S09.E03: Weirdo Gallagher Vortex

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Frank confronts a new role. Fiona prepares to close a deal.

Promo:

Clip:

Original air date: 9/23/18

Edited September 17, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[SuprSuprElevated]

I'm with Emmy.  This will be my last season of Shamless also.  Not feeling it any longer.

I knew what Kev and V were going to do about the twins' school before they did.  Bad sign.  Predictability breeds contempt, lol.

Edited September 17, 2018 by SuprSuprElevated

[planet17]

Liam is the number one reason I'm watching. He's a breath of fresh air among so many uninteresting storylines we've been watching since season 8. I'm interested in watching him "gallagher" his way through public school, using what he learned from his family and the private school.

Next week is the special 100th episode and I'm not hyped. 

[sadie]

I think they need to make this the final season. There’s just no compelling stories left apparently. I kept checking the clock. Fiona and her boring weird boyfriend. Lip and his weird obsession with this little girl. Ian, just dumbest story ever. If if wasn’t for the small blips of Liam and Carl the hour would be complete torture. Oh yea and Vee still has a wicked hot body. Like I said there’s just nothing left here of a previously excellent show. 

[Dee]

You know it's a rare episode when Debbie & Ian and Vee & Carl are having actual conversations.

[preeya]

I actually fell asleep. It's iffy if I'll make it to the end of S09.

[WaltersHair]

Well, ripping off Woody Allen and the My Bodyguard (great Chicago movie) is a new low.

I just don't care and Fiona is the one character I stay around for.

Of note, there is a PoWhite toll road in Richmond Virginia, but I don't think it has quite the zing Mo White does.

[Chaos Theory]

I still like the show but I do see it’s missing something and I can’t put my finger on exactly what.  Maybe the fact that young Liam being the most entertaining character does illustrate the problem with the show.  All the characters have grown up and even though they mostly live in the same house they rarely interact anymore unless the story really needs them to.  Look at Fiona one of the most interesting and important characters on the show.  Emmy Rossum is leaving the show so now is  the time for a bang up story but she is stuck with one of the most boring storylines on the show.  And a boring love interest.  

I did like that even Frank has his limits when dealing with people.  And the Alibi’s Rapey reputation was kinda funny.

Debbie and Carl’s storylines continue to be the most interesting maybe because they are at that age when they are old enough to know better but still too young to care.  So their hijinx are still funny.

I am of the minority and really loved Ian’s Gay Jesus storyline but I think it needs to find a new direction.

Lip’s storyline is also kinda stupid and boring.

still Liam Gallaghering his way through public school was the most interesting thing about the show.  It was also the saddest because you see how screwed over he really got and no one seems to care. 

Edited September 24, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[whiporee]

So many, many things wrong. 

Does their neighborhood have two Congressional representatives who have elections at different times? Why isn't Vee's client running for re-election in a contested one?

Why did Kev and Vee find out about this wacky BDSM thing last year, when Vee had already spent time as a prodomme? And had we ever established that she did live sessions? I know she was a cam person when we met them, but did anyone ever actually suggest she was an actual professional? I liked the scene of her going through her suitcase, but still.

So the empty plot of land cost a million bucks? When Fiona bought a whole building for less?

Debbie's welding equipment is light enough to carry around while she and her new pal weld dildos to car hoods? And putting a weld on takes a few seconds?

Lip was willing to kill a guy to get Xan out?

Ian -- who has studied the Bible -- just sat there and took stuff from the priest and the rabbi?

Frank -- who is up on political stuff -- didn't know about Mo White, while Vee did? 

And there's more, but I'm frustrated. I don't know what they are doing, but I wish Wells or someone would sit everyone down and say that this tuff isn't outrageous, it's just stupid characatures.  

[iMonrey]

I'm with y'all, this show has officially run out of ideas. Ford has to be the most boring person Fiona has ever dated. Even more boring than Mike (the guy she cheated on with his brother Robbie). What exactly is this guy's appeal supposed to be? His accent? He's got about as much personality as a stale old piece of toast.

Quote

Liam is the number one reason I'm watching. He's a breath of fresh air among so many uninteresting storylines we've been watching since season 8.

 Yeah except his story is just a rip-off of My Bodyguard. (Although I note with pride that Liam is a lefty.)

And it's not so much that I mind if they make Debbie a lesbian or bisexual, it's just that it reeks of desperation because they don't know what to do with her anymore. They don't know what to do with any of them anymore.

Quote

Lip was willing to kill a guy to get Xan out?

Yeah, that was fairly horrifying as well. We don't even know this kid, why the hell are we supposed to care about her? We care about Lip, I guess, although less and less so lately, and I get where he's coming from but still, this is boring. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ford is definitely the most boring guy Fiona has dated. Or maybe he's not boring but this is the most boring boyfriend storyline that Fiona has had in nine seasons. He's jealous because she's going to sign paperwork with someone who has a penis? YAWN.

Is it wrong that finding out Kevin Arnold's dad was a perv made me sad? On a related note, how many tv dads are they going to have on Shameless this season? First Kevin Arnold's dad and Angela Chase's grandfather and now Donna Pinciotti's dad too?

[taanja]

8 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Is it wrong that finding out Kevin Arnold's dad was a perv made me sad? On a related note, how many tv dads are they going to have on Shameless this season? First Kevin Arnold's dad and Angela Chase's grandfather and now Donna Pinciotti's dad too?

I don't know what that means? ^^^^^

Anyway. The show is still doing it for me. Though I have noticed that each Gallagher's story plots are separate-- everyone is doing their own thing with barely any contact with the rest of the family.

I have laughed when anyone asks about Xan-- Carl or Debs or whoever says-- Oh she's Lip's kid! Haha! No one thinks twice about any one bringing home random peeps to live at the house. It's always been that way.

Frank and Mo White had me laughing. The look on Frank's face when he realizes dude is a pedophile. Haha!

[Dee]

Isn't Fiona still on probation?

[iMonrey]

Quote

Though I have noticed that each Gallagher's story plots are separate-- everyone is doing their own thing with barely any contact with the rest of the family.

They've always had their own storylines, starting with the very first season. With Fiona it was Steve/Jimmy, for Lip it was Karen, for Ian it was Kash, etc. But now they're all adults except Liam so it's only natural they'd go their own way. I don't really think that's the problem with the show, I think the problem is they've run out of ideas. That, and the fact that Frank's shenanigans are tedious and stale. The character should have died three seasons ago.

[Dee]

I don't think the problem is the show has run out of ideas.

The problem is that the show began sneering at the very people it used to cherish.

[DiabLOL]

I'm annoyed because I get the impression I'm supposed to be swooning over Ford. Not only is he dull and unattractive, I think he's a stealth-"negging", concern trolling asshole. Of course the ridiculous sperm donor storyline is just a non issue now, too. Somehow his jealousy over Fiona having a drink with some guy is supposed to be a squeal inducing sign that OMG he wants a relationship after all! What a win!

I don't care about anyone's storylines at this point other than Liam's and to a way lesser degree, Fiona's.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 minutes ago, DiabLOL said:

Somehow his jealousy over Fiona having a drink with some guy is supposed to be a squeal inducing sign that OMG he wants a relationship after all! What a win!

I agree. Jealousy is not something I find attractive. It actually has the opposite effect on me. Instead of thinking awwww, he really likes me, I think ugh, this person is insecure and has trust issues. No thanks!

[DiabLOL]

17 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I agree. Jealousy is not something I find attractive. It actually has the opposite effect on me. Instead of thinking awwww, he really likes me, I think ugh, this person is insecure and has trust issues. No thanks!

Same here and there have been times where I found it downright disturbing. Especially this early in the game after he's been playing hard to get/sperm donor to millions. 

I knew he was trouble from the moment he started bossing Fiona about some woodwork and how it needs to be dealt with. Even when she buys property some asshole is right there to push her around.

[Mindthinkr]

I’m glad that Fiona took some interest in making sure that Liam at least got into school albeit public. He’s way to smart for it and used his Gallagher street smarts to figure out how to get the big kid behind him to become his bodyguard. 

Ian seems confused and so is his storyline. It’s just ambling along in no particular direction...boring. 

Frank and the signs (stealing them and then returning them...both for a fee) was funny. 

Debbie going gay? Come on writers, you can do better than that. I did get a giggle at her phallic sculptures being welded onto the men’s cars. It’s not going to be pretty when they find out. She’ll probably be black balled (pardon the pun). 

Vee going back to her suitcase (and work) to get Carl the West Point recommendation letter was a nice thing. It shows how those two families can come together during tough times for each other. 

Lip, Xan and the AA kid...beware lip. One of those is going to bite you. No good deed goes unpunished on this show. 

[TOWTooMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’m glad that Fiona took some interest in making sure that Liam at least got into school albeit public.

Fiona, or Lip? It wasn't clear how Liam actually wound up back in school. Lip was the one sending him and Xan off with their lunches and giving Liam advice (lose the tie). Could be that he was the one who stepped up and got him registered, though I guess he would need Fiona to some degree as the technical guardian. I wonder how Xan is registered or attending school? Did Lip manage to register her with no paper work or proof of residency or guardianship, or did she already happen to be attending their local public school? Wouldn't the school have had her mom or aunt as emergency contact and reached out to them when she was sent to the hospital? Or I guess Xan could have given them Lip's number when they couldn't reach her actual emergency contacts. Or maybe I should stop trying to make sense of this in terms of reality...

[aemom]

I remember when I would worry that Carl would murder everyone in their sleep one day, and now he's saving dogs from carbon monoxide euthanasia.  Who'd have ever thought that we'd see a kind and gentle Carl?

Liam is awesome. There are only 3 weeks left in the school year, so hopefully next year he can go back to private school. 

19 hours ago, TOWTooMuchTV said:

I wonder how Xan is registered or attending school? Did Lip manage to register her with no paper work or proof of residency or guardianship, or did she already happen to be attending their local public school? Wouldn't the school have had her mom or aunt as emergency contact and reached out to them when she was sent to the hospital? Or I guess Xan could have given them Lip's number when they couldn't reach her actual emergency contacts. Or maybe I should stop trying to make sense of this in terms of reality...

We're just supposed to hand wave this away.  Sadly, this is not a show that prides itself on accounting for these basic points or even maintaining continuity from season to season. I wish it were because it would be far more enjoyable. 

[iMonrey]

I'm not sure whether Ford is supposed to be jealous of if he's just worried that this guy is going to take advantage of Fiona. Either way, he's boring as hell, so who cares? I think someone in casting just had the hots for this guy because they think his accent is sexy or something. I can think of no other reason why he's even on the show. He's not providing Fiona with the type of drama typically associated with her love interests and isn't adding anything to the show overall.

[tomsmom]

I’m sorry but the pedofile Congressman was a new low. Poor timing writers. And wouldn’t DCFS be able to find Xan through her school? This really needs to be the final season.

[TOWTooMuchTV]

On 9/29/2018 at 11:34 AM, tomsmom said:

 And wouldn’t DCFS be able to find Xan through her school?

There's still potential for this to happen - will Lip have to keep her out of school now? Will DCFS track her down and he will have to deal with that? Realistically if they did, it would be the last he would ever see of her, but I could see the show having him trying to fight to get to keep her somehow or doing something really crazy like kidnapping her from a foster home. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clip: