Frank Gallagher can barely take care of himself, let alone his large family. He's not so much an evil villain as he is the everyday bad father that we see all the time, a man with so many vices and addictions that lead him to make terrible decisions that hurt his children in immeasurable ways. With two Frank Gallaghers, both the original Channel 4 version and the American remake screwing up their families in new and interesting ways, we have to give the edge to the William H Macy interpretation, if only because the later seasons of the original didn't involve his kids as heavily. While Frank engages in self-destructive behavior, there's a sense that he is so far past caring about what he does to himself, so the only people he's really are the ones who depend on him. His older children loathe him, and undoubtedly the younger ones will hate him just as much eventually. Can you really blame any of them for not wanting to visit him when he's on the verge of death?
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
