It’s hard to believe Shameless has hit this seventh season checkpoint. It seems like just yesterday when Ian and Mickey were slowly, but aggressively, falling in love. Remember Jimmy/Steve? So much has changed in Shameless, and so much of it has stayed the same, and perhaps that’s why the title of the first episode is appropriate. Hiraeth is a Welsh word for a feeling of homesickness for one’s homeland. Not only am I feeling nostalgic during this milestone, but several of the core characters are reflecting on their own lives, and making changes as they see fit.
The director, Christopher Chulack, went a little artsy and abstract with the initial sequence. When we last saw Frank, the group threw him over the bridge and into the river. Now, Frank is caught up in a coma-dream, complete with visions of Fiona, Debbie, and the rest of the Gallagher clan. Unfortunately for him, they don’t share these daydreams about him. Frank is back, and like a cockroach, he just can’t seem to die. The ensemble cast and I share the same feeling of “Ugh, Frank is alive?” I’m never happy to see him on the screen (William H. Macy really does a fantastic job of making it easy to hate Frank), but he does know how to shake things up.
Frank wakes up and discovers that not only did no one look for him after he disappeared, but he has also racked up quite a lengthy hospital bill during his thirty day stay. He later finagles his way back into the Gallagher home, and manages to get a wheelchair and himself up to the second floor, barricading himself in Fiona’s room. That will definitely be trouble next week, and I can’t wait to see if Fiona finally kicks her father out of the house for good.
Fiona, when we last saw her, just had the wakeup call of a century when she learned, on her wedding day, that her “sober” fiancé had been using and lying about it for a long time. Now Fiona’s taken Sean’s managing responsibilities, and it’s absolute chaos. From uncooked food, to employees injuries in the kitchen. Quantico’s Tate Ellington makes a small cameo, granting Fiona a one dollar raise until the government can find a proper replacement for Sean. Fiona declares to Lip that she is off of relationships, and just like Lip’s sobriety, it won’t last long.
Let’s not forget Debbie, and her hot-and-cold approach to her daughter, Frannie. I have so much second hand embarrassment for Debbie in this episode. She starts with dropping Frannie off in front of the fire department garage, and only goes back when she thinks the truck might run her over. (No kidding Debs, she’s safer with you). Then she starts stealing expensive strollers and selling them on Craigslist, because what could possibly go wrong? I will say the writers seem to be spot on with Debbie so far, though. A lot of people had an issue with the entire pregnancy plot. Some called it out of character and disappointing, and I agree with those feelings. We know one thing is for sure, Debbie has a future as an entrepreneur, look at all of the success she’s had so far! We all know this will catch up with her, and I am interested to see how Fiona and Debbie’s relationship progresses throughout the season.
It seems like the Gallagher’s have adopted a new routine, including the presence of Dominique, Carl’s girlfriend. While Carl handles some personal problems, Lip reveals that his sobriety isn’t cold-turkey at all. He walks into the Alibi with a solidly complicated plan about when and where he can drink, and of course, how much. He seems happy with himself in the end, but whenever the Gallaghers keep secrets, it never ends well.
In a record of some sort, the Shameless season premiere granted me a wish! It actually covered the entire cast, including, my favorites, Svetlana, Kev, and V. The three have become some form of a polyamorous relationship, caring for their three children as a team. It’s really entertaining, and I really love how weird and normal it is. We learn that Svetlana is really good at math, and she uses it to figure out the financials of the Alibi. Maybe they will get them in order, but that sounds boring. I’m sure the writers have cooked up some scheme for the trio to take part in. No matter what, I love ever scene with Kev and V in it, so any excuse to have them on screen will make me happy.
Finally, for the biggest reveal of them all, and probably one of the biggest plot points of this season: Ian and Caleb. The firefighter mentions a high school friend, Denise, and assures Ian that she’s just a friend. Despite the fact that she is a woman, Ian still doesn’t trust Caleb. After a funny, but inspiring, conversation with his EMT partner, he pairs up with Lip to follow Caleb to his dinner date with Denise. There’s no doubt about the fact that Denise is a woman, but Caleb is also definitely cheating on Ian with her. Whoops! I bet the writers will have Caleb come out as bisexual, which would be a huge step for male characters on television, let alone bisexual representation overall. It’s not cool that he’s cheating, but maybe we will get some interesting rhetoric out of it.
I loved this first episode. It covered every important character in Shameless and it showed that the series is still as strong as ever. I cannot wait to see what the Shameless writers have concocted for this season; I can only hope for them to match the roller coaster of emotions in the previous seasons.
[Photo credit: Cliff Lipson/Showtime]
