The Franke children were failed

As the name suggests, I watched Devil in the Family on Hulu. This documentary wasn't my first exposure to the 8 Passengers family. I don't usually partake in family vlogging accounts, so I learned of them from a j aubrey commentary video over four years ago. Since then, I've seen the events unfolding with them as they were happening. I'll never forget when I saw the infamous police camera footage on Twitter not long after Ruby's arrest. I could hardly believe the video of their youngest daughter in that house was real.

I haven't felt that level of fury in a long time. Truthfully, I was cursing under my breath that entire documentary. There were so many people that could've stepped in and intervened. They knew what was happening to those kids and that it wasn't normal. Even if no one was aware of the final Jodi Hildebrandt incident, it was clear those kids were treated poorly. 

I was shocked Kevin, the father, actually made an appearance. The public's opinion of him appears to be mixed and understandably so. It's not like Kevin was physically present in that terrible final year. But that's just the problem. He wasn't present. He said himself that he was their final line of defense and he was missing.

I'm not sure how anyone is supposed to seem him as redeemable. There's no way Ruby was harshly disciplining the children under his nose. He made the choice to block his kids' texts when they asked for his help. There was no bribery or blackmail. He gave up. He witnessed the horrible things Ruby did and only doubled down. Now he's in the documentary playing none-the-wiser. The truth is obvious. He's only there to help his case if he's ever questioned.

Those two youngest are going to live with that trauma for the rest of their lives.