Was Frank Lambert a trashy excuse of a character in hindsight?
At least based on the pilot episode. The episode begins with the insinuation that Frank left his underage kids alone by themselves (without much adequate food left in the kitchen) so that he could go off on his week long vacation in Jamaica.
When we get around to Carol and her own kids and house, Frank apparently lets it slip that he really only went to Jamaica after talking to Carol's travel agent to find out where she was going. Just on the surface, doesn't that sound like Frank was essentially stalking Carol?
When Carol tells Frank that she wants a divorce after only knowing each other for like a week while on vacation, Frank says they can just date and introduce the kids to each other and then after the appropriate amount of time they can reveal the marriage. Isn't what Frank did to Carol what I just described him doing, in effect, gas-lighting her to stay together?
Eventually of course, when Frank introduces Carol to his kids, his eldest son JT calls Carol a bimbo and accuses the two of dating. Frank then says she isn't a bimbo and they aren't dating, they're married.
The next day, Frank uproots his children's lives to move into the home of a woman he barely knew.