Misericórdia (2024)
10
In This Is Us , the Pearson family’s drama hinges on the death of the father, Jack. But the complexity arrives when we see that Jack, while a "good dad" by 80s standards, had his own demons (alcoholism, rage from the Vietnam War) that he passed down to Kevin and Kate. The show is brilliant because it argues that even a good family is a house of damage. You cannot have complex family relationships without an ensemble cast. The structure of a family drama is unique because the plot is the character map. Time shifts (flashbacks, flash-forwards) are particularly effective here.
Conversely, the "Golden Child vs. Scapegoat" dynamic provides endless fuel. In Arrested Development , Michael Bluth spends the entire series trying to be the responsible son, sacrificing his life to save the family business, only to realize his narcissistic mother and oblivious father love the lazy, criminal Gob just as much. That recognition—"I will never be enough"—is the knife twist of the parent-child drama. With family drama, writers face a specific danger: Melodrama . Melodrama is when the emotion outweighs the event. Soap operas often rely on amnesia, secret twins, and convoluted inheritances. Complex family relationships rely on psychology .
Big Little Lies uses the structure of a murder mystery to explore the politics of motherhood and marriage. Little Fires Everywhere uses a custody battle to proxy a war about class and race. Six Feet Under , arguably the greatest family drama ever made, uses death. Each episode begins with a stranger’s death, but the emotional arc is about the Fishers learning how to live with each other.