Analyzing Frankie and Sparky's relationship because I can:
(Also- Look at this scene, they look at sweet and totally not dysfunctional...)
Anyway I wanna start with something we already know; Sparky physically abuses Frankie.
Sparky is a lot of things to Frankie, a Boss and somewhat implied to be a Father figure as well. This placing him as an authority in the dynamic and thus makes his actions antagonistic regardless of intentions. But even then it is unclear what Frankie is to him without looking deeper.
On a surface level, Sparky seems to regard Frankie as his employee, and an asset he does not want to lose. Dismissing her aspirations to work in the park so she can keep her working for him.
But i think that take is inaccurate. Frankie already has many jobs, with working under Sparky being more of a side gig.
The park is, infact, up to "sick shit" as Sparky puts it. I think he genuinely wants to protect Frankie, not just from the park, but also from the people he and she both hang around; As her becoming and engineer would make her a "Crowny".
I find this scene below intriguing in the way it shows a side to him being protective of Frankie. When "the boys" start shit talking Frankie, Sparky gives them a look to make them shut up.
Frankie may be apart of this group due to her familiarity with "the boys" as well as her knowledge of the "exotics" them and Sparky sell.
I've used the scene below in a previous post to describe Frankie being de-fanged. Which is a very specific punishment relating to her tendency to not "fight like proper" in Sparky's eyes.
His anger towards Frankie during this altercation isn't that she's fighting back, it's that she's fighting "wrong" by biting. Very interesting. I'm not saying he wouldn't have been piss at Frankie if she decked him in the face, but that details mixed with Frankie being apart of illegal operations could imply that Sparky teaches her how to fight.
I think Sparky does care for Frankie, in a messy and dysfunctional way. This compilation of my noticings is all I have until the next episode comes out.
