Exploring Masculinity, Risky Love & The Show That Packed A Thousand Blows!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. This is another TV instalment, where the shows I’m going to be talking about include an exploration of Masculinity, a love story written by Jack Thorne where love could cost them personally, and a show partially based on true events created by the same person who brought Peaky Blinders to life. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on these three shows!

Half Man:

The first show I’m going to talk about is Half Man, starring Richard Gadd (who created and wrote the show) and Jamie Bell.

This focuses on the journey of Niall and Ruben, who after being forced to share their room, they go on a journey of bonds and danger, exploring what it means to be a man. 

Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd took on the role of Niall and Ruben (with Mitchell Robertson taking on the role of younger Niall and Stuart Campbell taking on the role of younger Ruben), and they each had their own way of exploring masculinity. For Ruben, he had a very toxic view of it, and also had a temper for anyone who’s not your typical “man”. As he got older, his behaviour around women and his attitude in general kind of reminded me about Andrew Tate, thinking that apparently “women are his property”. It wasn’t until we saw his dad in episode 1, who also had a toxic personality, and also how the last episode revealed that Ruben went through a traumatic experience caused by his dad, making him feel like a “half man” (hence the name of the show). I often wondered why people thought these different things and why they behave the way they do, so in Ruben’s case, the abuse inflicted by his dad brought on his toxic behaviour in fear of him looking weak therefore not manly.  Niall was more of a shy person, who secretly knew what his sexuality was. But Ruben’s attitude made him fearful to be himself, and getting imprinted by him at a young age got him to hide his sexuality. And because of that, as he got older it did lead him to making reckless decisions, which was seen in episode 4, and episode 5 revealed he’d been having conversion therapy. Even as his career as a writer (where the characters Billy, Cosmos and Cara-Alice were inspired by him, Ruben and Mona), he still couldn’t feel like he could be himself until the end of the series where he finally came out. But it was until that episode where Ruben pointed out that Niall himself was insecure about himself, but it all ended in disaster on his wedding day. But what I loved throughout all of that was Richard and Jamie’s on screen chemistry, and the trust they had in each other for both the heartwarming moments, and the scenes which were quite hard to watch. For Richard in particular, the contrast of when he was in “Baby Reindeer” to this show was impressive, and being prepared physically definitely helped. One lady who was there throughout both of their journeys was Niall’s mum Lorraine (or “Lori” for short) played by Neve McIntosh. I had mixed opinions about her, as I didn’t think she realised the extent of Ruben's behaviour, but I also agreed with her wanting Niall to take accountability for his behaviour as he went into adulthood. But ultimately I think she does love Niall deep down, accepting his sexuality and just wanting him to do well in life. 

There were many other characters who had an impact on Ruben and Niall’s lives. One of them was Alby, played by Charlie De Milo (who you may recognised as Imran Habeeb in Coronation Street), with the younger Alby played by Bilal Hasna. As a teenager at university, Alby was the only who who made Niall comfortable to be himself, and his talk about the reality of being your true authentic self (explaining the good and the bad) really made an impact on me, and it was a shame that it didn’t have an impact on Niall early on. I couldn’t even imagine the horror he had to go through when Ruben beat him, but I’m just glad that niall told the truth about his what happened for his sake. As an adult, I’m glad that Alby was very sympathetic about Niall, and despite getting his frustrations off of his chest, definitely helped him get back on the straight and narrow. I don’t think Charlie is gay in real life, but seeing him portray an LGBTQ+ character of a different race will surely inspire those who feel like they can’t be their authentic self. There was also Rubén’s mother Maura, played by Marianne McIvor. I think she knew deep down about Ruben’s behaviour, but maybe she didn’t do anything to either not let go of the love she had for his dad, or to not have anymore drama in her life. And this came into play even more when she got ill, and even though Lori and her were separated, she still deeply cared for her until death do us part. Another person who had an impact on the brothers’ life was Ruben’s girlfriend then wife Mona, played by Amy Manson, (with the younger version played by Charlotte Blackwood). When she was younger, I don’t think she realised how what she did to Niall, with encouragement form Ruben, was technically non consensual, but had that mindset of it being a normal thing to do. But as she got older, she started to realise the extent of Rubén’s behaviour, particularly when it comes to episode 5 and him having some views on women. But she then soon revealed about a situation with regarding to wanting to have a family, mentioning the reality of her relationship with Ruben and his infertility as she got older. Despite feeling sorry for herself and after some failed attempts from Niall, she managed to see the light in episode 6 when Ruben confronted them both on what they were talking about. There was also Niall’s bully Gus (younger one played by Piers Ewart), who I think secretly knew his sexuality, and used it to his advantage, but had he got older, (Sandy Batchelor) he then revealed about his sexuality, which could be a reason on why he bullied Niall in the first place, a sused what he was feeling to take it out on Niall. He was also the first one to tell Niall about Rubén’s release, so I don’t know if maybe nothing would’ve happened if Gus never told him. Mind you, I don’t think Niall would’ve got inspiration for his book if Gus didn’t mention it. There was also Butch, played by Tom andrews, who met Niall through an activity where it invoked “having fun”. But what I liked was how supportive he was when Niall opened up about Alby, and even came to the wedding, showing that he does care for him deep down. There was also University friends Joanna (younger version played by Julie Cullen and older version played by Kate Robson-Stuart) and Celeste (Philippine Velge), where we saw the young Joanna pleading with Niall after revealing what he did to her and Celeste, and how younger Alby’s life was badly affected, and the older Joanna cutting ties with him after a financial situation, knowing that whilst she is still a friend to him, there was only so much she could do. Finally, there was Niall’s girlfriend in episode 5 Ava, played by Anjli Mohindra. I know deep down he secretly cared for her, but I liked how empathetic she was when he revealed what he really spent Rubén’s money on, showing that she just wants him to be happy. But he also gave him a wake up call not because of his sexuality, but for the way he processes things, particularly when it came to preparing for their baby, but if it wasn’t for that, I don’t think Niall would’ve finished his book. I also wanted to give a shout-out to the day player/guest roles. These included Mr Jenkins, Niall’s teacher in episode 1 (Stuart McQuarrie) Librarian Nigel in episode 4 (Simon Chandler) who made Niall’s life a hard time when it came to his “sexual escape”, and Niall's publisher Daniel (Tom Downie), who particularly in the last episode helped him by reminding the audience to ask questions purely on the book and not his life. All of these roles added to the story, and each of them stuck to their objectives which definitely had an impact on Niall and Ruben. 

I think my downside to it was that it was quite hard to watch in moments, as there were some moments where Ruben got toxic when either no one did as he was told, or him having Mona all to himself. But I tell you something, that’s when you know you feel something, and even in those toxic moments, I could tell that Richard worked really hard to make sure his writing had an impact on the viewer emotionally. So whilst there were times I couldn’t watch, it equally had an impact on me. 

Overall I would give the show a 4.90. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, full of light and shade, and it definitely highlighted the topic of masculinity. And I hope a show like this can show young boys the right and wrongs of what it means to be a man, or even change the mind of someone who had the same thoughts as Ruben and realised that how they behaved was wrong, seeing the consequences in the long run. 

Falling:

The next show I’m going to talk about is Falling, written by Jack Thorne and starring Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu. 

This tells the story of Nun Anna and priest David falling in love with each other, but worry about what it may mean for their jobs and religious beliefs. 

Keeley Hawes took on the role of Anna, with Eloise Little playing the younger version. What I got from her was that she was very quirky, much like myself, and she definitely had that maternal instinct. I could tell she was devoted to her role, but as soon as she met David, I could completely get why she was confused about her feelings for him. It never became apparent as to why she became a nun in the first place, but she talked about her previous love interest in episode 6, and there were snippets from her parents in the present hinting that there was some problems that were unresolved. We also got to see a flashback on the time she first became of a nun. Paapa Essiedu took on the role of David, a priest who was also an addict both before the events of the series, and also relapsed during the series. What I got from him was that he was also devoted to his role and his beliefs, and showed compassion when needed. He also talked about abuse he suffered and gave hints about turning to being priest as a way to cope, with a flashback in episode 5 seeing a young David first having to confess his sin. But what I like most about the two of them was helping each other through their different circumstances, which was maybe what got them attracted to each other in the first place. And I love their on screen chemistry, showing that a slow burn romance can make beautiful things happen. 

There were many people in both Anna’s and David’s life that impacted their feelings for each other and to follow their gut. These included the convent’s Abbess, Francesca played by Niamh Cusack. She always had hopes for Anna, and whilst she was shocked by her feelings for David, she knew that she couldn’t help herself. And in episode 5 she knew deep down that Anna needed to find a new path. There was also David’s colleague Francis played by Adrian Scarborough, who supported David through his journey and checked in on his wellbeing, opening up about his own problems with regards to his mother in episode 6, which somehow gave David the wake up call he needed. Someone who also questioned David’s beliefs was Peter the bishop, played by Jason Watkins, who had different views on his religious beliefs. I wasn’t quite sure if I liked him, as when it came to David admitting he needs helped after his relapse, he had a different thought on when would be the right time to get help. I’m an open minded person when it comes to religion and beliefs, but it’s people like Peter who maybe you don’t agree with when it comes to things like addiction. Controversial I know but that’s just my opinion on it. There were two people who stood out for me in the show. One of them was Anna’s roommate Muriel, played by Rakie Ayola, who I would definitely want as a best friend, as she didn’t judge Anna for her background, but simply helped her fit into life outside of the convent. The other was David’s adoptive sister, Susan played by Sophie Stone, who deeply loves her brother and only wants what’s best for her, even if it did lead to having some disagreements. She was also on her own journey to getting married a second time to her fiancé Simon, played by Craig Painting, who I could tell cared so much for her. Through Susan we got some lovely moments of her and David talking in British Sign Language, which was great to represent the deaf community. and her fiancée then husband Simon played by Craig painting. Another character who had an impact on Anna and David’s life was Tina and her mum Bianca, by Holly Rhys and Kerrie Hayes. Tina definitely saw David and his church as an escape from family life, and Joe her dad Phil, played by David season, had a few issues of his own. And Anna had an impact as she was able to use the gentle approach to open up about what was happening, going on her own both eh with the support of David. Two people at the convent who helped Anna take the next step to her next stage in life was Polly played by June Watson, and Bimpe, played by Shayne Sinclair. For Polly, despite being the oldest nun, she certainly made her presence known, and her death in episode 5 got Anna realising to follow her heart. For Bimpe, who broke her vows as a nun in the first episode, formed a bond with Anna and her help got her down the path she needed to go down. I know she told David to leave Anna be out of kindness, but it would’ve been nice to let him say his piece. I also never knew what happened to her outcome, but I just hope she’s just happy in the path. We also saw the appearance of Anna’s parents Chris and Fiona, played by Simon Chandler and Susan Brown, who clearly had their views on Anna’s decision to be a nun, and some of the things Fiona said in particular made me understand why Anna sought to that position in the first place. There was also a nice appearance from Bo Poraj, who played a character called Tony, a man Anna met and wanted to experience “having some fun”. I liked how gentle he was with her, and even though it didn’t work out, at least he didn’t berate her for it. It just shows what a proper gentleman he was and that the last thing he wanted was to make Anna feel uncomfortable. 

I think my only downside was that it took me abit of time to settle into it. I don’t know if it was because it was of the language used or if it was because of the mixed opinions I heard it got, but I wanted to watch it anyway as I knew it was by a writer who had already done amazing things. But what made up for it was the relatability of experiencing something new and also the representation in the deaf community, which is something where we’ve still got a long way to go, but the fact that we’re continuing to see it on screen was brilliant.

Overall I would give the show a 4 out of 5. Yes it was a slow burner, but there were moments of warmth, relatability and highlighting an important community. If there were to be a second series, it would be interesting to see Anna and David’s life be explored further. 

A Thousand Blows Season 1:

The final show I’m going to talk about is A Thousand Blows, with a star stuffed cast, which include Erin Doherty, Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham.

As stated in IMDb, the synopsis for the show goes as follows:

"The fortunes of Hezekiah and Alec, two best friends newly arrived from Jamaica. Fighting for survival in the violent melting pot of Victorian London’s East End, they come up against Sugar Goodson, a dangerous, veteran boxer."

As this was part of true life events, it felt like a history lesson. So for this review I’m going to speak about the characters as if I’ve just come out of a history lesson. 

The two main stars of the show were Hezekiah and Alec, played by Malachi Kirby and Francis Lovehall. For Hezekiah, he originally came to London to be a lion tamer, but after seeing the brutal life of looking after animals, he decided to enter the world of boxing, where he made a name for himself. This tells me that the real Hezekiah is someone who finds a way to adapt if things don’t go to plan. I also got to see a glimpse of his past with both his father (played by Ashley Walters who also directed the last 3 episodes of series 1) and how the war got him and Alec moving. So it also tells me that Hezekiah was someone who turned a negative into a positive. Alec meanwhile had his own journey, helping Hezekiah with his career whilst he questioned why he was even in London in the first place. But it was great that Hezekiah reassured him that his success is shared, knowing that without Alec, he wouldn’t be able to survive in London. And he may have had something going on with Esme (who I will get onto in a moment) but a brutal fate left Hezekiah completely scarred. Among Hezekiah and Alec was the Forty Elephants, led by Mary Carr, played by Erin Doherty, with her disguise as lady Augusta Farley. What I learnt from her was that she was someone who didn’t mess around, and adamant that her heists would work. Her schemes and lies were her way to survive, but upon meeting Hezekiah, we got to see a side to her that she’s scared to explore knowing that it could lead her to dangerous situations. She was also the definition of girl power, showing that whilst it was a man's world back in those times, there was a sanctuary for women to take control, even if it was one which caused chaos. One villain who I definitely do not want to mess with was Henry “Sugar” Goodson played by the legend that is Stephen Graham. He was definitely someone who packed power and punch, but he clearly had some ongoing problems that made him loose control of his emotions. What I’ve learnt from him as well was that he was also someone who refused to move in with the times when it came to boxing, and as seen in episode 5 went back to his old ways when it came to fighting. But I think alot of it came from jealousy of his brother Treacle (who I’ll get into in a moment) and his feelings for Mary, and his rejection after making a proposition in episode 5 only spurred that anger even more. I’m not sure if what he revealed to Hezekiah at the end of the series was out of spite or something he needed to know, but one things for sure he knew Hezekiah needed to know the truth after Alec and how she knew about it. 

There was also many other characters that impacted Hezekiahs and Mary’s life. One of them was Mr Lao Lam played by Jason Tobin. I loved his friendship with Hezekiah, and was one of the very few people who showed him kindness, and had their Chinese heritage to help bond. He also had had his own affair in episode 4 during Mary’s heist, but thankfully Mary came to the rescue to help Lao start a new life. I just hope when I binge watch series 2 I’ll get to see more of him and how he adapts to his new life under a new name. There was also Sugar’s brother Edward “Treacle” Goodson. played by James Nelson Joyce. After his fight with Alec in the first episode, he wanted Hezekiah and Alex to be beat just as much as sugar, but he wanted to do it for the right reasons knowing that the world of boxing was changing. I also understood why he did what he did in episode 5 to help Sugar when he broke the rules, but after giving him a tough talking to about how he channels his feelings, he didn’t half suffer from Sugars anger. I’m just surprised how he managed to survive those injuries, particularly in that era. There was also William “Punch” Lewis, played by Daniel Mays, a barman at the blue coat boy and favoured in sugar during the goth nights, but also knew when he crossed the line, and medic Charlie, played by Tom Davies, who again also knew when Sugar crossed the line, and even helped Mary when trouble came to the door. Mary’s crew of the Forty Elephants really showed us who’s in charge. One of them was Eliza played by Hannah Walters, who had second thoughts about being part of the gang after the robbery in episode 4, where in episode 5, it was revealed that everything was fake. She also had a secret affair with businessman Saul Woolfe, played by Eddie Toll, who got himself into trouble, which gave Eliza a choice from Mary to either go with him or stay in the gang, reminding her of not to let feelings into getting the job done. Another Forty elephant was Esme played by Morgan Holaire, who was someone you also don’t want to be messed with, but also took a liking to Alec particularly in episode 2 and 3 (which I wasn’t expecting). I could also tell that she was willing to take revenge on those who killed Alec, showing that she uses her emotions to turn them into power. Another Forty Elephant was Alice Diamond, played by Darcy Shaw. She originally worked in a jewellers shop, but it wasn’t until episode 2 where she wanted to join up to the female thieving group. What I’ve learnt from her was that she also used her job as a maid to hide her true intentions with the 40 elephants, which I tbh knew the perfect disguise. But that wasn’t until episode 4 where she got caught, but her boss convinced her that whilst she wouldn’t say anything, she needed to stop for her own safety. I just can’t wait to see what Alice does next in series 2. For Hezekiah, someone who helped him get his boxing career going was Peggy Bettinson, played by Ziggy Heath, who Mary introduced Hezekiah to for his career. He originally had a plan to have him and Sugar fight together, but soon changed tactics after Hezekiah’s success, and episode 6 shows how much he cares for him as a athlete after a bad accusation following his fight with Buster Williams (NAME). There was also the Earl of Lonsdale played by Adam Nagaitis, who at first I thought was abit weird. But after coming face to face with Hezekiah first hand, he helped him promote his career seeing his full potential. There was also relative to the Queen Victoria Davies, played by Aliyah Odoffin, who took quite a liking of Hezekiah and knew he would go into great things. But she also sensed the danger in episode 6 and was willing to help him get sent away after the fight with Buster Williams. There were also people who both Hezekiah and Mary faced obstacles and not just for Sugar. These included Sharkey, played by Elliot Warren, who loved Mary and wondered how she gained all that power when normally he claimed it would’ve been the guys. But his lifestyle led him to a dreadful fate, resorting to Mary not grieving but moving on in her own way in episode 2. There was also Mary’s mother Jane Carr, played by Susan Lynch, who I don’t think was happy with Mary’s way of life and leading the Forty Elephants. But a comment made in episode 6 about how she reminded her of her late husband (Mary’s father) shows that she doesn’t hate her, but maybe could’ve gone down a different path. 

I don’t think I have any downsides per se, as because it was created and written by Stephen Knight, who also created Peaky Blinders, I knew it was going to be good. But I guess there were moments where it was upsetting, like Alec’s fate, and moments where it was hard to watch, like Sugar having a showdown with Treacle.  It I think that’s a sign as a viewer to say how invested you are in a character, and Steven did a good job to let it shine through.

Overall I would give the show a 4.95. It was tense, thrilling and also gave me a history lesson. With series 2 to binge watch, I can’t wait to see how Hezekiah navigates the world of his boxing career.

And that is it for my latest instalment of TV Reviews. Let me know which show you watched and your thoughts on them.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)