S11.E07: Two at a Biker Bar, One in the Lake

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

The Gallaghers disagree on the fate of their childhood home; Ian and Mickey seek out gay friends; Debbie and Sandy have a visitor from Sandy's past; Lip and Brad prepare to sell stolen bikes; Liam and Veronica hope to pass the rent control bill.

Promo:

Original air date: 3/7/21

Edited March 3, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved that Mickey was the one who was so reluctant to make new friends and then ended up being the one who wanted to stay. But who can resist all that free food and booze? I totally cracked up when Mickey and Ian were both singing that song at the end while brushing their teeth.

Poor Liam. I think he's been self sufficient for so long that the other Gallaghers often forget he's just a kid (or just forget about him entirely). He was really afraid that he was going to have to live in Veronica's closet because he had nowhere else to go.

It kind of made me laugh that the family's definition of family is so legal: Mickey is family because he's married to Ian but Tami isn't family because she's just the baby mamma who's shacking up with Lip.

I was shaking my head that Royal named his son Prince. Of course he did. Other than that, Royal didn't seem like a completely unreasonable person.

Kev was a complete moron throughout this entire episode. He took a stolen bike for a joy ride, panicked when a cop stopped him, and decided the best way to handle the situation was to drive one of them off a pier. He used to be smarter than all of that.

It made me sad that V's mom said they've only seen each other twice in the past year. You'd think they would at least want the twins and Dominik to spend time together.

Debbie was being awfully judgmental about her girlfriend's situation. I mean, if we're going to judge people by the decisions they made when they were 15 then Debbie has a lot of stuff she needs to be judged for too. I'm not saying that her girlfriend was the most responsible person for abandoning her kid with Royal, but all of the Gallaghers have made extremely questionable decisions at some point (often on a daily basis) so seeing Debbie get so up in arms about it made me shake my head.

Also making me shake my head was Carl and his whole situation with that furniture store girl. I wish that in her litany of complaints about what Carl had done, she had also included "and came to my place of work to confront me about all of this." What she did was wrong (and it was so avoidable - just say, "I'm allergic to latex" and provide your own latex-free condoms during sex) but it always drives me crazy on tv shows when people burst into someone else's workplace to yell at them about personal stuff. Call her. Text her. Wait until she's done with her shift. But barging into her place of employment and making a scene like that is just awful.

Edited March 7, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[juno]

5 episodes left and Tami asks Lip if he wants to get a job at Amazon as a driver. Decent job for a man that has a family and a good job if you cannot find a job in your area such as mechanics. Not Lip, he stole bikes and is trying to fence them without a end game or thoughts to the future. Forget about that whole genius thing that could get them out of trouble in a very short time and start smashing up the house when it is clear the family is not confirmed that they want to sell. Thanks to Debbie "Family First" the cops are going to go into the house with guns drawn to interview him. 11 years and my favorite character; Lip has not progressed one inch from the first season. Sad way to finish up.

Carl falling in love with the person he accused of assaulting him last week is very Carl.

I was agreeing with Debbie for a minute that Sandy should consider her son until it became all about Debbie. Sandy run far away!

Kevin riding a stolen bike out in the open and then dumping it in the water is so stupid it just becomes very Kevin.

Ian and Micky are so awesome at this point they are the only thing that has me watching this garbage.

[chocolatine]

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Kev was a complete moron throughout this entire episode. He took a stolen bike for a joy ride, panicked when a cop stopped him, and decided the best way to handle the situation was to drive one of them off a pier. He used to be smarter than all of that.

He should have drowned in that lake because he's officially too stupid to live now.

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Also making me shake my head was Carl and his whole situation with that furniture store girl. I wish that in her litany of complaints about what Carl had done, she had also included "and came to my place of work to confront me about all of this." What she did was wrong (and it was so avoidable - just say, "I'm allergic to latex" and provide your own latex-free condoms during sex) but it always drives me crazy on tv shows when people burst into someone else's workplace to yell at them about personal stuff. Call her. Text her. Wait until she's done with her shift. But barging into her place of employment and making a scene like that is just awful.

Yes, that was cringeworthy, but she's a terrible person and deserved to be called out (in a more appropriate setting). Just because she has an allergy, she can't presume that all her partners will consent to having condomless sex. For someone who is apparently training to be in a healthcare field, she's extremely cavalier about STDs. Latex-free condoms have been around for a long time, so the allergy is not a valid excuse.

The worst and most selfish person of the episode was Lip. Rather than compromise - temporarily - so that his child and girlfriend can have a safe home, he commits multiple felonies and causes a rift with his siblings. At this point, he deserves to go to prison for a long time and for his family to move on without him.

Finally, the Ian and Mickey try to find gay friends storyline was lame, but I liked them singing the Lady Gaga song at the end, and was shocked to see Mickey floss. That guy is full of surprises.

[arachne]

56 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

the Ian and Mickey try to find gay friends storyline was lame, but I liked them singing the Lady Gaga song at the end, and was shocked to see Mickey floss. That guy is full of surprises.

I think it was Mickey who said he liked Anderson Cooper's hair. That gave me a much-needed chuckle in a generally depressing storyline.

I'm afraid the next five weeks are headed downhill, for every character. I've taken to watching this show On Demand during the day, before its scheduled airtime. Not in an "appointment" way, but more like a "let's get this over with" way. 🙁

[Harmony233]

Unpopular opinion I felt a little bad for Debbie.She shouldn't put her issues with her mom on sandy though but she needs therapy to deal with her abandonment issues.

Lip was really annoying this episode.

[Utpe]

That scene at the end with Ian and Mickey was golden.  Easily the best part of this episode.

[aghst]

5 hours ago, chocolatine said:

The worst and most selfish person of the episode was Lip. Rather than compromise - temporarily - so that his child and girlfriend can have a safe home, he commits multiple felonies and causes a rift with his siblings. At this point, he deserves to go to prison for a long time and for his family to move on without him.

He’s in contention with Frank for the worst character in the series.

But this episode he was in rare form.  Maybe I don’t recall what Tammy’s family is like but yeah he wouldn’t suck it up for his kid and the mother of his child.  Though it shouldn’t be forgotten that she’s a ball buster.

But to smash the house because he couldn’t get what he wanted is reaching a new low.  If Debbie didn’t le go of that hammer, what would he have done?  His siblings could still refuse to sign any papers to sell the home, because some demolished walls isn’t going to change things.  If anything, it would lower the sale price of the home, even if the buyer wanted to gut the place, because they could point to the holes in the walls and extort them for a lower price.

Thing is he pissed away many chances to better his life.  We’re suppose to believe he’s whip smart, knows how to work the system despite his poor upbringing.  Yet the only ideas he’s got now are to steal or to try to coerce his siblings.

He looks down on Frank but Frank chose to do as little work as possible and grift off others — or so we’re suppose to believe, another genius living in squalor and refusing to change his lot.

But Lip is just a screwup.  He’s suppose to be brilliant and always had beautiful females throwing themselves at him.  Yet he’s about homeless and the only recourse he can think of is to take money out of the family dump and he’s stuck with that shrew of a woman.

He could have a good job and place but they’d be bickering over something else.

Are they going to wrap up the series on an up note, happy endings for every character?  Or are they going to do movies like they plan with Ray Donovan or reboot like they plan with Dexter?  In that case, they don’t have to resolve a thing, they can continue to get one over on some people while fighting with each other.

 

[sheetmoss]

18 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It made me sad that V's mom said they've only seen each other twice in the past year. You'd think they would at least want the twins and Dominik to spend time together.

 

 

 

Well remember Covid is still  sorta/kinda going on in the background of the show

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, sheetmoss said:

Well remember Covid is still  sorta/kinda going on in the background of the show

I mean, if V and her mom are willing to be indoors without masks with three kids so they can talk about selling the house/moving to Louisville, then I don't think COVID is what kept them from seeing each other more than twice in the last year.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sell the house

 

[iMonrey]

I hate the show for making me side with Tammy because I can't stand Tammy, but good lord, Lip is being a real asshole about all of this. He really has no plan and even if his family agrees to sell it's going to take months to renovate that house and get it on the market. And they haven't even dealt with the fact that nobody is going to want to buy a house next door to the Malkoviches. Finally, they could at least throw us a bone and toss in a line about Fiona putting the house in their name, because last I heard, it was hers and hers alone to sell. Such lazy writing.

I'm not sure I believe Carl's one-night stand girl.  Why didn't she just tell him she was allergic to latex and was on the pill at the time? 

Debbie's girlfriend is toxic but then again so is Debbie. But Debbie needs to leave that poor kid alone, he's better off with his dad. I loved how reasonable he was being with Debbie and calling her out on her shit.

[whiporee]

As much as he's getting bashed, Lip did apply for the job at Amazon. He is trying, albeit in a Gallagher way.  But he is Frank's son. He has an absolute and nearly total fear of failure. He's applying for jobs he can get -- or lose -- without hurting his own self-definition. He's unwilling even try, but that's been his MO since day one. I would love love love for Tami to find a copy of his SAT or his transcripts and just sit down and talk to him. I know he can be an asshole, but the dude really needs someone to give him a big hug ad let him know that the biggest fuck you he could ever give Frank would be to be successful. 

I thought the Indian actually belonged to Lip. And I don't know how the whole motorcycle stealing thing has worked. Did the owner sell the inventory along with he shop? I guess I'm confused about Brad's relationship with the shop -- I thought he was the owner, but did he just work there, too? If he owned it, did he sell it for nothing? Did he not have an agreement with the new owners? 

Debbie's stuff felt real, but it would have felt realer from Fiona three years ago. 

After spending the entire series disliking him, I find Mickey pretty funny these days. 

 

[tennisgurl]

This show is hitting one of those points it gets to some times when it just becomes too unpleasant to like. Especially here where everyone is just pissed off and shitty to each other for no reason. One of the reasons why the plot with Ian and Mickey was such a breath of fresh air is that they are the only people around anymore that seem to actually like being around each other anymore, especially this week. They do seem to be setting up the ending, which I am guessing will be them selling the house and finally moving past their shitty childhoods that messed them up, which makes so much of this even more boring. 

Kev has never been book smart, but he has never been written this stupid. And Lip has always made poor life choices, but he is just being ridiculous now. 

[Marley]

Why are Lip and Tammy even together? I guess because the baby but it honestly seems like they don’t even like each other. Lip is such an asshole I’ve never liked him. Always thinking he knows best no matter what. Why is he stuck on being a mechanic too? Not saying there’s anything wrong with being a mechanic but Lip isn’t even trained for it so he can’t be making much money.

I don’t understand the point of Sandy. Just a total waste of time in the final season.

If Fiona doesn’t show up I’m going to be annoyed. Also isn’t the house in her name?

I wonder if they will kill Frank off in the end. They should.

They probably should sell the house. Kind of weird they all still live together at their age. But like who is going to take Liam because he’s too young to be by himself lol.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Marley

[Gulftastic]

I liked the Debbie and Sandy argument. It seemed like it made Debbie realise a few things. I also like that Sandy didn't abandon her straight after.

Kev is late season Joey in Friends level of stupid now, but his Evil Keneval stunt was funny.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

13 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

Kev is late season Joey in Friends level of stupid now

Exactly. He's gone from "how do you not fall down more?" to "how do you manage to function on a daily basis?"

[hamed]

its not the same shameless frank is not the old one i dont enjoy watching since fiona left

but s11 is a disaster and it political about everything happened last year

[Tikichick]

On 3/7/2021 at 9:26 PM, Harmony233 said:

Unpopular opinion I felt a little bad for Debbie.She shouldn't put her issues with her mom on sandy though but she needs therapy to deal with her abandonment issues.

Lip was really annoying this episode.

The only way I find that opinion unpopular has nothing to do with Debbie's relationship Sandy per se.   I feel sorry for Frannie, who's always paying the price for Debbie's bad choices and Debbie's fixation on satisfying her own sense of child deprivation by forcing Frannie to live out Debbie's childhood fantasies, and yet never considering Frannie's fantasies in her own right.   At least Sandy makes no bones about wanting to be a mother and leaves her kid in the more stable setting with the parent who does seem to actually parent.  

[Tikichick]

On 3/8/2021 at 12:46 PM, iMonrey said:

I'm not sure I believe Carl's one-night stand girl.  Why didn't she just tell him she was allergic to latex and was on the pill at the time? 

If you're allergic to latex and might be having sex you make sure you carry non latex condoms.  I don't believe this chick.

[aghst]

12 hours ago, Tikichick said:

The only way I find that opinion unpopular has nothing to do with Debbie's relationship Sandy per se.   I feel sorry for Frannie, who's always paying the price for Debbie's bad choices and Debbie's fixation on satisfying her own sense of child deprivation by forcing Frannie to live out Debbie's childhood fantasies, and yet never considering Frannie's fantasies in her own right.   At least Sandy makes no bones about wanting to be a mother and leaves her kid in the more stable setting with the parent who does seem to actually parent.  

I remember Debbie in the first season.  She was this little freckled girl.  They didn't give her much to do that season but her character was loyal to Frank when her older siblings were all dumping on him.

Then they turned her into as much of a raging asshole as the rest of them.  Actually Carl is low key and so is Liam.  But except for those two, they all seemed to have grown up to be chaotic, loud and angry.

And all of them are under 30 yet all cynical and aimless.  Fiona saw her former boss who was successful and came up with some kind of life/career trajectory.  Then the show took it away from her as they do with all of these characters when they have any kind of positive momentum, like Lip in college or Ian with a good start at being a paramedic.

Nothing shameless about them.  If anything, a lot of shame that none of them could do more with their lives.  Carl hasn't screwed up his police gig yet -- maybe he would have gotten involved in police brutality or some kind of corruption scheme -- and there's still hope for Liam, if he can get away from this horrible environment.  Instead, by the time he's like 15, he will be expected to earn and kick in to help pay for expenses, basically being weighed down by the rest of them.  Best thing for him would be to get scholarship and go away, the sooner the better, some private boarding school where he's the token black kid, for instance, followed by college.

[Lone Wolf]

On 3/7/2021 at 2:40 PM, juno said:

Ian and Micky are so awesome at this point they are the only thing that has me watching this garbage.

I'm just watching to see how they wrap up Frank's storyline. I find myself caring increasingly less about the other characters with each ep.

A lot of forcing one's will (or attempting to) on others in this one.  Carl attempting to force the Plan B, I can understand, but it isn't Debbie's place, (or business) to force joint custody. Also, Lip attempting to force the sale by starting demo on the house - I'll chalk that up to frustration and desperation, but I hope that wasn't a load bearing wall.  Too bad Fixer-Upper Building Owner Fiona isn't still around to advise on the renovation.

That's all I've got, other than I'm not going to miss this show when it's "finale" over.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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