stagmania

These really extreme timeline issues started last year (they've always existed to some degree, especially with pregnancy plots, but it's gotten epically bad). If you recall, season 5 started in summer, by midseason it was September and everyone was back to school, and by the end it was late fall. Then suddenly season 6 is September again, but Debbie still just found out she's pregnant, Fiona isn't aware of her pregnancy that occurred around midseason 5, Frank is still freshly mourning Bianca, and yet Carl has served 10 months in juvie, Fiona is suddenly in an established relationship with Sean, Lip is another year advanced in school, and Mickey has gone through arrest, trial and sentencing. Plus you've got the aging issue. Fiona, Lip and Ian have only aged 2-3 years over the course of the show, whereas Debbie and Carl have aged 5-6 years. Obviously they can't help that the young actors age more obviously, but there's really no reason they couldn't let the older siblings age at the same pace. I guess they just loved the idea of Ian being eternally 17.

Totally agreed with both these sentiments. This episode was better than the rest of the season, but the show hasn't done any of the work to get to most of the good developments we saw here-they're just pretending established canon isn't a hindrance. The tone and quality of the episodes varies so wildly this season; it's like each of the episode writers is working in a vacuum. I popped back in on this one mainly to see Mandy, a character I have great fondness for. (FYI, because I've seen some confusion about this-she's only in this episode, she's not back as a regular. At least not this season.) While it was nice to revisit one of the poorly dismissed characters of the past, it honestly just made me even more sad about the current state of the show. It reminded me of a time when the relationships felt authentic and earned, and actually resonated with me. Seeing Ian with Mandy again was the first time he's felt like the real Ian all season. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late, and I'm sure he'll be back to that other Ian by next week.

We know Taylor was not acting normal-this entire story started with pictures of him passed out, seeming completely out of it and on display at a party with his clothes half off. He was clearly incapacitated, and to be frank, whether or not Eric was fully cognizant of that does not change the reality of what he did to Taylor. IMO the ambiguity in this story is in the character motivations and how the encounter was perceived by each of them, not in whether a rape actually occurred.

Verbally saying "no" is not required. If Taylor was drugged, he was unable to give consent, period. It's possible Eric didn't know he was under the influence or no longer wanted to hook up, but the flashbacks we saw of him urging Taylor to "be fun" suggest otherwise. Regardless, Taylor has expressed no doubt about his rape, and we will never know what was said or done during the encounter. It seems to me that Eric doesn't really understand consent, a problem which is unfortunately very common.

I was fully prepared to get no firm answers on the initial crime-I think the show has made it pretty clear that Taylor was raped, and that Eric is simply unable or unwilling to admit, even to himself, that he raped him. I didn't need to see it or hear Eric confess to know that's what happened. The ambiguous ending for both of them was a bridge too far for me, however. It honestly felt a bit like trolling. After everything that's happened, I needed more than that. I know that the creator likes to say that you don't get resolution in real life, but this isn't real life, it's fiction. We're watching a story unfold, and we should get some kind of closure after investing ten hours into this narrative. So much of the character motivations are still elusive to me, despite the top notch performances from the actors. The finale continued to pile on plot and reveal new information while stubbornly refusing to address plot threads that were left dangling weeks ago. Why did we need to introduce another hacker, and what was the story purpose of having him go after Sebastian? What was the point of Mrs. Sullivan's threat last week, when the opportunity to use that lie was never a factor in Becca's arrest? Did Wes really say that "any f** will do", or did Eric make that up? If so, why would he do that? If her experience with being groped and not wanting to tell anyone was so eye opening for Evy, why was she so cold to Taylor when she last saw him? How was Kevin involved in the rape, and why did Taylor put him on his list? How was the story with the principal at the other school really related to any of this? As much as I think this show hit some amazing heights and featured incredible performances this season, I just can't ignore the way it never came together. I shouldn't be left with this many questions about basic plot and character beats at the end of a story.

If anyone needs me, I'll be screaming my frustration into the night.

This episode was pretty limp, considering it was the 100th. Kind of a waste of Demetri Martin, and a weird note for Reagan to go out on. I expected Jess's return to be...more.

I never got the impression that Taylor brought Evy to the party "for the thrill"; I don't think he had any malicious intentions toward her or was actively trying to humiliate her. She was kind of like a security blanket for him. She made him feel safe in an environment where he didn't feel he fit in, and was a cover he could point to to "prove" his sexuality, which probably felt like a necessity given the risk he was taking meeting up with another guy at the party. Of course, that's selfish of him, but it's something a lot of kids do when they're struggling with their sexual identities. Evy's initial anger made sense to me, but given all that's happened to Taylor since and how well the situation turned out for her, she just came off as petty and mean last night. By the same token, I thought the scene with Mother Sullivan and Anne was just plain weird. Given the concerns she had previously about her daughter's lack of empathy and understanding of consequences, I would think her focus right now would be on really engaging with her and trying to understand why she was dealing drugs, not threatening another mother whose son hasn't even given up any information. Why go over there to create an enemy for no reason? The ridiculous plea for undeserved sympathy, followed immediately by vitriolic threats, just didn't track with me at all.

I was on board last week with the switch to the focus on the shooting, but now I just feel lost in this narrative. There are too many disparate threads, and they're not coming together for me. A lot of the side plots from earlier in the season feel like pointless diversions now, and this episode pulled too many 180s on characters to make them suddenly hatable. I don't really understand what I'm supposed to be taking from this, other than everyone is awful and no one gets any kind of justice.

Agreed, I really hate the way they've basically done a lite version of Jess and Nick with the two of them. So unnecessary, especially when we know she's going to be gone in a couple weeks. Reagan didn't need to be a love interest to be interesting; it's just plain lazy and unimaginative.

I loved that segment, and think it's so important. Too many people don't understand the importance of "minor" elections, and how much the results can seriously affect our lives. What we're seeing now is the inevitable result of the GOP party clash that was set in motion after Obama was first elected, and if more people can come to understand how it happened, they'll feel motivated to get involved and keep it from reaching its worst possible conclusion.

I got the impression that this was exactly the point-all along, we were seeing the complex series of events that can result in a traumatic incident like a school shooting, we just didn't realize that was the narrative we were in. I understand why some find that jarring or unfair from a storytelling perspective, but I see why they did it this way, and I think it's a powerful way to frame the story.

Haha you definitely have. I'm fairly certain that the only logic behind this plot contrivance was "Who can Lip fuck next? How about a bunch of sorority girls!" I continue to be so frustrated with the way they waste Jeremy Allen White's talent, and all the potential his season 4 storyline promised.

I was pretty taken aback by it myself, and wondered if it was intentional or just a bit of lazy writing that wasn't caught. I don't imagine they'd actually want to draw a comparison between this temporary tease of a pairing and Nick/Jess, but I guess we'll see how it progresses. I'll be shocked if they ever let Winston be successful in a relationship. With Schmidt and Cece getting married and Jess and Nick inevitably coming back around, they'll keep him single so they can throw him into weird dating plots whenever they need to.

Caught the show live for the first time all season. Reagan is less of a bother than I initially expected, but I'll be glad to have Jess back. When Nick told Reagan he wouldn't want to sleep with her "like this" I immediately thought of "Cooler", True American and Jess and Nick's first kiss, and a time when this show was appointment television for me. I still enjoy it and can always count on a few laughs from each episode, but I really miss the excellent show New Girl was in season 2. I wonder if that sense of focus for story and character will ever come back, or if this is all there is until it's done.

Unfortunately, I think this is more a sign of how disjointed the siblings' stories have become than any intentional commentary on their relationships. No one but Fiona and Frank have been paying any attention to Debbie, when there was a time when a story like this absolutely would have involved the whole family.

Wow, I went to look at that blog post and now I just feel awful for that actress. There have been several stories of actresses on Shameless being caught off guard by nudity requests (Sasha Alexander recounted an episode director changing this up on her as they began filming a scene last season and being very uncomfortable) or putting their foot down about not doing it when it felt too gratuitous (Emmy Rossum has refused before, which is kind of amazing given how often we've seen her nude torso). It really does feel gratuitous and exploitative at times. Agreed on the lack of chemistry. My problem with the trauma/denial defense is that, as noted above, they haven't actually shown any of this with Ian. If we were seeing that he was struggling, or shown that he speaks or thinks differently about Mickey when he's on his own and not trying to impress Caleb, I might understand it. As it is, I just wish they'd stop having him talk about Mickey. Let the Caleb story stand on its own, instead of making every single interaction between them a counterpoint to Ian/Mickey.

Carl went to juvie for dealing drugs, while Fiona was on probation. I think that qualifies as something pretty big happening that should have had the Gallaghers right back on the CPS radar. That "unless the writers want it to" parenthetical is exactly the problem, IMO. They ignore what should be basic story realities when it's inconvenient for them, and then suddenly bring them back when they feel like it. There's no sense of realism in the story anymore. Be respectful of a person and a relationship that meant an awful lot to you? Some things are just never going to seem funny with any amount of retrospect, and I would imagine that watching the boy you love get raped at gunpoint is one of them. That just will never sit right with me, with any justification.

The degree to which this show no longer cares about any of the realities that used to define these characters is truly staggering. Seasons 3 and 4 were all about Fiona assuming guardianship and dealing with the long term implications of that and realizing what a serious obligation it was after she went to jail. But ever since then, they treat it like a joke. Fiona's probation never comes up since she got the ankle monitor off in early Season 5. None of the stuff that's happened with Carl and Debbie has caused increased scrutiny from CPS- they haven't even bothered to mention it as a passing concern. Fiona just moves out of the house with various boyfriends and leaves her three minor siblings in the care of whatever passes for an adult in any given episode. It's mind boggling that they would just ignore this immense wealth of organic drama in favor of plot contrivances and false narratives with no resonance to the ongoing story.

They actually had Ian tell the story of Mickey being raped and forced to marry Svetlana as if it was an amusing anecdote. And Caleb laughed. I'm...I don't see how anyone can deny at this point that this is deliberate. There is no need for them to bring up Mickey in every single episode like this, just to mock or trash him. As for the rest of the episode, Fiona continues to treat her guardianship as something she can pick up and put down, as does the rest of the family. Lip gets yet another nonsensical college problem that gets magically solved for him (and drops him into his very own porn scenario). Kev and Vee suddenly have relationship drama that came out of nowhere and was totally inconsequential. Every moment of Frank and Queenie's screen time was a waste -that story holds absolutely no interest or value for me. Debbie's story with the cancer woman was just too much for me to stomach. Carl's story might have some resonance if it wasn't mired in all this racist crap. I'm at a loss with this show.

All of this, so much. I was staring at my screen in disbelief when Mickey was giving her big apology to Gus. She was apologizing to him, even though his behavior toward her starting with their date was pretty much across the board appalling and unkind in the extreme. Am I supposed to think there's any kind of future for them? Am I supposed to be happy that asshole Gus is ready to try again with Mickey now that his other options have disappeared? Am I supposed to be excited at the prospect of another season of this mess? It's a real shame, because there are elements of this show I really liked. Gillian Jacobs was fantastic, even when the writing for her character was confounding. Bertie was delightful, and I enjoyed the dynamic with Gus's group of friends. I even liked the specificity of Gus's hobbies and interests-he felt like a real person to me. I guess I just don't really get the larger intent of this story-I doubt the idea was to make me hate Gus, but that's where I landed. All the press I've seen around this show pitches it as the story of a nice guy nerd who just can't help falling for a destructive, damaged woman. And maybe that characterization held true for the first few episodes, but it had turned on its head for me by the end. And while I think some of that must have been intentional, I think the show may have miscalculated the extent to which Gus became an irredeemable, unrootable asshole.

Same-the pilot was vile and I absolutely would have stopped there if I hadn't seen this article. Thanks!

That's his job, though-early reviews are a big part of the television promotion game. That's why screeners even exist, so that shows can get critics to write early reviews, with the full knowledge that they won't necessarily be positive. He didn't do anything but fulfill his professional obligation, and on top of that, he took the time to revisit and promote the show when he saw what he perceived to be an upturn in quality. Not really sure how you can fault him for that.

I don't know that I have anything particularly insightful to add to the discussion here, so I'll just join the chorus and say that this was stunning, I'm upset, and I'm very concerned for Anne and Taylor's futures. One thing I'm wondering: now that they showed us those few flashbacks with slivers of information about the night in question, can we expect to get more? Or was that just a tease for a mystery this show has no intention of solving? At this point I have no doubt Taylor was raped, but the way it happened and who was really involved continue to be question marks. For instance, given the flashback image of him and his presence on Taylor's list, I assume Kevin must have done something. Wes, too. There's a reason they're so invested in forcing Taylor to stay quiet. I'm not sure if I can expect the show to let us in on the full story, or if I should just resign myself to never knowing.

I'm not sure what they were trying to get across with that last scene, but I was left scratching my head. Cochran wants to look into OJ's eyes and know that he can believe him, and I guess we're supposed to think he does? But I've always thought this was about a smart and ambitious man leveraging a high profile case to further his cause of exposing the systemic racism of the LAPD, not about true belief in this particular man's innocence. I don't buy anyone that closely involved with the case really believing that OJ didn't do it, aside from sycophantic fan-friends.