a search, gets the murder weapon and sweats. Munch interviews the witness Malawi Joseph who tells him that the murder was about a rift in the movement. At that moment Gaffney shows up and demands to speak to the suspect Benin Crown. When Giardello tells Gaffney this is inappropriate Gaffney immediately pulls rank. Al walks away.  After he leaves Crown demands to see an attorney. Munch realizes very clearly that something up: "When's the last time we had both Gaffney and Bonfather show up at the midnight shift?"

This episode makes it clear the biggest difference between Bonfather and Gaffney. When Al confront Bonfather in the bathroom for the first time since we've met him Bonfather actually seems nervous about what's going on. Al figures out very quickly that Bonfather was supposed to pull Frank off the raid. He was actually relieved when Pembleton started quoting chapter and verse from the rule book, an argument that he would never have stood for.  He makes it clear that his rank forces him to do think he doesn't like but he thinks if this goes badly he could go to prison.

So its clear Gaffney was the next call. When we find out whose behind all this we don't know whether Gaffney saw this as a path to higher rank or that this was a way to let his natural racist ideology shine through. We already know he was only promoted as a message to Al and it makes sense that those higher-up would love a reason to throw him to the wolves. Gaffney spends the entire episode flaunting his authority over the detectives, Al, Bonfather and even Danvers who he has no real power over. We know he never cared about police work when he was a detective; the fact that he's engaged in conspiracy doesn't bother him.

Robinson spent ten years in the department before resigning in 1972. Giardello doesn't know how he could have drag in the department after a quarter of a century. We then see the public face of him being interviewed by Dawn Daniels and its clearly different then the one we've already seen. He's jovial, talking of demagogues who don't deliver, about the work he's done over four years with a soup kitchen, a job training program and an education program. He sounds fatherly and genial and if you watched it on TV without knowing what the viewer knows you might believe it. Munch is cynical saying he doesn't trust anyone who claims to have an answer. (Munch is anti-establishment and may very well have a more realistic vision then Al in this case.) Turns out John is right.

Malawi Joseph makes it clear Benin Crown murdered Kenya Merchant (all members of the movement choose African countries instead of their given names) because Robinson had been whoring out the women in the movement. Merchant had threatened to go public and Robinson, who seems to be getting national attention, gave the order. Merchant, incredibly, is even willing to wear a wire.

Al Giardello is angry at the idea of it and makes the comparison to Hoover. Danvers is also willing to let it go. Munch, for once, is actually pressing it: "Race and altruism give Burundi Robinson a free pass?!" This actually cuts Al to the quick. When Frank points out it's still a murder Al finds himself choosing blue. But he makes it clear he doesn't want anyone outside the office to know about it, including keeping Joseph's name out of the warrant.

Joseph tries to get Robinson to talk once on tape but Robinson speaks cryptically. They send him back in – after Gaffney demands to know who the witness is. The next time Robinson is clearly aware and openly denies his involvement. At that point Pembleton makes it very clear how badly the bosses have screwed them and they may not get the truth. So Al comes up with a brilliant plan and one of the most incredible sequences follows.

Crown has lawyered up and therefore they can't talk to him. So Al says cheerfully: "We're not gonna talk to Benin Crown. We're gonna talk to each other." Munch, Pembleton and Al spend five minutes with Crown in a room and only after he asks. Al says: "This is not an interview. We're not talking." Then Frank and John start talking about the Merchant case, making clear the suspect has done nothing to mitigate or alibi himself. Then Al begins to talk how sad it is Crown is throwing his life away." Then they start talking about how his sister is pregnant by Robinson. Then Danvers shows up and tells him Crown's attorney works for Robinson and therefore that he's a sacrificial lamb,

This sequence unfolds almost as comic farce and has its intended results: Crown fires his lawyer and gets a public defender. We need that because from this point on the episode turns incredibly bleak – and painfully familiar.

When Pembleton and Munch comes to get Robinson, he refuses to go and his people come out with bats and sticks ready to fight. Only the thinking of Frank avoids a cop shooting a suspect. Nevertheless after things get violent a riot breaks out and QRT is called onto the scene. Then Robinson makes his demand – he wants to talk to Deputy Commissioner Harris. The moment Al hears the name he realizes who's been pulling the strings – especially after Harris personally gives the order for QRT to storm the compound. Then Al goes to the compound – and the episode pulls away to its incredible final act.

The moment he goes in he's has five guns trained on him. Al asks what this is about. He tries to convince Robinson to give himself up. Then he mentions Harris. Robinson tells us something terrifying that the only reason Harris has anything is because of Robinson. Harris and Robinson were working a two-man tactic car for five years on the projects. They bust a dealer with $15,000 worth of heroin. The dealer pleads out and two weeks later, the dope is missing from evidence control. Harris stole it and sold it back to the dealer for $10,000.

The two of them are going to be busted for tampering with evidence. Harris had been on the squad six years longer than Robinson, so his credibility is better than Robinson. Harris tells Robinson to damage control. He takes $5000 and it comes down to a coin toss. Heads Harris takes the weight, tails Robinson does. One almost wonders if it was a trick coin.

The contrast between Harris and Robinson couldn't be clearer. We already knew that despite having reached the highest point of his profession Harris is as unwilling to listen to men below him such as Giardello and Pembleton. His entire stellar career of 25 years was built in corruption from the start. And unlike Robinson he doesn't think he owes his people anything, whether they are black or blue. This isn't a case of absolute power corrupting absolutely; corruption itself has led to power.

Then Robinson becomes almost philosophical:

Where do we go, Al? Where's our place in the world as black men? We're either Michael Jordan or OJ Simpson, godhead or pariah. Otherwise we're Bojangles, we're standing outside the harbor, dancing for spare change. But if we don't go hat and hand for someone who is white, we're a danger. I can live with that. But when someone who is one of us, when we're betrayed from within from within the family, that's the true evil. When that happens we have to prove our self-reliance. We have to take care of our problems ourselves."

When Al tells him he took care of Kenya Merchant

Robinson tells him he flipped a coin in his head. He demands Al call it. Al says: "Heads." With all the ferocity he has left he says: "You lose!" Al seems to know what's next and convinces Robinson to let the women and children out along with him. Then Al tells Gaffney that Harris gave up the witness and about him and Robinson's history.  Gaffney then tells QRT to take Robinson out on the orders of Harris.

The standoff goes on for hours.  Then they go quiet. 16 men have gone quiet.

The final images are among the most haunting in the show's history. QRT storms the compound that gave hope to so many in West Baltimore even if it was just by a demagogue who didn't deliver. In the basement they find that Robinson and fifteen of his followers have committed suicide, very much like Jonestown. A unit of hardened men is stunned into silence by this.

Everyone walks out. Reporters ask Al why Robinson did it and he can't answer. And then we see a white family watching the news of the horrors with utter incuriosity. They change the channel to a bland travelogue. If sixteen black men commit suicide in Baltimore and white America doesn't care, did their lives have any meaning?

Thirty years after this episode aired a lot has changed. And we still don't have any good answers.

 

 

NOTES FROM THE BOARD

"Detective…Pembleton?!"  Frank reads a story in the news about how a canned food company from Gary has issued a recall of its salad shredder and in an unrelated story, two restaurant owners in the Midwest have died after being eviscerated. Munch laughs at this saying: "They were slawed to death!"

Immediately after this Giardello says to Frank "Doing Munch's job now?" Howard adds: "Finding bizarre news from page D12, reading it out loud to the squad room?" After praising Frank for his job, only saying the set up was a little slow, Howard then asks him: "With someone around to deliver our daily weirdness what exactly do we need you for?" When Munch says: "Policework," Giardello naturally goes to the board leading John to defend his clearance rate and then jump on Frank's case.

'Detective Munch' (seriously) After Malawi Joseph makes it very clear he saw who killed Kenya Merchant and that he will tell the detectives anything they want to know Munch asks a question any Baltimore PD would: "Tell me, Mr. Joseph, are there any more like you at home?"

Mahoney PTSD: Because the Mahoney shooting is going to hang over the squad for the next season (the Previously on Homicide segment would basically replay it at the start of nearly every episode from this point forward until the end of Season 6) it's worth looking to see how the squad is dealing with the after-effects from this point forward.

Meldrick and Mike have submitted a report saying that this was a clean shooting and seem to be doing fine. Stivers visits them and clearly isn't: she hasn't slept in a week and can't keep food down. She's clearly having doubts about it. The bigger issue is that Mike seems perfectly fine about it. When Stivers said he didn't have to shoot, Mike says casually: "He was garbage." Mike seems fine and for the first time Lewis looks a little puzzled.

It's Baltimore: In the midst of the confrontation Robinson smiles and says "How 'bout them O's?" Giardello talks about the series with Cleveland and where the two of them prefer to sit at Camden Yards. He talks about the 1972 Orioles "Buford, Baylor, Palmer, McNally, Boog and Brooks Robinson, the quintessential glove man at third." Robinson calls Harris and himself magicians at third.

This storyline is never followed up on directly but the character of James Harris is written out of the series after this episode. Al Freeman, Jr never appears in this episode.

Hey, Isn't That…Roger Robinson  began his career in TV when he starred as Bobby Martin in The Marcus-Nelson Murders, the inspiration for Kojak. He would play the character of Gil Weaver when the show was picked up to series, while he played roles in Starsky & Hutch, Ironside, and Get Christie Love! He would play Reverend Fred Shuttleworth on the 1978 miniseries King where Paul Winfield played the title character. He had roles guest spots in series in the 1970s from The Jeffersons to the Incredible Hulk to The Equalizer. He had multiple guest spots on ER and NYPD Blue. His biggest TV roles in the 2010s were Ed Bancroft in AMC's Rubicon and Mac Harkness across three seasons of How to Get Away with Murder. Robinson was better known as a theater actor and won a Tony for the revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone in 2009 and was nominated for his work in Seven Guitars in 1996. Both plays were written by August Wilson. He died on September 26, 2018.

Lost Landmark Episodes 20th Anniversary: Live Together, Die Alone

 

 

Before we begin this tribute in earnest a  very mild criticism.

While I am a huge admirer of Back to the Island every so often I sense the judgment of those who are holding a series that was filmed between 2004-2010 on network television for not meeting the standards of today. I've dismissed the arguments involving gender and race in my earlier articles but one that I find hard to understand is why, from time to time, both St. James and Murray seem to be judging Lost by the standards of the streaming mode which wasn't even a glimmer in the eye of Netflix when Lost debuted and still didn't really exist when it ended.

As someone who has never binge-watched a series in his entire life and has always scorned so many streaming services for introducing it into their mode of distribution of original series (I have less judgment then I did for those who watch TV this way) I find this an absurd criticism on its face. Considering that in many articles they praise it for being one of the last brilliant network series in terms of scope and scale, this strikes me as pedantic. And it comes up a bit in St. James mostly favorable review for 'Live Together, Die Alone'. After mentioning many of the reason why this episode is essential Lost viewing he adds: "It's also a chore sometimes."

His main reason is contradictory: "some of the storytelling decisions that make sense for a TV show – meant to be seen by people once a week for an indefinite amount of time – don't make as much sense for 121 chapter narrative that people can sit down and watch for big chunks." This seems to be blaming Cuse and Lindelof, who again were making a show for network television in the 2000s for not taking the thinking of those of us twenty years later who can binge watch it over a week. That's a line of thinking so dumb I'm used to it from Gen Z.

He argues that so many of the moments are jaw-droppingly exciting then and still are today but then says having rewatched the series, he says a lot of it seems like busywork. His two biggest examples are the decision for Jack and Michael to bring Hurley to the Others camp, only for him to be sent back to explain they can never come after them – "which doesn't sound like a job only Hurley could do." Then he argues one paragraph later that the Others' decision to disguise themselves as ragamuffins is for the viewing audiences benefit more than the castaways. '

The second argument is just dumb on its face; its criticizing a show that has a smoke monster in the woods in the Pilot isn't portraying its cast members in a realistic fashion. (I'd argue that in a sense this is an Easter egg that would start to pay off in future seasons but I'm not confident that Cuse and Lindelof had thought the show out that far in advance in Season 2, so I'll let that go.) As for this not being a role that only Hurley couldn't do, I agree from a plot standpoint it doesn't make much sense but as a character arc – and the kind of storytelling versus plausibility that Lindelof would argue for later on – it payoffs magnificently in this episode and beyond, which I'll explain later.

For all that, however, I'm less inclined to pass judgment on this part of Murray's review for a very different reason. Because what he considers the point that makes the episode work is exactly the problem I had with it when I first saw it 20 years ago.

To be clear I was somewhat disappointed that the series decided to tell the story of Desmond.  Considering that for two seasons Lost had been about so many grand themes – mystery,  fate vs. free will,  science, survival, betrayal, death – that to fundamentally spend the finale devoted to what seemed to be a love story seemed a disappointment. I don’t think I realized that in fact the writers were setting up the grand theme of Lost, one that got, well, lost under all of the mystery. The reason the series was such a success may have been initially because of the mysteries and the questions we had, but the reason it lasted was because we cared about these characters.  Lost is fundamentally a show about the human condition, and what is more human than love?

And in that sense the saga of Desmond and Penny stands alone not just among the entire arc of Lost but in much of Peak TV as whole. In the cynical world that 21^st century TV reflected, we were taught to believe that love stories were not the kind of thing that survived as entertainment anymore. (I think that may be the reason that such things as the romantic comedy, which had been the staple of movies for more than twenty years, began to fall out of favor around this same period.) Love was too pure an emotion to appeal to the viewer as much as more elemental things: lust was the pervading emotion, whether it be for sex or for power or money.  The story of Desmond and Penny fundamentally cuts through that narrative.  There are many fans of the series who have problems with so much of the show; I don’t know a single person who has issue with the love story of Desmond and Penny. I certainly didn’t; after my initial objections, I was fully onboard with it by the time Season 3 hit its groove. The fact that many of the fates of the survivors and the show itself are at the core around the love story of Desmond and Penny only proves this point.

Desmond has found himself back on the island and is thoroughly plastered when we meet him.  He spends much of the first half of the season premiere drunk and determined to stay that way.  Much of Season 2 is about characters losing faith and Desmond now seems to have become a pure nihilist.  He is the first character we’ve met who openly wants to leave the island, and now apparently thinks he is doomed never to leave it.  He sailed off two weeks ago and somehow he ended up right back here. He thinks the island is all that’s left.  He has only a tangential interest in the button he deserted, doesn’t seem that interested in either helping Sayid or saying goodbye to the boat he traveled on and when he talks to Claire about her baby’s father not be fit to the task, it’s very clear he’s talking about himself.  Desmond doesn’t have a purpose anymore, which is almost certainly the reason when Locke comes to him telling him everything he did for three years was a lie, he embraces it even though he should very well know better.

People have wondered why, since Desmond clearly remembers what happens when he sees the printout from the Pearl, he goes along with John’s decision to not push the button. Based on what we’ve seen in the flashbacks prior to this, I think there’s a very real chance that Desmond thinks that his actions did destroy the world and that is his punishment. That’s why he has come back to the island; he’s suffering for his sins. With the clock running, he actually asks John whether he’s doing this because he has a death wish. Maybe that’s why Desmond is doing this. He’s hoping that when the numbers run out, he gets punished for his sins.

And by this point we know that is not the real sin he thinks he needs to atone for.  Desmond walks out of a Scottish military garrison to meet with a man named Charles Widmore. We’ve seen signs of him in subtle product references in the second season, but we had no reason to think it meant anything. Now we learn that Widmore is a billionaire who clearly disapproved of Desmond’s relationship with his daughter, has done everything in his power to keep them apart, and wants to make sure it stays that way. Because Desmond clearly believes in honor, he decides to prove himself to Widmore by winning his race around the world.

We then flash back to the scene in the stadium – and it's there we meet Penny for the first time.  We will learn more about the saga of Desmond and Penny then almost any other characters on the show (though in the tradition of Lost we learn it backwards) but in a sense, we learn everything we have to in their only scene together in this episode.  They have not seen each other in years and there’s clearly hurt between them, but it’s just as clear that neither has moved on. The writers always choose the names of their characters with care, and they clearly made a point when they named Widmore’s daughter Penelope.  Anyone who has even a basic understanding of Greek mythology knows the significance of the name: Penelope was Odysseus’ wife who remained faithful to her husband for years even after he was presumed dead from the Trojan War.  Even on an island a world away from Desmond, she finds a way to reach out to him at the time of his greatest despair and she assures him that she will always love him no matter what. Desmond clings to that despite everything, and I think that before the climax of the episode, he says “I love you, Penny” because he wants them to be his last words.

Of course, they aren’t. In an outlier for a season finale, not just for Lost but almost any TV series in this century, no major characters die. (Is that a spoiler? It’s been nearly twenty years.) It looked like a lot of characters might be doomed in the last minutes, and a lot of characters are clearly in danger, but every regular we see in this episode turns up in the next season (or later on).

It's the fundamental nature of Lost that even while actions are going on that could destroy everybody on the island, a healthy portion of the survivors are not only unaware of it at the time, but they also don’t even learn about long after the fact.  Indeed, even Desmond’s arrival is barely noticed with any real interest by Jack, who barely seems to be bothered that the man who left the hatch (and knew before, remember) is now back on the island before going back on his mission to get the Others.  If ever there was an example of how narrow minded a leader Jack is, it’s now.  Does he see the boat as a potential for rescue? No, it’s a tool that he can use to get his revenge on the Others. Sayid is little better, considering it’s his idea to do so in the first place.

Every aspect of Jack’s plan is foolish from the get-go. He chooses not to tell any of his friends about what he is doing, and it is only when Kate and Sawyer realize that they are being followed that Jack is forced to tell them. Jack can barely be bothered to apologize to his friends, and his treatment of Hurley is reprehensible.

Jorge Garcia is truly fantastic in the season finale. He is the only person on the mission who is not motivated by revenge or desperation but because he just wants to help Walt.  When he learns the truth, he feels betrayed twice. When he realizes just how horrible Michael is – that a man he considered a friend killed two women in cold blood and can’t even be bothered to apologize for it – he clearly just wants to go back. He is not any happier when Jack basically forces him to keep going on the basis of a plan that is clearly flawed before they even realize that Michael has betrayed them again. When the trap is sprung by the Others, he does not bother to run away or fight, but rather just covers his ears. The fact that he eventually learns the only reason they wanted him in the first place was to send him is just one more blow.  There’s something truly sad about the guy who everybody likes, not being wanted or trusted by anyone.

It's also a measure of how bad a leader Jack is at this stage that at no point does he think to tell Locke about what’s happening or even ask him to come along when it’s clear he could help. That said, it’s pretty obvious that John isn’t in any position to help anyone, certainly not himself.

Much of what Murray considers busywork is done for a purpose: the machinations are done to divide the survivors in a way physically (if not ideologically as will become clear in later seasons) in a way Lost hasn't yet.  The raft's launching only involved four survivors; one of whom was never a part of the storyline after the finale in a real way and another whose part, unfortunately, has been greatly diminished. That physical division, which also involved the reunion of the Tail Section survivors, happened by the third mark of the season and while Jack and Locke have been engaged in an internal struggle, to this point it really hasn't divided the camp substantially considering all of it seems to center on the Hatch.

What the episode makes clear is how the division between the two reveals how each of them can be single-minded and destructive in their respective focus. Locke has been almost entirely focused on the button in the season and Jack's never been as committed to it. His major focus, ever since Michael disappeared, has been the Others and he's been deliberately leaving Locke out of that discussion.  Even after a full season he still has no plan for rescue and much of this does seem to be out of his vengeance at the Others more than anything else.

This division also leads to Sayid, the other major force of leadership in the camp to take the Elizabeth and Jin and Sun with him to sail around the island. This will divide the camp even further at the start of Season 3 – and leaves them unprepared to deal with the crisis that develops in the Hatch.

Terry O’Quinn is magnificent in the season finale as a man who has lost all faith and is clearly bitter and angry. He is enraged at Eko for having faith (and the fact that Eko uses his own phrase back at him must sting more) and ends up tracking down Desmond almost certainly because he wants to share in the misery and take Desmond down. There’s something very vindictive about how he shows Des the Orientation film and offers to make popcorn.

When Des and Locke are in the computer room, Locke seems more lost than he’s ever been.  He says that Charlie and Eko aren’t his friends and actually seems not to care if they’re hurt or injured. For much of the season he was obsessed with the button; now his obsession is in the other direction. When he tells Desmond why he lost his faith – and finally accepts his part in the death of Boone – it triggers something in Desmond. By the time he argues the Pearl Station is an experiment, it’s not a shock – that large field of notebooks that have never been read is a big honking sign. What is a shock comes when he learn that the Swan is real, and that there has been an incident – and that incident crashed Oceanic 815. (It also gives us an official date for the crash: September 22, 2004 – which is of course, the day Lost premiered. We’ll basically have a calendar of events for the next two seasons.)

Locke is now so much of a zealot that he no more listens to Desmond’s certainty that this is real than Eko’s evidence of destiny and he finally decides to prove it – by destroying the computer.  There’s a trace of uncertainty when he says that he’s saved them all.

The scene in the hatch after the numbers run down is one of the great set-pieces in the entire series.  We watch as every metal object in the hatch begins to be drawn towards something, as Charlie and Eko frantically try to get out, as Eko makes his way back to the computer. Locke has not moved, even as the timer begins to contract to the magnetism. He meets Eko’s eyes and says three simple words. “I was wrong.” It seemed like the understatement of the century. In actuality, it’s the first thing Locke has said something that he is completely and utterly certain of.

Then Desmond turns the key and because Henry Ian Cusick was only a guest star, we naturally assume he’s dead. (See Locke’s statement above.) At this point, however, we’re dealing with the action on the pier where we finally get to see the Others in their (ragged) glory and officially meet the leader – Henry Gale. If Emerson was brilliant in his earlier performance, he’s incredible here as he talks coldly and business-like to Michael, about keeping his word and how he knows Michael will never tell what he’s done. There’s something almost military like about his posture now, something with authority. (While the sky is turning people and everyone is flinching, he doesn’t seem as surprised when it happens or when it’s over. This is the first sign we’ve gotten he might be the key to everything that’s happening, even before he makes it clear he's the leader.)

When Michael asks, utterly bereft: “Who are you people?” who among us can forget Henry’s answer: “We’re the good guys.” Now Henry has spent the entire season lying to everybody, but this is the first time he actually seem to believe what he’s saying.  We are no more inclined to believe him than we did Tom (the man we thought was the leader) when he said the survivors were interlopers or Goodwin when he called Nathan ‘not a good person’ or Ethan when he said he wanted the best for Claire’s baby…well, you get it, these guys have a credibility problem. And we know that when Henry tells Jack, Kate and Sawyer are coming with them, it’s not to invite them to a fancy dinner.  What we do know by now is that the Others really seem to believe it. But we still don’t know why.  Much of Season 3 will be spent explaining why they believe it, and for some reason when we spent so much time with them, a lot of fans turned on the series.

Season 2 ends like Season 1 did, with the castaways scattered.  Michael and Walt are leaving the island for home. (Gotta say that Henry might have thought it wouldn’t be for long: his departing words are not farewell or goodbye, but bon voyage) Sayid, Jin and Sun are on the other side of the island, not sure what’s happened to their friends. Charlie made it out of the hatch intact (and is kissing Claire) but Desmond, Locke and Eko might very well be dead.  Hurley is heading back to the camp, while Jack, Kate and Sawyer are going with the Others. It's a dispiriting series of images to end the season with.

 

 

Except… that’s not the final scene. For the first time, we leave the island and in fact seem to be somewhere in the Arctic Circle. Two men are speaking a strange language (we later learn their Portuguese). They look at a monitor that says, “ELECTROMAGNETIC ANOMALY DETECTED” . They started leaving through books, mutter things about “Did we miss it?” and one makes a call.  Then on the other end, we hear the line: “Miss Widmore. I think we found it.” 

And there’s Penny. Who said in her one scene with Desmond: “With enough money and determination, you can find anyone.” She is clearly set on using both to find Desmond. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

So the reason I thought it was a chore is that we spent so much of the Season 2 finale dealing with a character I truly believed we'd never see again along with so many other unnecessary characters. (Boy was I naïve in 2006.) You know who didn't feel that way? Emmy voters.

To be sure they didn't nominate the series for Best Drama that year (and yes I still have a grudge about it) but they did nominate for 9 other awards. And 'Live Together, Die Alone' got five of them. Jack Bender was nominated for Best Director, Henry Ian Cusick was nominated for Best Guest Actor in a Drama and it was nominated for sound mixing, editing, and special visual effects in a series. This would also start a trend for Lost: from this point on until the end of the series, the season and/or series finale would be the biggest recipient of Emmy nominations by the Academy.

It was something I as a viewer and someone slowly entering the world of TV criticism respected then and even more now. As for where Lost was going to go in Season 3…well, we'll get to that in a different article.