Shameless Season 9 Episode 2
Last week, I sadly missed the opportunity to review the season 9 premiere of Shameless. This is due to being in Toronto for TIFF (which you can read the first wave of our coverage for here), but it doesn’t ease the sting of not sharing with you fine, fellow Alibi lifers the joy of Frank’s delirious group therapy session with the parents at Liam’s prep school, or enjoying with every one of us the revelation that Gay Jesus has turned into Gay Jesus-Spartacus on the inside of Chi-Town’s most open-minded correctional facility. Yet here we are, ready to catch up on the next 13 weeks of Gallagher goodness, as well as to prepare for what cannot be anything less than a bitter sendoff of Fiona in the weeks ahead. Thus enters “Mo White.” This is not the first time that Frank has flirted with activism to underwrite his passions, but whereas he once was the face to fight gentrification on a grassroots level, he has since come to the realization the better money is in working behind the scenes at the same racket as the greatest con artist in American history: the one who made America “great” again. Or as Frank aptly re-appropriates it, “Make America White Again.” It’s an amusing subplot that plays to Macy’s strengths as Frank, if for no other reason than Frank is at his most bleakly amusing when he’s at his most detestable. Last week, there was something vaguely reassuring about the Frank Gallagher who brought couples together by admitting their WASPy marriages were shams. But as a character, there’s something more truthful about his nasty aggrievement at a system he only thinks about when trying to exploit it. After playing both sides of what must be a Democratic primary (a strong black woman vs. a gay Hispanic man campaigning with rainbow signs), Frank recognizes the campaign manager holds most of the purse strings, so he engineers a political campaign at the Alibi. If Frank is going to try to become the Trump (or at least Steve Bannon) of the South Side, the whiteness of the show should be addressed, but time will tell in that regard. Elsewhere, Fiona’s storyline continues to be less about being “shameless” and more about climbing the ladder. Which is fine by me. If this is going to be the last season with Fiona, her continued trajectory as the only Gallagher who won’t settle for diminished expectations is A-OK by us. While Ford continues to be the blandest non-entity of her boyfriends, he raises an interesting point: Should Fiona go into commercial real estate? With that said, this storyline also underscores one of the aspects of Shameless’ smug cynicism that doesn’t land as well as others. While the show can get a lot of mileage out of breaking credulity in order to service a good joke for a supporting character—such as Kassidi seemingly being killed off in the premiere, which ties off a dead end storyline even though in real life her teenage husband would immediately be targeted for investigation by her rich parents—it plays less well for main characters. Even if Fi is now focused on getting rich quick, she is still Liam’s legal guardian and usually the most concerned about her siblings’ educational prospects. Liam hit the golden ticket by going to that private school, which is also a point of pride (and exploitation) for Frank. In no reality would an elementary school, even an elitist one trying to temper the anger of a few well-connected parents, expel a child without speaking to his legal guardians, which is, in this case, Fi. And both Fiona and Frank would go to the mattresses to get Liam back in that school, even if it was a doomed battle. To see Fiona not even consider trying and shrug off he might be doomed to the same crappy public school education that failed her rings incredibly false. Still, I enjoy the direction Fi’s storyline is going and wonder if it will be quite so rosy as she imagines. If this is to be Fiona’s last season, I would hope the show wouldn’t do what the UK series did with a much less developed version of Fi after only a year, which is have her run off with Jimmy (or nowadays Ford). Nor do I necessarily see her breaking out of poverty for good, as that isn’t apiece with the whole aesthetic of the series. One has to wonder if the rich fish Fiona thinks she caught with his upcoming gentrification project isn’t setting her up? He’s already convinced her to invest $50,000 in a partnership she doesn’t have, and part of me worries if this is the first step in an ethical slippery slope where she becomes the patsy for some white collar crimes? Just some idle speculation at the moment. It isn’t like the Gallaghers don’t have a history of imprisonment issues considering where Gay Jesus has landed these days. After proving his ego-trip, complete with a lack of medication, is his destiny for at least the next season, Ian is in no danger of having his dream job of an EMT coming back. In fact, he seemed quite happy in jail officiating a humorous group of marriages that the state of Illinois totally did not invest him with the power to consecrate. Instead though he discovers his Gay Jesus militant powers have already been coopted by capitalism as a bunch of at-risk teens want to turn him into a national hero. So of course in a panic, he sneaks out the window. I’m mostly at a loss where Ian’s storyline is going these days, however that seems to be the point. After staying on his meds for a few seasons, his stability seemed to bore him (or his writers), and so he’s completely off the rails again. As someone who hasn’t followed all the behind-the-scenes reports, I wonder if we won’t see Trevor anymore, and if so that’s a shame. But at this point, Ian wouldn’t be too amiss if he ran off to Mexico to find Mickey, because I don’t see him being able to keep the even keel and staying as Gay Jesus™ indefinitely. Debs seems open to a romantic relationship with a woman, or at least a date with one. And why not? Her baby daddy is a real POS. Hopefully, this allows for some scenes between Debs and Ian as they discuss all the possibilities of experimentation. The two characters have never had a lot of scenes together, and this could do what the show does best: align the Gallagher kids in interesting ways. I also would like to see other characters react to Carl’s own predicaments in the house. After being the most reasonable MVP Gallagher last season, Carl continues to grow by setting his sights on West Point. Certainly a lofty target, particularly for an ex-juvie jailbird, it presents plenty of comical rich soils. If you say “volunteer” to a Gallagher, of course they’ll respond, “I don’t suppose any of these pay?” Yep, Lip has so centered in his sobriety this week that his storyline seems to be changing for the better. I suspect he is headed for heartache with Sam, as the young kid is just one mouth he cannot afford to feed. She’s essentially another sibling. At the same time, it is in keeping with Lip to do the right thing when it also adds unwanted strain on his life. On a certain subconscious level, he is a masochist with a heart of gold and playing big brother to one more is right in line with his hero complex. Also, given that we were introduced to the Gallaghers happily taking stuff that has “fallen off a truck” (that they unloaded), one must consider if Lip is upset Sam stole from that woman in the park or that she got caught? Yet even though Lip is forced to consider that he is what his wedding date accused him of being last week (a bit of sad sack, not the “bad at sex” thing), it is nice to see him channel his energy in positive ways. Witnessing him as a sponsor and as the last paternal figure of the Gallagher household is worthwhile considering if the show is to continue post-Fiona. In a few months, he’ll be the only sane Gallagher left with any authority over Liam, and for that lad’s sake, I hope we continue to see the more responsible Lip blossom. So ends my belated welcome back to these old neighborhood friends. It’s good to be stomping along these old haunts once more.
Most Shameless Quote of the Week
“Look at a history book, we used to be the leading men. Now we’re marginalized.” – Frank.
