S2E2: One of the great things about Shameless is that even when you get a set-up episode, it’s still vastly entertaining. This week, we get the set-up for Fiona’s potential romantic future, a big disappointment for Lip, a harrowing experience for Debbie and Frank’s contingency plan for when Sheila finally makes it to the Alibi Room – a task which isn’t far off at this point.
It was a pretty enjoyable episode, but like I said, it’s set-up. But if we know anything about this family, things are about to get a lot more complicated.
“I always thought agoraphobia was permanent like AIDS or Autism.” –Kev
This week, Sheila has a breakthrough and goes all the way to the organic grocery cart. This of course terrifies Frank, because that means she’s just days from making it to the Alibi Room, where she’ll find out who he really is.
At the bar, he runs into Antoine, who’s delivering meals on wheels to an infamous former Alibi Room cohort they affectionately call Butterface (you know, she’s hot – but her face). All class, these guys. Antoine was dating her for her pension, considering that without a heart transplant her hard-living is about to earn her an early grave. The delivery man couldn’t handle it, but Frank sees an opportunity. Dottie is gruff with Frank, but confides in him that having so many things that beep like her pager for a possible heart transplant is giving her anxiety. Frank offers to fix the beeping smoke alarm and when Antoine shows up to help Dottie after he abandoned her, Frank tells him to get lost. Dottie has Frank start on her (disgusting) honey-do list, but he wants that pension, so he gets to it.
The next day, Frank tells Sheila he’s going to work but stops by Dottie’s shirtless, with tools and an offer for a grocery store run. Kate at the Alibi Room gives Frank shit for bothering Dottie, and rightfully asks if he’s after her pension. He replies that he may be in love with her. Oh, Frank – he may actually be convincing himself he cares enough to make his little scheme okay. By the end of the episode Frank is swayed by Dottie’s more physical assets and tries to have sex with her. Of course there’s a bit roadblock there: if she has sex, she’ll have a heart attack and die. The problem is, she really seems to want to. Let’s hope Frank doesn’t exploit this – he can’t be that despicable, right?
“I can’t share a room with someone in a constant state of arousal. I’m going to be a woman soon.” –Debbie
Then there’s issue of a lack of space at the Gallagher house. Debbie is tired of sharing a room with Liam because the toddler is constantly playing with himself. She insists Fiona move into Frank’s room since she thinks he’s never coming back, but Fiona thinks he will come back soon. Later that night, she comes home late from her shift at the club and finds Debbie in her bed. She opts to go ahead and take Frank’s room, but finds a pregnant woman sleeping there. It turns out Frank rented the room to her without telling Fiona, and of course, he’s already spent all the money. The woman is in the U.S. illegally, so Fiona threatens to call the INS if she doesn’t help with the daycare.
This of course, still leaves Debbie rooming with Liam. She gets fed up and moves him into the boys’ room, forcing Carl out. He moves his mattress under the stairs, where he finds Fiona’s high school journal about her (rather sordid) crush on Craig Heisner. This scene brings up two things: Fiona’s old crush who really can’t be mentioned and never heard from again, and the fact that Carl is around Debbie’s age and needs some newfound privacy too. Fiona offers to set up the van for summer camping until they can get the pregnant lady out of the house. Camping all summer instead of living in a bedroom? I never thought I’d see one of the Gallagher kids get an opportunity that could make other little boys jealous.
“Why’d you even come on this excursion if you don’t want to any of the things we’ve planned?” –V
“Beats watching Judge Judy and waiting for my brain to collapse in on itself.” –Claire
V is working at the old folks home for “Excursion Day” during which she drives them to the dollar store and the foot doctor. But one woman, Claire, is furious with the banality of these trips. She complains the whole time, begging V to take them somewhere fun – invoking the idea that they’re all working with limited time on this Earth. Finally, they wear her down and she takes them to the park, where they play softball and eat ice cream – all in all a lovely day. When they get back to the nursing home, they find that one of the old men from the excursion has died – but at least he had his day in the park.
With that Claire offers to sell her jewelry so she can take her nursing home companions on a booze cruise. And while that is going on, Debbie comes face to face with death for the first time – she visits the home right as they’re taking the deceased away. In her fragile, stressed state, there’s definitely no way this will affect her negatively, right?
“Do you want to chit-chat or you wanna get on me?” –Mickey
Ian and Mandy pick up Mickey at Juvie – Ian goes under the impression that he’s just there to “protect” Mandy, but he’s really there because he misses Mickey. They meet up that night and Ian wants to chat about school and their plans for the future, but Mickey is all business – likely because he doesn’t see himself having a future. But Ian tries to help Mickey, despite his gruffness and his defeatism. Ian offers to get him a job at the mini-mart as security. I’m surprised Linda actually allowed that. Ian is attacking his plan to get into Westpoint though, and it seems this could continue to be a point of contention for the pair.
“Stop talking about my boyfriend and f**k me.” –Karen
Karen is still having her cake and eating it too. She’s sleeping with Lip – who, despite his cries to the contrary, really meant those three little words last season – but she’s seriously dating her 37-year-old sex addicts anonymous buddy, Jody. Lip assumes he’s winning because he’s actually sleeping with her, but when he has a chat with Kev about what it means when a girl holds on a guy (meaning Karen holding out on Jody), his world turns upside down. Karen had been mean, not wanting to hang out with Lip unless he was willing to go to a party in the wealthier Lake Forrest area. She had said that sleeping with Lip just worked as more of an Ambien. But it wasn’t until Kev’s speech about how meaningful it is when a girl won’t sleep with her boyfriend that Lip really starts to panic. He may have really lost Karen – but despite her new semi-nice girl ways, she’s still seems to be the one being awful. Poor Lip.
“Desperate Whorewife is here with Sugar Grampy.” –V
Fiona still can’t get attention from the hot DJ at her club, but Jasmine has another plan for her.
Plus, it looks like that journal is really creeping up on her. Jasmine writes a message for Fiona to Craig, which will undoubtedly come back to bite her. In the meantime, Jasmine forces Fiona to chat with her Sugar Daddy’s friend, Richard. They both know Fiona’s not interested, but they chat to make Jasmine happy. She asks how “it works,” and he says he doesn’t know. She doesn’t believe that he’s not married, resolutely states she doesn’t date married men because she’s not into liars. This also marks the third time she’s said she’s not into married guys – does anyone else smell some foreshadowing? She gets up and walks away, but she’s obviously charmed Richard because she’s got that Gallagher spell she seems to cast on everyone.
What do you think will come of this interaction with Fiona’s old high school crush? Are you tired of Karen treating Lip terribly? What do you think will happen to Debbie now that she’s encountered death? Let me know in the comments or find me on Twitter! @KelseaStahler
