Shameless returned this week after choosing not to compete with the Oscars. Let me say that this was one of the most disjointed episodes of Shameless I have ever seen, but it did still have some sweet emotional moments.
Queenie continues to wreak havoc over the Gallagher household, and Fiona takes on the new challenge of getting Sean’s son to like her. What a challenge! Fiona is so used to just bossing her siblings around that it’s really never a question if they like her or not. Will really doesn’t like Fiona, and Fi understands why, but nothing really improves between them throughout the episode. Things take a nasty turn when Sean finds Will playing with a gun from Fiona’s house. Sean explodes, and rightly so, he could lose what little custody he has because of this. In any case, Fiona takes this as a sign to be more cautious about what is in their house, and she and Carl remove all weapons from the house.
Lip is still hung up on Helene, and seeks several different methods to solve his crisis. Ultimately, and somewhat disturbingly, Queenie comes to his rescue. That’s all I can really put in this review about that, and let’s be honest it was really strange. Lip is cured though! So let the Lip antics return!
Carl and Frank swap roles when Carl decides he wants out of the gang. Several people tell him what he probably already knows: he’s in the game for life. Ouch. The cruel murder Nick committed definitely comes as a wakeup call for Carl, but up until now he really hasn’t talked about it with anyone. Through their tight circle of friends Fiona learns about Carl’s issue with the gang, and he finally opens up about what happened to Nick. She tells him that she is proud of him, and they share a very sweet moment. She also takes the cornrows out of his hair! Thank goodness! Sean also offers support when Carl confronts the gang and they both end up walking home in their underwear. Funny, and heartfelt! Sean is starting to earn points in my book.
Frank starts a successful relationship with Carl’s former employers, doing the same thing he was doing before. When he earns their trust he gets a large amount of cocaine to sell, but it never makes it out of a barber shop where his new friends go to town on it. I am certain all of this will come up next week, and I have to wonder, how close will Frank come to death this time?
Debbie has a short romantic stint with a total creep. I could tell immediately that this guy was up to no good, and I was disappointed to be right. Turns out the guy was only into her because she was pregnant. I find myself saying “Poor Debbie” more and more as this season goes on. I really don’t see how Debbie’s plot on Shameless will get better after this season, and that makes me so sad. She had so much potential before and now every new turn seems to be a disappointment for her.
Ian and Caleb have a few nice moments throughout the episode. They finally reveal their big secrets to each other. Ian is bipolar, which we knew, and Caleb is HIV positive. I am happy they are bringing up this topic now that Ian has a more stable relationship in his life. Caleb is bringing a lot of normalcy into Ian’s life, and I look forward to other normal activities they will share together.
Again, this episode was sort of all over the place, but it still had some nice moments. Weird ones, too, but nice moments overall.
[Photo credit: Warren Feldman/Showtime]
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