Okay now I'm thinking more about the Kev/Robert story and what it is the show was trying to achieve because I really really don't know...
It certainly wasn't a serious ptsd story for Robert.
It didn't even really attempt to explain much about why he was having ptsd when he was released.
It didn't really explore the Robert and Kev relationship much beyond the basics and surface level because we never even really saw what their relationship was like in prison after them initially getting together other than Robert wanting to appeal and lying about it.
It didn't really explain why Robert was so scared of Kev other than a temper that never really got shown to us.
It didn't really paint Kev as a convincing villain because they went on and on about his temper and how dangerous he was and then did almost nothing with that.
It didn't really dig deep into Kev's character beyond a few surface level things either to really make him a well fleshed out character beyond being funny, baking and sad karaoke. Like they touched on things but it didn't seem like they were really trying to tell a Kev story either. He just got more screen time and focus than Robert.
It was technically a story where Robron got back together but it didn't touch on 95% of the issues preventing them from getting back together.
They couldn't even manage to deal with the plot points they put forward like the self stabbing or Kev being a bomb waiting to go off etc.
The prison flashback episode had a real opportunity to tell an interesting story and it felt like they didn't even try. They wasted more time on non flashback set up scenes than anything.
There was a potentially interesting story there with a messy toxic, codependent for different reasons relationship that intermixed with Robert's prison trauma and also told the story of a man who'd been in prison for 20 odd years and was just now discovering his sexuality and how that led to an unstable relationship that worked in prison somewhat but definitely didn't work outside of it. One that could have allowed a serious story for Robert and allowed Kev to be redeemed if they'd wanted to and I just don't feel like anyone really got what they wanted out of it...
...aside from the GA who just wanted any kind of break from the bleakness of the show and found it in Kev's comedic moments.
So it really just is another example of the show failing its characters and the fans that want more than just mindless entertainment.
