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What is Peyronie's Disease? 'DTF St. Louis' star dishes on ASL link: 'It really is a big…'

Floyd suffers from Peyronie’s Disease in 'DTF St. Louis' and claims that it led him to ASL

In the premiere of 'DTF St. Louis,' David Harbour’s Floyd Smernitch revealed that he knows American Sign Language (ASL) because he suffers from a condition called Peyronie’s Disease. As per Mayo Clinic, this condition occurs when fibrous scar tissue forms in the deeper tissues present under the skin of the p*nis. The condition causes individuals to suffer from curved and painful erections. It can also make it hard for people to be intimate and maintain an erection, a phenomenon which is called erectile dysfunction. The show makes it evident that Floyd experiences such issues, but how it relates to him knowing ASL remains a mystery. In the second week's episode, titled 'Snag It,' he was seen gearing up to reveal how he ended up with the condition, but the mystery remained as he got distracted.

The eventual murder victim, Floyd, struck up a friendship with weatherman Clark Forrest (Jason Bateman) in the show. The friendship progressed while the former worked as the latter's ASL interpreter. As conversations deepened, Floyd decided to open up about how he was diagnosed with the condition. The interpreter explained that he was on his way to a high-stress interview when he came across a man wandering. The individual was clearly at risk of being injured, and Floyd crossed a busy street to get him to safety. The good deed made its way to television, but how it led to him having Peyronie's disease remained a mystery. 

In the latest episode titled 'Amphezyne,' after the televised interview, Smernitch met with an accident. He ended up with two broken wrists, forcing him to open an umbrella by wedging it between both his legs. The umbrella then flew due to the impact of a passing motorcycle. Though this sequence of events could explain significant physical injuries, it is not enough to imply Peyronie's disease or its connection with ASL. As per Decider, the connection will not be revealed until Episode 7, which serves as the finale. “You got to wait till [Episode] 7, I think, to get to the full story because he tells the story several times,” Harbour shared.

Rest assured, the reveal will be well-thought-out. As per the actor, the story arc has been there since the series started development four years ago. The idea is apparently to give bits and pieces in every episode, and then expose it all in the finale set to air on April 12, 2026, on HBO. The 'Stranger Things' alum is confident that the finale will satisfy the audience. “You think it’s just going to be a silly thing, we have a bunch of little silly things, and then in the end, it really is a big, huge emotional payoff,” Harbour added.