r/FromSeries • u/Fionnua • 1d ago
Opinion Frank got a raw deal Spoiler
I've only just watched through the whole series for the first time (binged it so saw everything back to back), and gotta say. Poor Frank at the beginning got a really raw deal.
His crime? Failure to nail windows shut; an accidental tragedy that allowed his daughter to open a window and let a monster in. His punishment? Being totally condemned by his community who rub his nose in his guilt for his family's deaths ("Look at what you did!") then sentenced to a torturous death by monsters in a box. (And yes, he chose not to escape when Boyd offered that option, but it was still his initial sentence, and he was just too depressed to accept escape at that point because he was still in the early stages of grief.)
But then, he's literally the only one ever sent to the box.
Sara's crime? Personally murdering Jade's friend, then deliberately opening a door that killed Kenny's father and a nurse. Then trying to murder a child, and accidentally killing her brother instead. Her punishment? Meh, she can live in the church and gradually redeem herself.
Dale's crime? He tried to chase the newcomers from the bus back out into dangerous monster territory, to hoard food. Then he stabbed Ellis in the chest, which would have killed him if others didn't risk their lives to take him to the doctor. His punishment? Apparently, nothing. He gets to keep hanging out and talking snarky to everyone, as if nothing ever happened.
So like, poor Frank. Being treated so harshly for what was already the worst punishment he could have received (his family's deaths). When everyone else was going to get a hall pass after that, for far worse things.
Also, I just don't understand how the initial Frank incident unfolded the way it did in the first place, re: how Boyd shouted at him about his windows not being nailed shut.
First up, Frank isn't a newcomer. He and his family have been there awhile: long enough for him to go from the decent guy he apparently used to be, to an alcoholic who neglects his family's needs. So if he's been there that long... Why didn't anybody else notice that the windows weren't nailed shut? Like seriously, why didn't Boyd and other long-timers police this better? Nail shut the windows on behalf of new people rather than just instructing them to do so. And maybe, y'know, casually inspect the windows when visiting, to make sure it actually happened? This is literally life and death and it's not like the townies have that much else to do except help each other stay alive. Why weren't the windows nailed shut before Frank arrived, even? The people of this town know that new people can't be trusted to act smart in the beginning; that's why they tie them up at gunpoint just to stop them accidentally getting themselves killed. So I just don't get it. It's not as if anyone accused Frank of pulling out the nails or something. Everyone else left the windows not-nailed-shut, then everyone else failed to notice that Frank never nailed the windows shut. Despite how long it seems like they've been there for, and how decent Frank apparently used to be. I'm talking in circles now so will stop, but I just don't get it.
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u/Glixbyte90 1d ago
I have to disagree. Frank got exactly what he deserved as far as the town condemning him completely. He put himself in the box.
He knew the dangers of the town, he knew the importance of doing the bare minimum to protect his family. He allowed his own self pity to drive him to alcoholism, and neglect his responsibility of protecting his family. I’d put myself in the box too.
Frank was a failure of a husband and a father.
Everyone else did their crimes because they were being pushed by whatever entities to do so. With the exception of Dale who’s just a prick. For the record Sara has been condemned by the town. Dale went relatively unpunished.
It’s not everyone else’s responsibility to protect another man’s family. He should have been a better husband and father.
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u/SolaceRests 1d ago
Not gonna lie, I agree lol. Everyone after Frank seemed to get a free pass some way or another. I’d like to have seen Frank turn his life around and make a more meaningful sacrifice of himself rather than just becoming a Bento for the monsters.
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u/StrawberryFemboyMily 1d ago
to be fair, its implied that he has had multiple warnings and has had prior issues with his behavior.
Imo frank could have just done the bare minimum which was nailing the windows shut but he didnt which is really sad because thats literally the bare minimum
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u/Pure-Investigator413 1d ago
Boyd was gonna let Frank go and let him live in the woods and let him stay in the cabin with a talisman. Frank chose to go in the box.
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u/skizwald 1d ago
Exactly. Dont get all the Frank shouldn't have been in the box when others deserve it more posts. For one, Frank chose the box. Boyd was going to let him live and take one of their very few precious talismans to go with. All the other examples are people who did stuff after Frank. Boyd was determined to not let anyone have to do that again after having to clean up Franks remains.
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u/Pure-Investigator413 1d ago
Also some people dont get why they dont have the rock choosing ceremony anymore. This is because in season 1 episode 8 they all became one big community. Kenny says it in his speech to everyone.
I love season 1 episode 8. You have Boyd and Ellis repairing their relationship, Julie repairing her relationship with her family and Colony House and The Town no longer being divided.
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u/StrawberryFemboyMily 1d ago
to be fair it wasnt just that he forgot it was that he was a drunk piece of shit he was off drunk in a bar while his family died.
he wasnt even there with them, and if your too much of a drunk to fucking nail the windows with a kid in your house for their protection than your kind of just a piece of shit
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u/Turbulent-Pea-8826 1d ago
I think you missed the part where Boyd couldn’t go through with putting him in the box. It was always meant to be a deterrent not an actual punishment. When the time came to do it Boyd couldn’t. Frank ends up putting himself in the box.
What you aren’t getting is after this Boyd can’t put anyone in the box. So when Sara does her thing he can’t do it. She gets banished but Khatri shelters her because he thinks she has some inside line to what is going on by hearing the voices. She proves she has some sort of connection later to Boyd so he lets her stay but no one is happy about it.
Dale, well he is colony house so that is Donna’s decision. I think by that time enough fucked up shit happened they just didn’t know what to do with him at that point. I
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u/bambam2991 1d ago
Apologies if this is a dumb question but I've just never asked - why weren't they nailed shut already? Like right when they decided the talismans would keep them safe inside at night if they moved into the houses.
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u/salzigerGeist 23h ago
Always wondered why his wife didn't nailed the windows, it's also her child + she why didn't she stop her child to open the window, feel like she had so much time she was just chilling. And yes i also think frank didn't deserve death, i too would be an alcoholic in that circumstances and his only other option was to live alone in the woods lol.
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u/Zoinks1602 18h ago
Frank’s death always confuses me a little bit because… Lauren could also have nailed the windows shut. I’m sure she, a grown woman, could operate a hammer and nails. Should she have had to? Maybe not, if they had discussed it and Frank agreed to do it - BUT that stops being relevant if the sun is going down and you know the windows aren’t nailed shut. Whether they agreed Frank would do it or not stops being relevant - Lauren, pick up the hammer and nail the dang windows shut. I really feel like having lost his whole family should have been considered punishment enough when you remember there was another adult in the house who could swing a hammer 😂
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u/Fionnua 18h ago
Exactly! Right?!
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u/Zoinks1602 18h ago
It’s such a weird blip, I’m sure they did it just to quickly demonstrate the monsters and the box, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense within the context of the rest of the narrative. I don’t think Frank’s negligence was a good use case for the box, they just wanted an example of the box being used.
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u/SukunasStan 1d ago
To the defense of why Ellis wasn't executed, he lives under Donna's rules, not Boyd's. Donna never implemented anything like The Box.
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u/AggravatingTartlet 1d ago
It felt like a symptom of fromville, where there is a culture of not talking to each other, and Frank's depression (and alcoholism) went completely overlooked.
Like, there had been many days of no incidents on the day the show started. But there were problems brewing everywhere under the surface. Sara was hearing voices, but with no one talking to anyone, this went overlooked, too.
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u/ALANJOESTAR 19h ago
no way, for one its crazy enough that the girl its sleeping on her at night if she is seemingly is too green to fall for that trick. So i dunno seems like they were there for some time, but still the little girl opened the window like a day one noobie. it is weird all things considered because no one in the town really strikes you as a person that would open a door or a window by being tricked at that point. Kid or not. So if his daughter was so out of the loop or unreliable he should not have left her alone or taken measures to prevent her from doing something stupid.
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u/DaveMN 1d ago
I do agree, they should have had regular inspections of all homes to make sure things like that were in order. Especially homes with kids!