Drama
Half Man
In HBO’s Half Man, violence, sexual abuse and dysfunction characterize the complicated relationship between a set of almost-stepbrothers.
“Aren’t you tired of that story?” Charlie’s grandma asks. “You must’ve heard it a hundred times.”
But Charlie isn’t tired of the story. In fact, he needs to hear it again, more than ever. And so, she indulges him.
12 years ago, Charlie’s grandparents were excavating the old ruins near their home on Bryony Island, when suddenly, they heard a noise. When they went to investigate, they found a baby minotaur abandoned in the woods.
It was a miracle, by all accounts: Charlie’s parents had always wanted kids, but they had become convinced they could never have one of their own. So they were delighted when the minotaur was given to them to raise. (And just a few years later, they had Charlie, too.)
Yep, that’s the same story Charlie’s heard about his minotaur brother, Lorcan, for years. Though he’d been hoping it might glean a new detail or two: Lorcan’s been having intense nightmares that coincide with the full moon and difficulty controlling his anger. The brothers aren’t entirely convinced that the recent property damage around town isn’t the result of some sleepwalking destruction on Lorcan’s part. And they want to clear his name before the rest of the town—who are slowly becoming convinced that the only minotaur anyone’s ever seen might be the culprit—takes action against Lorcan.
But as Charlie leaves the building, he overhears the adults talking.
“What did you want us to do? Tell them the truth?” someone asks.
And then comes his grandmother’s reply:
“What if they keep digging for answers? What if they find out Lorcan’s parents are still alive?”
And his grandfather’s:
“We can’t keep Lorcan’s destiny a secret forever.”
My Brother the Minotaur is, at its core, a story of belonging.
Lorcan and Charlie (and a couple of their friends) are desperate to unravel the mystery of Lorcan’s origin (as well as what it means for his future). And much of that comes from Lorcan’s desire to fit into human society.
Much of Bryony Island likes Lorcan. The townsfolk even saw it fit to end tourism to the island in order to protect the boy from the ogling eyes of anyone who’d inevitably show up if they heard there was a real minotaur living there. But there are the occasional rumors and suspicions—and a couple of outspoken residents seem to feel nothing but contempt for Lorcan.
And so, My Brother the Minotaur ultimately places Lorcan in this middle place, wherein he must find a balance between where he comes from and where he’s grown up. That struggle, paired with plenty of sweet familial scenes, give the show a lot of heart.
That all being said, despite the intrigue in the show’s mystery, parents will need to grapple with the supernatural. Other than the minotaur premise, a couple of Irish mythological creatures show up—like the Pooka and fairies, the former of which may be frightening in appearance to younger viewers. Characters use charms to protect themselves against the Pooka (though these ultimately do nothing), and a portal to another world appears in the plot, too.
Aside from those considerations, viewers will see general peril, but they won’t have to deal with other content issues.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Struggling with his anger and nightmares, Lorcan becomes distressed when someone accuses him of vandalism. He and Charlie search for answers that might make sense of Lorcan’s growing struggles.
Lorcan suffers a nightmare in which a scary, bipedal rabbit-like creature hunts him. A boy falls off his bike, and he nearly falls off a cliff.
Lorcan has a vivid dream directing him to a stone door with a strange symbol carved into it. He says it felt like the door was calling out to him. Someone describes movements that are “like a phantom.” A creature shapeshifts.
The kids begin their search into Lorcan’s past.
We see a flashback of invaders razing a village. Lorcan attacks his grandfather and almost drops a punching bag atop the man.
Characters reference a “new energy” coming from the “Other Side,” another world connected to ours via a magical gateway. Someone reads a prophecy from a book. A creature shapeshifts. Lorcan has a vision of the Other Side.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
In HBO’s Half Man, violence, sexual abuse and dysfunction characterize the complicated relationship between a set of almost-stepbrothers.
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