S05.E09: Carl's First Sentencing

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Frank plays tour guide for his doctor. Fiona preps Carl for sentencing.

 

Promo:

 

Clips:

 

[Primetimer]

Ian's med non-compliance causes problems just as Carl and Chuckie face sentencing on their drug charges -- so, in other words, it's another uplifting week for the Gallaghers.

Read the story

[backhometome]

What a boring episode.

 

Sammi continues to be the worst with too much screen time. 

 

Ian's plot line about not taking his meds lasted all of 3 mins. And of course a scene of Ian/Mickey got cut (based on stills they were supposed to have a scene outside the clinic).

 

Lip and his teacher is so cliched. I dont give a crap about any of his school story lines.

 

I did appreciate the Ian/Lip scene. I felt like they haven't had a proper scene together in 2 seasons. 

 

Bianca is way too good for Frank.

[SoWindsor]

I wasn't into this episode either. That's all.

[Chaos Theory]

I actually almost liked Sammi this episode. Her speech to the judge was nice.

Carl purposely sabotaging his sentencing was very much him. It very much enjoyed it though.

Didn't care at all about the Feank stuff.

Ian and Micky as always was touching.

[Amethyst]

I don't mind the plot about Lip's tuition, but his affair with the teacher was boring and unnecessary.  The only thing I liked about it was Lip poring over the art book afterwards.  Nice little touches like those remind us that as acerbic as he is, Lip really loves learning.

 

I haven't watched Shameless in a long time (not since s2) so I'm trying to catch up.  I really don't know how to feel about Sammi.  On one hand, I get that she wants to protect Chuckie at all costs, but isn't she responsible for most of his problems?  

 

I wished there was more Ian/Mickey stuff, but there's been a lot of focus on them so I suppose someone else had to take over this week.  What's really discouraging is that a lot of anti-psychotics and antidepressant meds take a few weeks to kick in, assuming they even work for the person.  It makes sense that Ian is barely functioning and all he wants to do is sleep.

 

The Frank/Bianca stuff was surprisingly good.  Can't blame Bianca for being angry at her situation.

 

Kevin as Rapewalker or whatever...was he just having sex with the girls or actually taking them back to their dorms?  I didn't have too much sympathy for all the college guys who were mad at Kevin for c*ckblocking them from nailing drunken coeds.

[AlliMo]

Carl and Chuckie are both probably better off in juvie. Carl because he's destined to become a career criminal no matter what, so he might as well learn how to be better at it. Chuckie because despite her dramatics, even juvie is better than being raised by the horror that is Sammi.

 

Of all the awful, depressing things we've seen people go through on this show, I think Lip not being able to wrap his head around why someone would want to help him without getting anything in return was possibly the saddest.

[junemeatcleaver]

I still don't really care about the Ian bipolar saga, but that Ian/Lip scene was nice.  They are probably my favorite relationship on the show, I have missed their scenes together.

 

Are there any sober students in the dorm who find it weird a 40 year old man has taken residence there? 

 

I don't mind Sammi because at least she amuses me.  I'll take any bit of comedy in this increasingly dour and depressing show.

[cherrybomb]

 

Kevin as Rapewalker or whatever...was he just having sex with the girls or actually taking them back to their dorms?

He was taking them safely back to their dorms at night and then they would call the next day to express their gratitude. 

 

 

[Cosmocrush]

I actually almost liked Sammi this episode. Her speech to the judge was nice.

Until she inked a swastika on Chuckie's forehead.  I can only hope that  Chuckie being in jail means she's off the show. 

 

I enjoy Llip's storylines the most, maybe because he seems like the only one with any hope of a bright future and he kjnows  that too.  I didn't even mind the professor angle  (older educated woman teaches student about art and music, critical theory, and apparently sex)  well until her husband came home and offered Lip an omelet.

[DiabLOL]

I was really moved by Lip's teacher seeing Schiele in him. I see it too now and I was then really touched by the scene of him going back to the book on Schiele while she slept. Like the whole thing with him not understanding why someone would help him without strings happened then the Schiele thing...it's like he's actually going to get to see himself and the world in a different way now. 

 

I was utterly ghouled by the way the scene where Sammi is telling her little boy how to jerk off prison guards was played by The Show. The way that the lawyer(?) was acting all upset seemed played for comic effect to me. It's not fucking funny. I consider what Sammi did a form of sexual abuse, especially given that her child has an IQ of 70. This show sometimes really hits the wrong notes for me. I get it that it's cynical and dreary and dark humor and all that but sometimes I think the writers really fuck up with the way they portray it and I am just left feeling let down.

 

I liked Frank today. I liked him and the dr. together. It's like they're so improbably together yet they totally belong together. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

While it's a nice change of pace to see Frank be nice to someone instead of trying to screw them over, it would be great if he bothered to be that nice to one of his own kids. Not even all of them, just one.

[india wilkes]

Dang Shameless. This may be my last season with you. This episode sucked. I don't feel like going down my laundry list of why, but that's how I feel. 

What a boring episode.

 

Sammi continues to be the worst with too much screen time. 

 

Ian's plot line about not taking his meds lasted all of 3 mins. And of course a scene of Ian/Mickey got cut (based on stills they were supposed to have a scene outside the clinic).

 

Lip and his teacher is so cliched. I dont give a crap about any of his school story lines.

 

I did appreciate the Ian/Lip scene. I felt like they haven't had a proper scene together in 2 seasons. 

 

Bianca is way too good for Frank.

I think Sammi has ruined this season for me. Brand spanking new to the show and She gets more screen time than probably Fiona. Heck, probably more than Frank! it's ridiculous. 

[Empress1]

I'm still bothered by the way Fiona seems to have forgotten that she's a legal guardian to three minor kids. (Four? How old is Ian?) She can't move back in "for a little while," nor can she go on anybody's tour.

I'm not interested in Lip banging his professor (Sasha Alexander has a great body), but I was moved by him realizing that sometimes people just help you, with no angle.

Carl was headed to juvie eventually. I don't feel any type of way about him ending up there.

[40Love]

Are there any sober students in the dorm who find it weird a 40 year old man has taken residence there?

 

Right?! It's kind of gross that all these young women are having sex with him. He's a good looking guy... but, yeesh isn't anybody (Kev, the women) afraid of catching something.

 

It's just all so sleazy to me. Even the first encounter between Lip and the professor is sleazy to me. Sorry I sound like such a prude, I'm not -- I'm just over all the random hook-ups. 

 

Could someone familiar with the law tell me if someone who is so clearly mentally challenged as Chuckie would really be sent to a Juvenile jail with Carl.

 

I get that it was arrested with a hell of a lot drugs... but, still I just can't imagine a judge would send that child to the slaughter, even it was for a month.

 

Wouldn't the justice system recognized the child was of diminished capacity and literally didn't understand what he was doing? I was flabbergasted when the judge sent him away.   

[iMonrey]

So are they writing Carl off the show? Or are they just going to do a side story with him in juvie like when Fiona was in jail? I guess they could do that since the season's almost over then by next season he could get an early release (although based on good behavior seems unlikely). I know Chuckie isn't the brightest bulb in the box but he's actually a little too articulate to have an IQ that low.

 

Fiona is so going to sleep with Dermot Mulroney. Then Gus will come back, lather, rinse, repeat.

 

Don't care for the story with Lip and the college professor.

 

Even after agreeing to go on meds Ian seems like he's in a downward spiral. I'm predicting a suicide attempt in his future.

[backhometome]

 

So are they writing Carl off the show?

Just for the rest of the season. The actor asked if he could leave the season early to go back to school. 

[fliptopbox]

Grumble. DirecTV doesn't have the latest episodes of ANYTHING available online to stream....is there anyplace I can stream last night's episode without having to torrent it? I'm stuck in the hospital and the bandwidth here blows.. I'm lucky they have AMC as part of their cable..  

[wallofsound]

The final scene on the prison bus had me literally laughing out loud; Chuckie and Carl are already members of rival gangs. "Word", indeed.

I find Lip sexy as hell, so his whole sub plot didn't bother me. I love him.

Sammy continues to suck and have way too many scenes.

I didn't really care for the frank and Bianca sub plot, but I sort of liked frank in those scenes.

[Blue Castle]

I have very little to say that's positive about this show anymore and I really don't want to get into all the ways this season needs to be more consistent and focused.

So I'll focus on the positive. The actors are consistently good on Shameless and its been especially apparent with how little Noel Fisher and Cameron Monaghan are given and how much they do with it. And Cameron Monaghan has really run with his storyline this year. It's exciting to watch a young actor as he comes into his own.

[CarolMK]

I can't figure out why Sammi is still living with the Gallaghers now. Wonder what the show plans to do with her.

Frank's new friend seems like a storyline out of nowhere...really, I can't see where a young doctor would have the slightest interest in a creep like Frank. If she wants to get hard drugs, she could find them another way and also, I could see where she'd want to find maybe a clinical trial, too.Also, her punching out her high school competitor didn't make sense, why did the show go there at all?

Gang symbols on Chuckie and Carl? What the hell? No matter what, these boys are supposed to be only 13 years old. It bugs the hell out of me that they're in jail.

Lip and the professor....no. Give it a rest, Lip, if you have to have sex, bring back Amanda. 

[ihartcoffee]

The final scene on the prison bus had me literally laughing out loud; Chuckie and Carl are already members of rival gangs. "Word", indeed.

I find Lip sexy as hell, so his whole sub plot didn't bother me. I love him.

Sammy continues to suck and have way too many scenes.

I didn't really care for the frank and Bianca sub plot, but I sort of liked frank in those scenes.

So that's where they've been going with the Carl is a bad drug dealer story line. It all makes sense now.

I agree on Lip. There is something sexy about him, I loved when he was looking at that art book afterwards. I'm curious about this open couple too.

There has to be something behind that frank / Bianca story line.

[Sisygambis]

This episode was such a mixed bag, and definitely one of the weakest episodes of the whole season for me.  I loved everything that was about characters and not so much with the wacky hijinks.

 

I know I am biased when it comes to Ian and Mickey (because they are my favourite couple on the show and Ian is my favourite character) but I just want more from them.  There has been so much heavy stuff going on between them this season, it would be great to finally see them talk about it.  They have spent basically the last 3 episodes apart, so it would have been nice to have some kind of conversation - while they were dressing, before or after the clinic visit.  But beside that, I loved all of the Mickey/Ian scenes.  Mickey being able to calm Ian down about the delusions, them in the clinic, with both of them asking questions, and just the little moment of Ian calming Mickey with a touch to the knee.  As well, their faces when the nurse said 30 or 40 years.  Loving this story line, but I want more!

 

Fiona not dealing with her love life was fantastic.  I loved seeing her back with her family and actually dealing with trying to raise the children.  As well, I like the stuff with Shawn, mostly because sex was off the table in these moments.  Her going to be with him while he was fighting so hard against his impulses to use was a great moment of selfless friendship.

 

I liked half of Lip's story - everything to do with his financial struggles and deciding not to get the other student to hack into the system for him was interesting and I think the show has done a great job of exploring Lip's slow crawl towards adulthood and growing up from the brat who ran around smashing windows last season.  All of the stuff with the professor I could have done without.  I'm over Lip's relationships - so unless this is going somewhere very interesting, I checked out as soon as they started going at it in her office.

 

Did not care at all about Kev.  Far too much screen time devoted to his epiphany that he really loves V.

 

I actually gave a hoot about Frank this episode, which is a miracle.  It's the most interested I've been in him since I though he might actually die last season.  The stuff with Carl and Chucky was fine and a little sad - that there was seemingly nothing that anyone could do to prevent a mental disabled minor who had clearly been taken advantage of from going to jail was very depressing.  Like many others, I'm over Sammi.  But I do appreciate her love for Chucky, even if it is twisted.

 

Edited to add: I forgot to mention the sinking feeling I had when the nurse mention that Ian should make a list of people to call in case he felt like hurting himself.  What are others thoughts? 

Edited March 16, 2015 by Sisygambis

[Chaos Theory]

I liked the Carl storyline. I happen to likd the character and am interested in what the show will do with him now. I understand that the actor is being written off the show for the remainder of the season which is sad. The Carl subplot has at least been entertaining.

[sheetmoss]

Right?! It's kind of gross that all these young women are having sex with him. He's a good looking guy... but, yeesh isn't anybody (Kev, the women) afraid of catching something.

 

It's just all so sleazy to me. Even the first encounter between Lip and the professor is sleazy to me. Sorry I sound like such a prude, I'm not -- I'm just over all the random hook-ups. 

 

Could someone familiar with the law tell me if someone who is so clearly mentally challenged as Chuckie would really be sent to a Juvenile jail with Carl.

 

I get that it was arrested with a hell of a lot drugs... but, still I just can't imagine a judge would send that child to the slaughter, even it was for a month.

 

Wouldn't the justice system recognized the child was of diminished capacity and literally didn't understand what he was doing? I was flabbergasted when the judge sent him away.   

Up until a Supreme Court ruling last yr, this country executed adults  with very low IQ scores,  

 

A score of 70 in FL you lived, 71....adios!

Edited March 17, 2015 by sheetmoss

[Amethyst]

Could someone familiar with the law tell me if someone who is so clearly mentally challenged as Chuckie would really be sent to a Juvenile jail with Carl.

 

I get that it was arrested with a hell of a lot drugs... but, still I just can't imagine a judge would send that child to the slaughter, even it was for a month.

 

Wouldn't the justice system recognized the child was of diminished capacity and literally didn't understand what he was doing? I was flabbergasted when the judge sent him away.   

 

Word to all of this.  Especially since the judge knows that Carl (and Frank) was behind the stunt, and he gleefully admitted as such.  That whole scene made no sense.

 

Even in the most technical of situations (eg: you get caught with drugs = you go to jail) anyone in that courtroom could see that Chuckie is severely lacking in faculties, enough that his mother had to speak up for him because he was too dumbfounded to do it himself.  While I hated the swastika tattoo, at least this way Chuckie will have some protection.  But he shouldn't have gone to jail in the first place; there had to be other options for punishment.  I know they're doing this for the "lulz," Chuckie vs. Carl, but they know this isn't a fair fight.

 

I feel bad for Chuckie.  He really got the short end of the stick.  I know the point of the show is to see what lows the Gallagher's will go to in order to survive, but at least they have each other to lean on.  Chuckie only has Sammi, and we see that while she loves him, she's not capable of decent things.  The "jerk off the guard" thing is supposed to be funny, but shit like that is only going to mess with Chuckie's head and land him in a therapist's chair in the future.

[Advance35]

I know the point of the show is to see what lows the Gallagher's will go to in order to survive, but at least they have each other to lean on.  Chuckie only has Sammi, and we see that while she loves him, she's not capable of decent things.

 

I find that really interesting about them.  Whom the Gallaghers choose to let in/care about.   We've seen the way Carl treats Chuckie, maybe it's his loathing of Sammy but to them, just because you've got the blood of Frank, doesn't mean your a Gallagher.   But at the same time Carl was able to reach out to Mickey Milkovich, someone who's done a lot more to hurt his family than Sammi/Chuckie have.

 

I don't like Sammi but I do kind of feel bad for Chuckie in that he doesn't know what's going on around him.  I think she is a bad parent but I do believe Sammi loves him (deficiencies and all).

[india wilkes]

 

But at the same time Carl was able to reach out to Mickey Milkovich, someone who's done a lot more to hurt his family than Sammi/Chuckie have.

how has mickey done more to hurt the family? he has hurt Ian, but the whole family? 

[backhometome]

What has Mickey done to the Gallagher's????

[Advance35]

I mean't Mickey in relation to Sammi.

 

Mickey has gone out of his way to cause trouble for Lip (who's also been fairly good to Mickey more recently event after there little machine gun attack and ditch) and of course with Ian, things are much more complicated.

 

But until now, Sammi's really been a thorn in the side of Frank and Sheila hasn't she?   I don't get the impression Carl or any of them are much invested in them.

[Tatum]

 

I find that really interesting about them.  Whom the Gallaghers choose to let in/care about.   We've seen the way Carl treats Chuckie, maybe it's his loathing of Sammy but to them, just because you've got the blood of Frank, doesn't mean your a Gallagher.

 

I am a little mystified as to Fiona's coldness towards Chuckie. Sure, Sammi is annoying and I don't blame Fiona or the rest of the Gallaghers for not feeling any sisterly bonds with her, but did Fiona really think it was fair that Sammi just sit by and let her son be punished for a crime that Carl committed? None of the Gallaghers know about Frank's involvement in the bust, so it just looks like Carl tricked Chuckie into coming along as the unwitting drug mule and left him out to dry, and now a kid with limited mental faculties is sitting in jail without having any understanding of what happened to him. And Fiona is mad that Sammi called the cops on Carl? She can hate Sammi all she wants, but can she really expect Sammi to not try and protect her son? And can she really justify letting someone like Chuckie get sent to juvenile detention in Carl's place? The whole scene just pissed me off.  Especially when Fiona snapped that Chuckie wasn't destined for greatness- oh really, Fiona, as opposed to Carl who was such a great asset to society?

 

Also, Fiona and Vee kind of snickering over Chuckie's IQ results being read aloud was way uncalled for. I think Fiona has just been a huge bitch ever since last season when she started sleeping with Mike's brother. I really don't like what they're doing with her character.

 

 

There has to be something behind that frank / Bianca story line.

I wasn't into the Frank and Bianca scenes. While it was nice that he took care of her at the end, kind of frustrating to see a kindness displayed towards her that was far more giving than anything he's ever done for any of his kids. Although I guess none of his kids have wads of cash hanging out of their purses or the ability to write prescriptions, but he still seemed sincere at the end.

 

Although it did annoy me that he totally glorified his lifestyle- while there is something to be said for stopping long enough to enjoy the fruits of your labor, I bet no one ever sat on their deathbed feeling like they didn't live because they never woke up naked in a crackhouse.

[MrWhyt]

I'm not interested in Lip banging his professor (Sasha Alexander has a great body),

She does, though it's strange to see her do a naked guest star role here when she's a lead on her own show.

[SimoneS]

I was really moved by Lip's teacher seeing Schiele in him. I see it too now and I was then really touched by the scene of him going back to the book on Schiele while she slept. Like the whole thing with him not understanding why someone would help him without strings happened then the Schiele thing...it's like he's actually going to get to see himself and the world in a different way now. 

 

I felt the same. I don't know much about Schiele, but I think there is something beautiful, yet tragic about world weary Lip. I have found watching him struggling to climb out the poverty and violence of his world to be very moving. I hope that the support system that is growing around him at MIT helps him get that degree. First generation college kids desperately need that kind of support and encouragement.

 

Jeremy Allen White is not stereotypically handsome, but I find him very sexy at times.

 

Lip's body language in the conversation with Lip was also so good. I am glad they got a chance to talk. 

 

Of course, there was Mickey's facial expression when the nurse told Ian that he might start getting better in 40 years. Just heartbreaking.  Can Mickey stick it out for even a couple more weeks? We'll see.

Edited March 17, 2015 by SimoneS

[Emily Thrace]

I actually really most of this episode even Frank was less annoying than usual.

Ian hearing he would be be dependent on meds for decades hit me hard. I know what that's like it really hard to hear that you will never be "normal" again. I really hate when people say its "treatable" and they really mean suck it up. Treatable so often means your fine until the other shoe drops. Most chronic conditions are a daily part of your life even if its in small ways. Healthy people rarely have any idea how good they have it and I like that the show isn't brushing off what a major adjustment any illness is no matter how "treatable" it is.

Sammi's instruction to Chuckie were horrifying but as so often is the case on Shameless it was felt very real. It was terrible parenting but Sammi was ultimately trying to protect Chuckie. I can see why Sammi thought it was good idea(since its been shown Sammi uses sex to get what she wants by default more than once) even if it was a truly awful idea. Sammi ultimately isn't an uncaring parent she just doesn't know enough to stop herself from repeating the cycle.

Lip's storyline annoys me slightly because it reeks of male fantasy but its also similar to something that happened to the shows creator so I'm going to wait and see on this one. Although if the were really going to mirror the original writers story Lip would be sleeping with Yvonne(I miss her) not some hot college proffessor.

[dangwoodchucks]

The whole Chuckie and Carl going to juvie thing saddens me. Carl belongs there no doubt. From a practical standpoint it's one less mouth to feed, and like he said, he'll get a great education, and one more suited to his future endeavors. Chuckie on the other hand shouldn't have gotten any time or even any punishment. He did nothing wrong except to be related to the wrong people and used by them to play their twisted games. V and Fiona snickering in court at Chuckie's IQ was disgusting. Frank was kind of right when he threw the 'bad parenting' remark back at Fiona. She wanted to be the guardian of her siblings, but she hasn't been there for them at all lately.

 

I'm not at all interested in Sean or his ex taking their child to another state story. That time Fiona spent with him could've been spent with her family.

[Tatum]

 

From a practical standpoint it's one less mouth to feed, and like he said, he'll get a great education, and one more suited to his future endeavors.

 

On top of that, he was responsible for losing 10 pounds of heroin. Even though he didn't turn in his dealer, that's an insane amount of heroin and per my google research, would have retailed for mid 6 figures. That's a lot of money to write off and I wouldn't feel too safe on the streets if that was on me.

 

 

Frank was kind of right when he threw the 'bad parenting' remark back at Fiona. She wanted to be the guardian of her siblings, but she hasn't been there for them at all lately.

 

That was so funny. She has been a really shitty guardian the last two seasons.

[tennisgurl]

Every time an Ian/Mickey scene gets cut, a kitten cries. Come on, Shameless. Think about the kittens. 

 

I think the writers might have contracted a tragic case of Sleepy Hallow Syndrome. SHS is a growing condition, plaguing TV shows all across the TV landscape, where the writers inexplicably decide to take focus away from the things that fans and critics like about the show (Gallagher sibling bonding, Ian/Mickey, character development) and instead focus in things that no one but them care about  (Fiona`s marriage, and ESPECIALLY Frank and Sammi shenanigans). Named after this last season of Sleepy Hallow and its decision to focus on the boring Katrina and her boring drama instead of the Abbey/Crane dynamic that made the show interesting, SHS almost managed to tank a promising show in only its second season, because the writers wanted to focus on what they, and ONLY they thought made a good show.

 

Sammi`s continued existence mystifies me. She gets more screen time than people who have been here since season 1! At least I get why Frank is still here, and he can still be interesting/funny every once in a blue moon. Sammi just drives me up the wall. Its not even really her character, so much as its how much freaking screen time she eats up. Who asked for this? Its like there is a really great show being made that keeps being interrupted by the Sammi/Frank show. We lost Mandy and Sheila for this? Really? 

 

Sorry, I just needed to vent. Bitching aside, I did like a lot of stuff in this episode. I continue to love every scene involving Ian and Mickey, both separately and together. I love most all of these characters and I find most of their arcs to be really interesting, even with some bumps. If we could just get more...

Edited March 18, 2015 by tennisgurl

[Slovenly Muse]

I was appalled that that lawyer could sit there and listen to Sammi teach her mentally incapacitated son how to jerk off a guard. On top of being horrifying, it was also all kinds of illegal, and good cause for Chuckie to be taken out of Sammi's care. That the lawyer representing Chuckie's best interests could sit there and "la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you" was atrocious.

 

I can understand Sammi giving Chuckie that advice. After all, that is her actual life philosophy! She actually believes that the best (or only) way to make it in the world is to trade her body to get the attention/protection of men, and while Chuckie is mentally incapacitated, Sammi is all kinds of fucked up herself (maybe where Chuckie gets it from?), and is damaged enough, and a terrible enough parent and human being, to think her son needs these sorts of skills (and that horrendous tattoo) to survive. I CAN'T understand the lawyer implicitly condoning it. SOMEONE has to be the grownup here! And it's never going to be Sammi.

 

Also, I hope this Frank and the doctor storyline isn't just a rehash of that time early in the series when Frank "selflessly" took care of that terminally ill woman in the hopes she'd leave him something when she died. He seems to be in exactly the same position now, pretending to care about this ill woman so he can take advantage of her... Then again, that's pretty much the only storyline Frank ever gets, isn't it? Just a new sucker every few episodes or so.

Edited March 18, 2015 by Slovenly Muse

[Blue Castle]

I find it depressing when it's assumed that Carl belongs in juvie. But I actually find the entire juvenile justice system incredibly depressing, though, so I tend to think that very few kids belong there and that our society sucks as a whole for creating a "prison-lite" situation for children. But Carl and Chuckie going to juvie is very sad to me.

I actually dislike every single storyline for every single character this season except for Mickey and Ian. Either the stories are rambling like Lip's, or depressing like Kev, V, and Carl's, or inconsistent with character like Debbie and Fiona's. At least Mickey and Ian's story makes sense and is very focused. Also, while it's sad, it's not depressing--they care about each other so much that I believe that things will eventually get better.

I don't know, I used to watch this show because it was about a family banding together to fight poverty and dysfunction. And and there were lots of little moments of realism among the Gallaghers that made me feel like they were a real family. And Kev and V were a crazy but super cute couple. And Sheila was a crazy but nurturing neighbor. And most of all there was Fiona who had all these responsibilities at a young age, but she still had so much joy and love for her family. I don't feel like I'm watching that same show any more and it makes me a little sad.

[fliptopbox]

I agree with whoever in the cast (Vee?) who said Carl would be running the joint by the end of the year. No shock there. Chuckie's sentencing was just sad....but then again he was caught with like 10lbs of heroin strapped to him, borderline retard IQ or not. At least he only got the minimum. Sammi is gross and I am sick of her and suddenly this season focusing so much around her....and I even like the actress (Emily Bergl). If she claims to be a Gallagher too what's with all this us vs them shit?

 

Fiona and Gus.. who knows, and honestly who cares? If that fails she'll find a new penis, pronto. I'm already bored with her storyline this season. Gus, Jimmy, Shawn.. whoever the hell else. Fiona life used to revolve around that house until this season and til this episode she was barely in the picture as far as family was concerned. The past 2 seasons have been "Fiona fucks a lot" and it's getting old. Regarding her family (minus Frank, Sammi, and Chuckie of course) she seems distant and cold now, when before they were her world. Not liking this shift, writers.

 

I don't buy Frank and his doctor (Bianca) and their immediate connection. Even a sick doctor wouldn't just abandon her job and go gallivanting with a guy like Frank because he has this laissez faire "fuck it all" attitude about life. Fuck that. Totally unbelievable. 

 

Lip and his college thing, meh.They could have made his RA thing more interesting, instead of whiny kids who lock themselves out naked and that entitled douche who got his weed stolen. Tough titties dude, don't leave your room unlocked. No cop in the world is gonna care that someone stole your weed. And now Lip's screwing one of his professors? Come on. Such a tired cliche. Even Kev and his rapewalker thing was blah, until his little epiphany that Vee is better...but we always knew that. I guess the question is now will Vee ever be able to be both caring mom and whore (to Kev)?

 

I am hoping the last couple episodes get better or this will be a wasted season.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

They could have made his RA thing more interesting, instead of whiny kids who lock themselves out naked and that entitled douche who got his weed stolen.

Heh, one of my best friends was an RA and most of his job was dealing with dumbasses who locked themselves out of their rooms and did stupid things like the kid who had his weed stolen. He got so annoyed with the general dumbassery that he once wrote up a student for stupidity (he actually wrote that on the form) but his boss rejected it. She said he could only cite them for things that were already on the form/in the handbook, much to his dismay. I see Lip's experience as an RA pretty accurate and realistic. It's tedious dealing with the same crap from the same residents constantly, but that's the flip side of free room and board as an RA.

Edited March 22, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[fliptopbox]

Heh, one of my best friends was an RA and most of his job was dealing with dumbasses who locked themselves out of their rooms and did stupid things like the kid who had his weed stolen. He got so annoyed with the general dumbassery that he once wrote up a student for stupidity (he actually wrote that on the form) but his boss rejected it. She said he could only cite them for things that were already on the form/in the handbook, much to his dismay. I see Lip's experience as an RA pretty accurate and realistic. It's tedious dealing with the same crap from the same residents constantly, but that's the flip side of free room and board as an RA.

 

I guess, but it feels like such tired territory. I'd rather see him fucking Amanda all the time (and I don't even really like her) rather than the dull RA stuff. To be honest, what happened to her since school started? Is she now bored with Lip because she realized he's more like her father than she thought? Wonder if they will ever go back to that.

[paramitch]

I was really moved by Lip's teacher seeing Schiele in him. I see it too now and I was then really touched by the scene of him going back to the book on Schiele while she slept. Like the whole thing with him not understanding why someone would help him without strings happened then the Schiele thing...it's like he's actually going to get to see himself and the world in a different way now.  

 

I was depressed by most of this week's shenanigans (so it was pretty much Shameless 101), but I weirdly agree here. Lip was my least favorite character until last season, when we began to see him evolve a bit and to show some empathy for others (and, notably, for the other women around him).

 

So I'm actually enjoying his storyline this season. While I rolled my eyes at the affair with his professor, it is one of those rare instances in which I don't see any harm in it. He's not a vulnerable or innocent student being victimized by a teacher -- if anything, she is already broadening his horizons and showing him art and culture (and she even refreshingly let him know he's not that great in bed). In short, she's letting him know that he doesn't know everything, he has a lot to learn, and there is a whole world waiting out there for him.

 

I was surprised to like the professor (especially since she and the husband seemed to be fine with circumstances), and think she could actually be a good influence on Lip as someone who could teach him about finding a place in the world beyond the tiny one in which he grew up.

 

But the scene that broke my heart was the one with the Financial Aid guy, and how Lip couldn't believe someone would simply help him with no ulterior motives. That more than anything showed how different the world Lip knows is from the college world. I grew up in somewhat similar circumstances, so I'm really rooting for him to get out and make a life and career for himself.

[DiabLOL]

Agreed, paramitch and reading your post made me think of something else. His prof isn't his peer but neither were Karen or Mandy etc. At least he's dating up and that makes sense to me given his higher than average intelligence yet lower than necessary self esteem. He seems to already be ready to believe that there may be a good place for him in the world.

 

This reminds me of the scene with Mickey and Ian at the clinic when they heard that Ian's disease may last another 40 years or so. At least the two of them pushed on to go see someone instead of giving up. Everything in their world seems to encourage entropy and misery and bad choices.  Their nurse wasn't totally uncaring and brusque. Hopefully this alone will encourage them to keep up with treatment.

[Chas411]

Picking up with the season again after taking a break due to the dull storylines. Fiona gave Sean more attention this episode for thinking about shooting up then she's given to Ian's season long breakdown. She's become so unlikeable.