Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s romantic series ‘Uncoupled’ is an intricate relationship saga that explores the contemporary gay dating scene of New York City. The show prominently follows realtor Michael Lawson, who struggles to find love again in the city after separating from his partner Colin McKenna after seventeen years. As Michael deals with the break-up, his best friends Stanley James and Billy Burns extend their support to him. In the first season finale, Stanley reveals to Michael and Billy that he has got diagnosed with breast cancer. As he grows worried about the survival rate of the same, the viewers must be alarmed whether he dies. Well, let us share the answer! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Does Stanley Die from Breast Cancer?
Stanley does not die from breast cancer. He is newly diagnosed with the same and since it’s stage-one cancer, Stanley’s life isn’t in immediate danger. The doctor also adds to him that they have diagnosed cancer early enough, which indicates that the gallerist doesn’t have to lose hope. However, the test results startle Stanley severely as he doubts whether he will have enough time to build a life of his own with a partner. After living a lonely life for a long time, Stanley wants to find and cherish love and battling cancer turns out to be a concern he wasn’t ready to deal with.
Since the survival rate of breast cancer is indeed high, Stanley may not need to worry about battling death. Considering that his cancer is stage-one, he most likely will be able to treat the same and recover from it without severe complications. As Suzanne Prentiss, Michael’s business partner and the group’s close friend, lets him know, Stanley will likely be able to put past cancer as a terrifying story of the past in no time. His fear must be the emotional reaction to the diagnosis and the surprise of being part of the 1% of men who get diagnosed with breast cancer.
Although Stanley may recover from the breast cancer soon, it may change the life of not only the gallerist but also Billy’s. When Stanley asks Michael to accompany him to his doctor, Billy starts to wonder why Stanley hasn’t asked him. When the television celebrity asks his friend why he didn’t ask him, Stanley lets him know that he isn’t a responsible friend. Stanley knows that Billy’s attention will not be on him or what the doctor will say but on flirting with the doctor. When Stanley tells the same to Billy, he realizes that he hasn’t been a good friend to Stanley or anyone.
Billy promises Stanley that he will take care of him and assures him that he will accompany him to the doctor as well. Potentially taking care of Stanley while the latter deals with the complications of his cancer may change Billy as a person and friend. If the sophomore season of the show gets greenlit by Netflix, we may see Stanley’s efforts to conquer cancer and Billy’s transformation to be a better companion for Stanley and others. If that’s the case, Stanley’s cancer can be a development conceived also to explore Billy as a character.
Stanley is not the bravest among Michael, Billy, and their friends. However, he has enough friends around him to take care of him while he deals with scary cancer. If the second season of the show materializes, we may see such friendships explored more, making ‘Uncoupled’ more endearing.
Read More: Do Michael and Colin Get Back Together in Uncoupled?
