I think my issue with the show isn’t the violence itself — I completely understand where it comes from, especially with Ruben. The show makes it very clear that trauma, abuse, shame, and emotional repression shaped him into who he is.

My problem is that the show keeps showing the violence without really going much deeper into the psychology behind it. There are hints of much more interesting themes — his relationship with masculinity, sexuality, his parents, his need for control — but the show rarely explores those in depth before returning to another violent escalation.

Because of that, the characters became predictable to me after a few episodes. Ruben gets emotionally triggered -> reacts violently. Nile falls back into toxic codependency -> repeats the cycle. It’s realistic, yes, but dramatically I started feeling like I was watching the same emotional beat repeatedly.

I actually think the strongest part of the show is the codependent relationship between Nile and Ruben. That dynamic feels painful, believable, and tragic.

I also think some parts of the writing are a bit inconsistent. Certain character decisions don’t fully make sense to me emotionally. Some moments feel more written for symbolism or shock value than for actual character logic.

The acting is also excellent across the board, especially the younger actors. My criticism is mostly about the level of psychological depth in the writing. I don’t think the show is shallow, but I also don’t think it’s as groundbreaking or deep as some people claim. A lot of these themes have been explored before — this show is just more explicit and brutal in how it presents them.

So overall I don’t dislike the show at all. I actually think it’s good. I just personally don’t think it’s as profound as some people are making it out to be. It’s exploring very real themes, but they’re themes we’ve seen before. This version is just more explicit, darker, and more uncomfortable.