From the moment Robert Mallory arrives at school in The Shards, he’s surrounded by suspicion. But according to actor Homer Gere, viewers may be judging the mysterious newcomer too quickly.

In FX’s psychological thriller, Robert immediately catches the attention of Bret (Igby Rigney), who insists they’ve met before during a screening of The Shining. While Bret is convinced Robert is lying about his past, Robert denies ever attending the screening, setting the stage for one of the series’ biggest mysteries.

As the season unfolds, Bret becomes increasingly suspicious after witnessing Robert in a series of unsettling encounters—including secret meetings with Matt Kellner, a tense car chase, and cryptic private conversations—all while a serial killer known as The Trawler terrorizes Los Angeles.

Despite Robert’s suspicious behavior, Gere argues that his character isn’t the villain many viewers assume him to be.

“I think he’s trying his best,” Gere said. “He’s been dealt a weird hand, and he’s trying to make it work. I think his family’s as weird as anyone else’s, and there’s reasons for what he does. I think Bret’s being unfair.”

Because The Shards is adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’ novel and told entirely through Bret’s perspective, the story constantly raises questions about whether its narrator can be fully trusted.

However, Igby Rigney doesn’t believe Bret is unreliable. Instead, he argues that Bret simply notices things others overlook because of the double life he’s leading.

“I think he’s incredibly reliable,” Rigney explained. “He’s interacting with adults differently than his peers and hiding parts of himself that others aren’t. That doesn’t make him unreliable—it just means other people aren’t clued in.”

With Robert’s true motives still unclear and The Trawler’s identity remaining a mystery, The Shards continues to blur the line between instinct, obsession, and reality, leaving viewers questioning who can actually be trusted.