Season Review: F is for Family Season Five

F is for Family has always been a series that encapsulates what life is like for the average family. Well, at least life as it was in the mid-to-late-1970s. The show unapologetically showcased just how messed up life was for a young Generation X – with a severe lack of guidance lathered with fragile family dynamics. Suburbia was no cakewalk for the modern man either, as featured through Bill Burr’s performance as Frank Murphy. However, many of the same elements of a struggling middle-class family ring with familiarity for all generations.

Throughout the early years of the Netflix original, F is for Family, the Murphy family explored many aspects of suburban life. Work, money, community, and most importantly family, have always been significant aspects of the series. However, the show outdid itself in season four when it brought Frank’s father into the fold. To raise the stakes on their mental health, Sue and Frank Murphy also found themselves expecting a new baby.

Well, season five starts off with a significant twist of its own, when Big Bill Grampa Murphy dies in the first episode. The whirlwind created for Frank could not be heavier, as his daddy issues have always been a significant factor in his anger problem. Yet, the lead character handles the transition reasonably well, considering the circumstance. Frank undergoes the stages of grief throughout the final season of F is for Family as best as a man can do – without messing up his family too bad along the way. And by the series finale, he may have learned a thing or two.

Subsequently, the rest of the family goes through their own dramas as they navigate life. Sue, in particular, takes Big Bill’s death as a reminder to make the most with her own family. Although, it obviously won’t be easy with her father equally as narcissistic as Frank’s. Thankfully, Sue, played by Laura Dern, is fantastic in this final season and easily considered the year’s MVP.

Meanwhile, oldest son Kevin, played by Justin Long, goes through the hardest lesson of all, teenage heartbreak. Proportionately, Kevin comes out a better man for it in the end and manages to make a connection with his father along the way.

Middle sibling Bill goes through his own side-adventure for the season. Starting from acting out because faith holds no meaning to becoming a junior police officer with the official force. But, that also doesn’t stop him from premiering a pornographic film for all the kids in the neighbourhood.

Finally, no longer the youngest, Maureen, gets into her own troublesome ways. The 9-year-old girl will be caught manipulating witchcraft throughout the entire season. The fire she causes at the cemetery is only outshined by her brother, Kevin, accidentally setting his own fire at the Jewish monastery.

As troublesome as things got with the kids, though, Sue and Frank have come a long way since we first met this dysfunctional family in 2015.

Thankfully, this comedy is not just full of sappy emotions. Equally as dramatic, the comedy manages to pack in some hilarious moments in the final eight-episode collection. Even with local drug addict Vic sobering up and becoming a single dad, a very different angle for Sam Rockwell’s lovable character. Kevin Michael Richardson’s character, Chauncey, also sports a new dynamic after becoming a local politician in the fourth season. And nearly every other character introduced throughout the series has their own form of closure.

The end of this five-season run is handled well through this family sitcom styled animated series. As the show flows through changes, emulating life, it also goes through beginnings and ends. Assuredly, the series ends the same way it began, completing the circle. In fact, the final scene is a direct mirror of the first time we met the Murphy family. And the beautiful part is watching how far these characters have come along their path.

The final season humbly brings things to a close with that common understanding that life continues forward. All we can say now is that it was fun while it lasted. Certainly, F is for Family dug its heels too hard in the family sitcom turf. However, the swear words and adult-themed comedy helped to lessen the blow of the after-school-special morals. In the end, F is for Family was a thoughtful perspective on life in the middle-class performed by a class of talented comedians. Solid in its intentions and executed with grace.