I seem to be talking to myself here, but what the heck?
I listened to a bunch more of this show over the weekend, including the one where Leroy gets sick and the one where Marjorie has no date for the dance. I've only heard about a dozen overall, but I think those two encapsulate why I've started to enjoy it. Gildy is not all bluster and a lewd laugh. Those two show how much he really cares, and that under all his yelling and complaining, there is a real heart buried not very deeply below. He sacrifices his own time for the kids, he goes out of his way to make them happy, and when he takes Marjorie to the dance there is some actually touching dialogue. I wish I'd listened sooner.