‘Half Man’ Creator and Star Richard Gadd on the ‘Ambiguous’ Finale, That ‘Grueling’ Fight and [SPOILER]’s Death: ‘It Felt Like the Right Way to End a Show Like This’

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for the series finale of the HBO/BBC drama “Half Man,” now streaming on HBO Max.

For the past six weeks, Richard Gadd’s sophomore drama, “Half Man,” kept viewers on tenterhooks as they waited to find out what actually went down between his character Ruben and Jamie Bell’s Niall in that locked barn at Niall’s wedding — and, more crucially, why.

Now, with the finale revealing the explosive secret Niall had kept from Ruben — and Ruben’s almost predictable reaction — there is a conclusion. But is there closure?

Gadd — who conceived, wrote, executive produced and starred in the show — sat down with Variety to talk about the series’ potentially controversial sixth and final episode, which he admits was making waves before it even aired. “I would say the ending is the most talked about part of the show,” he says, adding that it’s the first thing anyone who has seen a preview of the series has wanted to discuss with him.

But Gadd is wary of revealing too much about the meaning behind the ending, “because sometimes it can take the magic away a little bit,” he says. “I like that the ending is a little ambiguous, and I like that you’re asking these questions. But I sometimes think, it’s almost my duty as an artist sometimes — or a writer, or whatever — to not over-explain intention. Because I think whatever people take out of the scene is more important to me.”