Episode Title: “A Jailbird, Invalid, Martyr, Cutter, Retard and Parasitic Twin”
Writer: Nancy M. Pimental
Director: Gary B. Goldman
Previously on “Shameless:”
With a title like “A Jailbird, Invalid, Martyr, Cutter, Retard and Parasitic Twin,” you’d think this week’s episode of “Shameless” would be a busy one and it is. Frank (William H. Macy) staves off death with a heroin overdose, Vee (Shanola Hampton) and Kev (Steve Howey) are down to three babies when “Huey eats Dewey” and Mickey (Noel Fisher) saves Ian (Cameron Monaghan) from a life of booty shorts and body glitter when he brings him home from a gay nightclub.
But the biggest development in this hour is a lot less sensational than the others, though way more meaningful. There appears to be a changing of the guard in the Gallagher home as Lip (Jeremy Allen White) takes charge of the family while Fiona (Emmy Rossum) “sorts her s*** out.” Always the responsible one, it’s a little surprising to hear Fiona insist what happened to Liam was an “accident” she doesn’t deserve to go jail for. “It’s all about you” Lip tells Fiona and he’s right, but so is she when she tells him that yes, for once it is about her.
Fiona doing time doesn’t do anyone any good. But after the mess Fiona made of the good thing she had going with Mike and her job, a “probation” of sorts is necessary if she wants to get her life in order. Lip still has a massive chip on his shoulder, but right now, he’s the only one keeping the family together. Fiona’s trying to avoid jail, Debbie (Emma Kenney), who was still in denial about Matt, is crushed by his rejection and all Samantha (Emily Bergl) wants to do is bond with Frank before he dies by keeping him on a steady diet of oxy and heroin.
If there’s a theme to be found in this episode, it’s protecting those you care about. And for the first time in a long time, Fiona’s all about protecting herself instead of everyone else. It’s an interesting shift in the Gallagher family dynamic that needed to happen as “Shameless” is now past the midway point of its fourth season and locked in for a fifth. Fiona may not be going to jail thanks to a plea deal, but she is a registered felon on house arrest. It’s a new low for Fiona. Will she pull herself together or sink even deeper into the hole she’s dug for herself?
Aside from Fiona’s legal headaches and Lip’s attempt to step up in her place, this week’s episode feels a little lighter than the past few. Kev takes Mickey’s “Steven Seagal” crack to heart after two thieves rip off the Alibi Room and duct tape him to a chair. And Mickey “makes Justin Bieber look straight” according to the manager of a gay night club when he shows up looking for Ian.
As for Frank, Lip and Fiona kick him and Samantha out of the house for fear the social worker will show up. Samantha and Chucky drag Frank over to his de facto second home at Sheila’s place. As Samantha helps get him cleaned up in the shower, it’s hard not to feel sorry for her knowing how things will probably end between her and her father. Frank insists she’ll turn on him just like his other children. But like Frank, Samantha doesn’t have anyone else. Could this mean Frank will take the opportunity to finally do right by one of his children before he dies? Probably not. Instead of hoping these two can find some peace in their relationship we should probably be wondering just how much damage Frank will do before he dies. If that ever happens.
