The third season of F Is for Family ended on an interesting cliffhanger, as Frank’s abusive father, William, the source of Frank’s famously short fuse, finally arrived at the Murphy household. Season four shows how the psychological wounds of childhood will fester, if left untreated. But Frank’s memories of a towering tyrant don’t quite match with the sweet old man who has arrived at his house. Annoyingly for Frank, his father has always been very good at keeping up appearances, his terrible temper only erupting in the privacy of his own home. Frank’s anger isn’t quite as calculated; the man will happily explode at home, at a restaurant, or even his children’s school. The season sees Frank attempting to reach an understanding with his father, as well as re-examining his own parenting, trying to break the cycle of anger before his children end up inheriting it too. F is for Family is always great at exploring serious issues that disproportionately affect the working class. William’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge his terrible parenting is a defensive move - he doesn’t want to believe how badly he failed as a parent. While it sounds grim (and sometimes, it is), the season balances those heavy moments with plenty of humour, and hints of hope for the future. The show underlines the fact that there are no easy solutions to reconciliation that parenthood is one long series of mistakes, and family drama can’t be fixed through a single conversation.

– Compilation