Shameless Season 1 Episode 10

Fiona calling Bob "that fat lesbian" had me dying. There were some interesting things in this episode, but the ending was not as emotional with Liam as some past shows, and the whole real mother storyline brought this show down. There was a real absence of comedy today and when that happens I cannot call this one of the best episodes of the show.

In the show's first true "plot" that carries on for multiple episodes, we find the show meshing drama and comedy somewhat awkwardly but also making the characters more likable and accessible. I've sort of given up at looking at Frank as a normal person; to me, he's a goofy man who is about as much as a father to the rest of the Gallaghers as Barack Obama is. He doesn't seem to really care for his family or care about anything about alcohol, and I'm sure there's a story somewhere in the show about why he ended up this way, but until then, I'll just enjoy the ride, which this episode did well.





With Fiona and Steve moved out of the house, Monica is left to take care of all the children she left years ago. She still plans on having a DNA test proving that Liam is not Frank's and then taking him from the family, while Lip and Ian have other plans of their own: check and see if any of them are actually Frank's kid. While I think it's a bit strange that Monica would randomly show up out of the blue just to get a kid.. it just seems like a strange and random reason to return.. however, it has allowed the family to come together in ways we haven't seen yet and has also lead to some great stories.





Ian learning that his father is not Frank but actually one of his uncles leaves plenty of room for the show to create a cliffhanger for the finale, or at least the possibility for one. Ian has really stepped up as a character, and while I don't know what to think about his over-complicated love life, he's definitely one of the better characters on the show. That being said, everybody has done a much better job. Look at where the show was about eight episodes ago and it's amazing how far the show has come in building these characters up.





I'm particularly looking at Joan Cusack's character of Sheila, a character who has seemed to be shoved into the show for awhile and has finally seemed to come around to me. Sure, there's probably loads of you who hate her still, but I'm finally interested enough with her and Karen and her very strange father to want to see what happens. The whole Karen/father plot was eerie and hilarious, and I was glad to see Karen finally snap, along with Sheila. With Sheila able to go outside now, what does that mean for her and Frank? The whole point of living with her was because of her fears and phobias and her willingness to do everything for him. What will that do for their relationship, which is already one of the weirder ones on TV?





Overall, I wouldn't call it one of my favorite episodes, but it was certainly fun enough and filled with enough development to keep me excited for next week.