I totally get it, my wife and I were kinda like “…well shit that was depressing” after the first episode, and I told her I really liked it, but that is appeared to be a story largely about shitty people in a shitty town that’s fucked”.

So I agree with your assessment. Also, having both a 4 and a 1 year old has also made some situations more relatable and/or difficult to watch.