Drunken father Frank is of no use to his dysfunctional family; Fiona meets a handsome stranger when her purse is stolen; Lip is shocked to discover his brother Ian is gay.Drunken father Frank is of no use to his dysfunctional family; Fiona meets a handsome stranger when her purse is stolen; Lip is shocked to discover his brother Ian is gay.Drunken father Frank is of no use to his dysfunctional family; Fiona meets a handsome stranger when her purse is stolen; Lip is shocked to discover his brother Ian is gay.
- Karen Jackson
- (as Laura Slade Wiggins)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaKaren (Laura Wiggins) says her mom has melissophobia, referring to her fear of bringing dirt in the house, but melissophobia is actually the fear of bees.
- GoofsWhen Frank is telling Steve about his wife having left, he says that Fiona was 14, Lip was 11, Ian was 10, Debbie was 7, Carl was 5 and Liam was 4 months old. Earlier in the episode, they said that Carl was almost 9, which would only make Fiona 18, Lip 15, Ian 14, Debbie 11, and Liam 4, but Liam appears to be a toddler much younger than 4. Though her age is not stated, given the show's timeline, Fiona should actually be 20, meaning Liam should actually be 6, definitely not sleeping in a crib or wearing diapers.
However, frank was drunk and high when he said this and barely knows anything about his kids anyway, so of course he would got it wrong.
- Quotes
Fiona Gallagher: [Fiona rings Steve, as she walks through the snow]
Steve: [Steve is driving his car through a car wash] Hello?
Fiona Gallagher: If that wasn't bullshit, what was I wearing?
Steve: Huh?
Fiona Gallagher: First time you saw me, if that wasn't a lie.
Steve: Black top with gold trim, black shiny jeans, thin shoes - no straps - sandals. With your hair pinned high. Dangly gold earrings that made me smile.
[flashbacks of Fiona dancing in a nightclub]
Steve: . A big watch - too big - so it slid down your arm. It looked great. And you were dancing next to a red haired girl in a green dress.
Fiona Gallagher: [Fiona sits down on a park bench] Yeah, yeah. Jenna. It was Jenna's birthday. So you were - you were watching her. She's a lot better looking than me.
Steve: You think so? Really?
Fiona Gallagher: Yeah, so how come you're not stalking Jenna?
Steve: Because you - you think like that, and Jenna doesn't. Jenna dances for an audience. You dance like there's no-one else in the room... Your life's not simple, Fiona, and you can't stop it from showing, because you're no fake, you're not lost, you don't need finding. This whole city belongs to the Jenna's, but I'm sick of them. I swear, Fiona, you're nothing like anyone I've ever met. You make me want to enjoy my life again... Are you there? Fiona?
Fiona Gallagher: [Fiona is silent, listening. Shot cuts to Justin driving his car across town and running for the subway, trying to find Fiona. He runs onto the platform just as the train is leaving. Once the train leaves, Justin sees Fiona on the other platform. They meet at the bottom of the stairs and find each other. They kiss]
- ConnectionsFeatured in TV Sins: Everything Wrong With The Office "Pilot" (2019)
- SoundtracksOffer Refusal
(uncredited)
Performed by Extreme Music
But let's go back to Shameless. I instantly digged its concept, following a dysfunctional family, because we all have issues. Your mother is a Queen ? Your five years old sister demolished your tower defense highscore ? William H. Macy was the second thing that convinced me to give the show a chance. Indeed his dual performance in Umney's Last Case (Nightmares & Dreamscapes) was delightful so I highly anticipated his role as a drunken father. Sadly it's only a minor one but at least he did a good job and you should enjoy the small gathering scene. The other excuse I found, yes because it confused my senses, is Emmy Rossum. I've always been fascinated by performers breaking the barriers of their own cells to free their talent and shatter the audience. Does Christian Bale in The Machinist ring a bell ? Rossum's transformation is nothing jaw dropping but I really enjoyed that she just looked like the sad girl next door. Without make up, a messy haircut and none of the glamorous attributes that shine on her promotional photos. So considering I had never seen her before her empathic role as Fiona Gallagher confirmed that smoking beauty and real talent can mix on TV !
In the entertaining department we have the best of what Showtime has to offer. From shocking to sex-driven scenes there're plenty of guilty pleasures to appeal the network addicts. However shame on them for not promoting safe sex ! At least they had the decency of keeping Rossum's curves in the dark, making her even more charming and sexy. Anyway these are minor details compared to the story. Yes because in the end it's all about the characters and the obstacles they have to overcome in order to survive the harsh reality ! From addictions to sexuality many interesting and disturbing topics are covered. Add an immersive production with a slightly amateurish visuals and you have a winner ! The wicked minds behind the show also had the wise idea of enriching the story with a more conventional arc. Indeed Fiona can be seen as a modern Cinderella. She's actually inspiring because she takes care of everybody and the ongoing romance intrigued me. Moreover the writers twisted things a little, making an event very surprising. I just didn't see it coming !
In the end it seemed the remake had potential. Between two dramas there was even room for comedy but don't expect Shameless to be a dramedy ! However my fear is that the audience will probably never see the end of it. Indeed the original has already 10 seasons and in this installment I didn't really see a glimpse of hope. It actually reminded me of Hung because I fell in love with it during its first season but gave up on it during the second because it just seemed hopeless. When characters have issues, they have to solve them. Of course you can't become sober overnight nor improve your social condition in a few weeks but I just hate neverending series. Still I have read some raving reviews about Emmy Rossum's performance in later episodes and the preview revealed that the next installment should shock the audience even more !
Note : This review was first posted on Kritikenstein, my weblog.
- igoatabase
- May 17, 2012
Details
- Runtime58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD