S11.E10: DNR

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Liam and Frank embark on a journey to get Liam into STEM school; Carl's disillusionment with the police force comes to a head; Debbie hunts for a new place; Mickey and Ian consider the West Side; Kev meets Veronica in Louisville.

Promo:

Original air date: 3/28/21

[kathe5133]

I don't know if everyone realizes, but Showtime doesn't make you wait until a particular time to watch.  Sunday at 12:01 a.m., Showtime shows are available to watch.  My Sunday morning routine is now "City on a Hill" and "Shameless".

[funnygirl]

The Gallaghers need to grow TF up. It's hard to have sympathy for these characters who choose to stay stuck and not evolve when they are given the chance to. Fiona had the right idea.

I'm happy for Kev and V.

I so bad want Lip to catch a break. He's so smart and capable of great things, but I'm not going to hold my breath. 

At this point, let the Gallagher house go up in flames due to the gas issues and collect insurance money if any, and they all get a forced fresh start. 

Edited March 28, 2021 by funnygirl

[juno]

The Kev and V storyline was really great in this fantasyland where they are both offered good jobs on their first visit and without resumes.

Another of the fantasyland stories is Carl's police career. Not only is this a complete fantasy but it was insulting to show the police force to be not only completely incompetent but biased toward the wealthy.

Along with that crap that is Carl's story is the boring house hunting story and of course the garbage that they have turned Lip's story into.

Still will never care about Deb and Frank.

Barely hanging on to the end.

[preeya]

1 hour ago, funnygirl said:

I so bad want Lip to catch a break. He's so smart and capable of great things, but I'm not going to hold my breath. 

He had his opportunity a few seasons back when he was in college. Bottom line; he "fucked it up" in true Gallagher tradition. 

Edited March 28, 2021 by preeya

[chocolatine]

So apparently Fred is another Gallagher toddler who is happy to sit in a confined space all day without needing to be fed, changed, or entertained. I guess it's in every Gallagher child's DNA to expect to be neglected by their parents.

37 minutes ago, preeya said:

He had his opportunity a few seasons back when he was in college. Bottom line; he "fucked it up" in true Gallagher tradition. 

He could make a much better life for himself even without a college degree. He's supposed to be a genius at math and science, so he could easily tech himself the skills for a high-paying job like stock trading or computer programming. Some of the big tech companies even have programs to hire people with "non-traditional" backgrounds and apprentice them into software engineering roles that pay six figures. But Lip has always sabotaged every good thing in his life. Two episodes ago when Tami asked him to get an Amazon delivery driver job he said he'd rather wait until he gets a mechanic job; this episode he gets exactly what he said he wanted, and blows that off, too.

Edited March 28, 2021 by chocolatine

[kieyra]

4 hours ago, chocolatine said:

He could make a much better life for himself even without a college degree. He's supposed to be a genius at math and science, so he could easily tech himself the skills for a high-paying job like stock trading or computer programming. Some of the big tech companies even have programs to hire people with "non-traditional" backgrounds and apprentice them into software engineering roles that pay six figures. But Lip has always sabotaged every good thing in his life. Two episodes ago when Tami asked him to get an Amazon delivery driver job he said he'd rather wait until he gets a mechanic job; this episode he gets exactly what he said he wanted, and blows that off, too.

The deconstruction/retconning of Lip is the number one reason I finally stopped watching. You can be an addict, self destructive, completely fucked up from your biblically dysfunctional family, but you don’t lose thirty IQ points and advanced mechanical engineering aptitude just because you’re a 25 (?) year old alcoholic.

[pieinmyeye]

8 hours ago, juno said:

Barely hanging on to the end.

The same with me. This season feels like a giant FY to those of us who have watched from the beginning. I wasn’t expecting magical things to happen, but it’s truly difficult to believe any of this shit show.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As usual, the person who I felt the sorriest for in this episode was Liam. He's 11 and he's stuck babysitting Frank who ends up fucking up Liam's important mission of the day.

I was so annoyed every time the show cut to Debbie staring at a wall as "All By Myself" swelled in the background. We get it. She's never lived by herself before. That's not exactly a great reason never to try it. I mean, that's true of a lot of 18-22 year olds and they all manage to eventually live by themselves.

It was not cool for Ian to sign a lease when he knew that his husband did not want to live there, BUT at the same time I think it would be good for Mickey and Ian to get out of the South Side. It's okay to live outside of the neighborhood where you've spent your whole life. Lots of people do it and they manage to adapt and even enjoy it (see also: V's mom). I get that people dislike change and they get set in their ways but JFC, between Debbie and Mickey complaining about moving, you'd think that they were being sent to a Russian prison camp, not just moving like lots of people do every single day.

[aghst]

Frank talking about the China flu and doing violence to the Chinese kid because they can’t lose to a commie bastard.

I’m sure the episode was written and shot long before the recent mass shooting in GA but we’re they just unlucky that this episode airs now?

but not even a disclaimer or PSA about not condoning the racist sentiments Frank expressed.

or is it suppose to be satire because Frank is suppose to be suffering dementia?

the show runner and the writers can say they wrote and filmed it long before the shooting.  However, there have been a big increase in anti-Asian violence for the past year, many of which have gotten national media coverage.

Liam and the younger kids are innocents but all their parents and older sibling suck.  And maybe only because they haven’t been around long enough to do bad things and make stupid choices.

 

As for Lip becoming dumb, that isn’t the issue.  It’s his emotional intelligence which is stunted.  He may have become a good mechanic, become passionate about it.  But he’s putting all his eggs into selling that house because getting a regular job wouldn’t make as much money as selling the house.  Sure it may not be as much as a windfall but the house sale is a one time event.  He needs ongoing income to support that kid.

He started at the bottom, learned to fix and rebuild motorcycles because he met someone at AA.   He must realize there are other types of work where he could start at bottom but have way more upside than fixing motorcycles.  It’s just that he doesn’t want to, figures he can live on the proceeds of the house sale for awhile.

They may show him maturing, finding some path to a better life, by the finale.  But in the whole history of the show, it would be wholly out of character.

[Marley]

I just feel bad for Liam. Poor kid is always stuck with Frank while everyone else fucks off.

Debbie and the song was stupid. Just try living by yourself. Lots of ppl do it.

Mickey is being stupid too. Just try out another neighbourhood like jeez. Why so stuck on the south side. You can still visit.

I guess Fiona isn’t showing up. I wish she would.

I can’t take Carl serious like ever because he still looks like a 15 year old kid.

Kev and V getting these magical jobs right away was kind of lame but it seems like they should move. The one kid is kind of still his you think he would wanna see him once in a while. Isn’t he from Kentucky too? Or did I imagine that lol.

Lip not working cause he’s selling the house is idiotic. It’s a one time sale.

[Chaos Theory]

I think people’s  hatred  of Debbie colors how they view her story.    It literally is her story. I don’t care about Debbie.  Who cares what Debbie does?   That is Debbie’s point.  On one hand her entire life has been chaos but on the other hand no one bothers to think about her needs but then expects her to drop everything when they need something (like watching the bar or fixing the water heater) and calls her selfish when she says she has other plans like looking for a place for her and her daughter to live because Lip single minded decided to sell their childhood home.    Debbie is not perfect by any shoot.  She has no idea how to survive without chaos and needs to learn but that really is a learned skill and it’s been forced on her by her brothers.   So in this at least I get why Deb is bitter.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[jww]

Checked online for rents on Chicago's West Side and rents are  cheap $1,500-$2,000 for a modern/updated one bedroom.  However I doubt they would rent to two convicted felons who likely didn't have a credit score, verifiable income or a rental history, drive a stolen ambulance  and even  then accept only one person signing the lease-rent should be no more than 30% of your income so for a $1,500 apartment Ian would have to show income close to $5,000 month to qulaify.  As for proceeds from selling the house, if Frank name is still on the deed even as part owner he can not give his share to other family members without Medicaid recourses.  If he needs to go into a Medicaid nursing home, Medicaid looks back 3 years for any transfer of wealth and requires it be paid back.  This may not be a concern if Frank plans on ODing to avoid the final stages of his dementia.

[iMonrey]

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The deconstruction/retconning of Lip is the number one reason I finally stopped watching. You can be an addict, self destructive, completely fucked up from your biblically dysfunctional family, but you don’t lose thirty IQ points and advanced mechanical engineering aptitude just because you’re a 25 (?) year old alcoholic.

I commented last week that it seems like whoever is writing this season has never watched the show before. Lip is obsessed with selling this dumb house like that's going to fix all his problems. He still has to find a new place for him and Tammy to live and he's still going to need an income. Lip is not the genius who was taking the SATs for college students and scoring a perfect score. 

I can see how they're winding down the show, Vee and Kev will be saying goodbye to the Alibi and Chicago and the Gallaghers will be saying goodbye to their house. 

[Chaos Theory]

This show is approaching Dexter level bad on how it’s writing all the characters. The sad part is that it has all the building blocks for good stories but it never takes the plunge and I am not sure why.    I think I understand what they are trying to do with Carl and his police force storyline.  Having the police say the cold bitter truth to Carl is an interesting story choice that might have worked during earlier seasons but this is the last few episodes and I want Carl to succeed even as a cop so seeing him bang against an unstoppable force is disheartening and not in good way.  
 

Lip hasn’t been a fun character since he started dating Tammy.   She brings out the whiny brat in him.  Honestly the most fun I saw in them is the five seconds she found it sexy that they were “criminals” together before the ground fell out from under them.   I don’t get why Lip thinks moving away from his family is a good thing for him.

Honestly the most interesting story was Ian and Mickey and Mickey not wanting to leave the South Side because it’s all he’s ever known and Ian wanting to move to the West Side because there is a part of him that has always wanted to escape the poverty.

I kind of also liked that Kev is the kind of guy whose affable nature can exist anywhere.   

Edited March 29, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[SG429]

The only one with a solid plan for the future is Frank: "H in the pocket."

[Cosmocrush]

On 3/28/2021 at 10:49 AM, funnygirl said:

At this point, let the Gallagher house go up in flames due to the gas issues and collect insurance money if any, and they all get a forced fresh start. 

I kind of thought that's where this was going until Lip sold the motorcycle for half it's value to the first guy to ask about it.  

[iMonrey]

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At this point, let the Gallagher house go up in flames due to the gas issues and collect insurance money if any, and they all get a forced fresh start. 

I doubt very much the Gallaghers have insurance.

[tennisgurl]

DNR could also reference this show. For the love of god, do not give them more seasons. I am totally sure that either the writers have truly not seen previous seasons or have totally forgotten. Why is V all surprised that Kev is a baseball fan? He's been a baseball fan for the entire series, I remember him showing White Sox games to the girls when they were babies. I am so ready to wrap this up. I have watched this for long enough that I am still decently invested in what happens to most of the characters, but I am really just watching to get to the end at this point. Why should I care when the writers don't anymore?

They are really setting up the end now, with Kev and V moving to Louisville and the whole family going their separate ways as they sell the house. This show just keeps recycling so many plot points over and over again, the characters make the same mistakes over and over again, and yet I keep coming back over and over, so maybe I'm the real idiot who cant learn a lesson. I get into this show, I get burned, and then I come back again. 

As ridiculous as it was, I am glad that Kev and V seem to be heading to greener pastures, and that Kev was allowed to be good at something for a second. Its not cool that Ian signed a lease before Mickey was sold on the apartment, but he is being ridiculous about moving to the west side. They aren't even leaving the city, its not that big of a deal. I was also kind of amused by Debbie being freaked out by being alone, as she has spent her whole life in a house filled with her siblings, their extended family, her siblings significant others who always end up crashing with them, other random people, that would be a change up. Of course I am pretty over Debbie, so I cant even enjoy that much. I feel really bad for Liam, stuck babysitting Frank. 

Edited March 29, 2021 by tennisgurl

[aghst]

This is Showtime.

Don't be shocked if there's at least movies or they reboot it in a few years like Dexter.

[Cosmocrush]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I doubt very much the Gallaghers have insurance.

Good point.  I hadn't thought about that. 

[CarpeFelis]

8 hours ago, jww said:

As for proceeds from selling the house, if Frank name is still on the deed even as part owner he can not give his share to other family members without Medicaid recourses.

If I’m remembering correctly, wasn’t the house put into Fiona’s name a few seasons ago?

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I doubt very much the Gallaghers have insurance.

If there's still a mortgage on the house then they'd have to have insurance. And since the house is in Fiona's name, and she understands real estate, I wouldn't be surprised if she keeps up the insurance even if the house is paid off. However, I can totally see the insurance refusing to pay because of negligence or suspected foul play.

[jww]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

If there's still a mortgage on the house then they'd have to have insurance. And since the house is in Fiona's name, and she understands real estate, I wouldn't be surprised if she keeps up the insurance even if the house is paid off. However, I can totally see the insurance refusing to pay because of negligence or suspected foul play.

Since all the work Lip is doing is without a building permit and likely not up to code, insurance will decline any claim.  They will also have to disclose the non-permited work to any buyer.  Anyway the work is likely a total waste of time/money as the house is likely a tear down.

[juno]

4 minutes ago, jww said:

Since all the work Lip is doing is without a building permit and likely not up to code, insurance will decline any claim.  They will also have to disclose the non-permited work to any buyer.  Anyway the work is likely a total waste of time/money as the house is likely a tear down.

Very much a tear down. He was talking about finishing the kitchen and putting it on the market. As what? The flooring or rug is probably junk, the electrical, plumbing, flooring and the rooms and basement are all garbage. The best thing he can do is clear out all the furniture and hope they make some money on the land.

Of course taking the job offered to him would have helped some issues like money. Maybe he should go to jobsaplentyland with Kev and V and get a good paying job his first day there.

[MaggieG]

I cracked up at Mickey getting angry at the joggers and $4 beer

[kathe5133]

Wait.  Last season, when offered a free home, but far away from his family, Lip was all "I need my family".  Now he's like "fuck you, grow up, I'm moving on" to his family.  Should have taken that free house last year Lip.  Sheesh!

 

[iMonrey]

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I was also kind of amused by Debbie being freaked out by being alone, as she has spent her whole life in a house filled with her siblings, their extended family, her siblings significant others who always end up crashing with them, other random people, that would be a change up. 

Yes but the way she was begging a complete stranger to allow her and her child to live in her house with them was beyond pathetic. 

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If there's still a mortgage on the house then they'd have to have insurance.

There isn't. The house originally belonged to their Aunt Virginia, who Frank buried in the back yard. Eventually they had to have her declared dead but then their cousin made a claim on the house. I can't remember the details but Fiona bargained with him to give her the house. 

Quote

Wait.  Last season, when offered a free home, but far away from his family, Lip was all "I need my family".  Now he's like "fuck you, grow up, I'm moving on" to his family. 

Just another example of the writers basically either ignoring the entire history of this show or being completely unaware of it because they never watched it and are new to it this season. I'm not sure which one is worse.

[kieyra]

16 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I can't remember the details but Fiona bargained with him to give her the house. 

I think they blackmailed him by having Debbie threaten to report him for sexual abuse.

So he let them rent.

But then he was going to sell because gentrification.

After this it gets muddled, but I also sort of remember Drug Dealer Carl showing up with a duffel bag of money to buy the house.

I don't know. The house has been through a lot. 

[taanja]

On 3/29/2021 at 5:02 PM, CarpeFelis said:

If I’m remembering correctly, wasn’t the house put into Fiona’s name a few seasons ago?

Yup. I think it was last ep where at least two people asked -- who owns the house? and who is Liam's guardian?

no one knew the answer to either question . *hint* FIONA!

Anyway I am going to miss this show when it's gone. For me it has been a fun ride. I love the disfunction! 

Lip has always been a piece of shit as far as I am concerned and he continues down the piece of shit path.  A true Gallagher.

I wonder who is going to end up with Frank? Soon he will not be able to be left alone.

I am holding out for Fiona's return!

 

 

[CarpeFelis]

1 hour ago, taanja said:

I wonder who is going to end up with Frank? Soon he will not be able to be left alone.

I am holding out for Fiona's return!

The most fitting ending would be for Fiona to show up for Frank’s wake! Being the Gallaghers you just KNOW it will be a drunken blowout wake, not just a funeral.

[chocolatine]

On 3/31/2021 at 1:16 PM, kieyra said:

I think they blackmailed him by having Debbie threaten to report him for sexual abuse.

So he let them rent.

But then he was going to sell because gentrification.

After this it gets muddled, but I also sort of remember Drug Dealer Carl showing up with a duffel bag of money to buy the house.

I don't know. The house has been through a lot. 

Carl got the money by selling Monica's drugs after her death. I seem to remember that the drug money wasn't enough to buy the house outright and that Fiona took out a loan, but I'm not 100% sure.

Edited April 4, 2021 by chocolatine

[kieyra]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Carl got the money by selling Monica's drugs after her death. I seem to remember that the drug money wasn't enough to buy the house outright and that Fiona took out a loan, but I'm not 100% sure.

She later uses the house as collateral in a business loan for something or other, maybe it's that?

[Marley]

It wasn’t Monica’s drug money Carl was selling weapons and stuff with that big guy from juvie then he doesn’t wanna do it anymore after the big guy murdered some kid for stealing his bike. So he dug up the money and then gave Fiona a duffel bag of cash. It’s in her name cause he was too young.

[Keely]

8 hours ago, Marley said:

It wasn’t Monica’s drug money Carl was selling weapons and stuff with that big guy from juvie then he doesn’t wanna do it anymore after the big guy murdered some kid for stealing his bike. So he dug up the money and then gave Fiona a duffel bag of cash. It’s in her name cause he was too young.

This is the right answer.

She later took out a mortgage on it, but paid it off. Regardless, it's in her name. How Lip wants to talk about his rights and splitting anything is beyond me. They can't do anything without her signature. Beyond that, Carl literally bought the house. Lip has no right to any money from its sale unless Carl and/or Fiona want to be nice and give him something.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

‘Hit My Husband Again, I’ll Kill You’

'We Gotta Get Rid of It'