Shameless – Down Like the Titanic

By starrymag | October 27, 2018

By: Ariba Bhuvad

 

 

And just like that we’ve reached the midway point in Season 9 of Shameless. How is this even possible!? But given the pace of everything that’s happened thus far, it’s the perfect time for everyone to recover from the hot mess that is the Gallagher way of life.

 

This week Frank (William H. Macy) and Ingrid (Katey Sagal) find themselves connected in a manner that no one else can relate. Of course, Ingrid has to be off her meds to be on the same wavelength as Frank, but once she is it’s all fun and games for this odd duo. Frank loves crazy and in Ingrid he sees what attracted him to his ex. However, there is one slight problem…Ingrid has a neighbor/lover/stalker that isn’t too keen on Frank hanging around.

 

In fact, he keeps warning Frank that Ingrid’s a hop, skip and jump away from letting her true crazy out given that she hasn’t slept in days and is off her meds. But Frank simply isn’t having it and can’t stop basking in the crazy joy he’s feeling with Ingrid. The two have quite the adventure this episode as they go sledding down the stairs and create a ruckus that disturbs her neighbors. But that isn’t enough to stop them. And given that Ingrid is a psychiatrist and hasn’t stopped seeing patients, the two head to her office.

 

Frank isn’t supposed to be a part of the therapy sessions but promises to stay quiet under her desk while she sees her patients. Of course, Frank has a completely different agenda and engages in pleasuring Ingrid during one of her sessions. The two swap places as Frank pretends to be the therapist at the next appointment while Ingrid returns the favor. As Ingrid’s anger and temper continues to seep out, Frank has a heart-to-heart with Ingrid’s stalker/ex-husband and convinces him to leave and go on vacation because he deserves it. Of course, Ingrid’s ex is caught by surprise that Frank returned at all to be by Ingrid’s side and listens to him when he gives him the advice to go away for a while.

 

Meanwhile, Lip (Jeremy Allen White) continues to seek outlets to fill the gaping hole that Xan’s absence has left behind. While at Brad’s (Scott Michael Campbell) child’s baptism, Lip runs into Brad’s sister-in-law with whom he engaged in awkward sex during Brad’s wedding. But this run-in proves to work in his favor because he just might have a potential relationship on his hand. Thanks to successful car sex, the two finally make it work and we can’t lie when we say it’s nice to see Lip have a stroke of good luck. At home, in Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Fiona’s (Emmy Rossum) absence, he’s taken the mantle as the adult in charge. Between cooking for the kids and making sure the summer schedule is running smoothly (including Liam’s new summer job), Lip has a lot on his plate so it’s only fair that he gets to have some fun on the side.

 

Understandably, everyone is feeling salty towards Fiona who didn’t show up to drive Ian to prison or say goodbye, and as a result, Lip has decided to write her off. And while Lip doesn’t seem concerned as to why Fiona has gone MIA, Debbie (Emma Kenney) has an inkling something isn’t right. Maybe it’s those maternal instincts kicking in, but it prompts her to go check in on Fiona.

 

Upon arriving at Fiona’s apartment, Debbie finds out that Fiona has had a horrible few days between finding out about Ford’s (Richard Flood) secret life, defaulting on her $25K commitment with the senior hom, and risking everything she has worked so hard to build. When Debbie reminds her about Ian’s prison dropoff Fiona breaks down even more because the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind during all that has happened. But first things first, Debbie takes Fiona to the hospital because she is all sorts of banged up after the car accident she got herself into leaving Ford’s house. And while this fixes her up, it leaves her in even more debt than she was, including her totaled car which will cost thousands to repair.

 

But little sister Debbie has a plan of her own and takes Fiona to a friend’s where her car can be stripped for parts and then left burnt and abandoned somewhere so she can get money through insurance. Will the plan work? It’s tough to say, but it gives Fiona some semblance of hope. While Fiona stays behind, Debbie takes her friend because she has a plan of her own–to humiliate Ford for hurting Fiona.

 

Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) continues to prep for his West Point application with his new girlfriend who has presented a new challenge for him – prepping for the ACTs. Considering school was never really a Gallagher thing, except for Liam (Christian Isaiah) of course, Carl is struggling to keep up. Going through a series of practice tests it shows that Carl knows next to nothing for what he should know and has a lot of work ahead of him.

 

And while Ian has left the series, he leaves reminders around the house to keep his siblings on their toes, including leaving an alarm in attic that goes off in the middle of the night. Thankfully, the rest of the Gallagher kids get over their frustrations with Fiona once Debbie informs them what has been going on. And it becomes apparent that Debbie is in full Fiona protective mode as she enlists help to take down Ford. How exactly does she go about doing this? She sets up a billboard in front of Patsy’s and traps Ford up there while she hands Fiona a series of items to use to hit him with. Fiona’s weapon of choice? A paintball gun. And if you’re ever been hit with one of those, you know the pain Ford’s bare behind must have been feeling in those moments. But, hey, we can’t say he didn’t deserve it.

 

In the world of V (Shanola Hampton) and Kev (Steve Howey), there is a lot of future baby talk that goes down. In an effort to reduce the clutter around their house, V gathers up the twins’ stuff to donate and give away, but Kev isn’t quite prepared for it. In fact, he wants to keep it around for their future kids. The idea of more kids isn’t something V is on board with and has always avoided by saying they’ll talk about it down the line. She allows Kev to keep a few items of the ones she is going to give away, but when her friend shows up to take the stuff he scares her off. Upon confessing to Kevin that she doesn’t want to have any more kids, V breaks Kev’s baby-loving heart. Devastated, Kev heads to the Alibi and shares his grief with the usual customers. Luckily, V comes around and makes a compromise with him. She won’t bear any more children, but she is willing to consider adoption.

 

As Fiona tries to pull herself out of the mess she’s found herself in, she continues to avoid Max’s (Neal Bledsoe) calls as she puts up the apartment building for sale. She’s hoping to solve her financial issues this way and it’s a bit heartbreaking to see her let go of her dreams. Max shows up at the building looking for her where she confesses she doesn’t have the $25K. He’s shocked to learn she’s not at all liquid as he thought. He makes her an offer to buy the building in cash in whatever amount she still owes on her mortgages, but with interest. He thinks she’s pretty, but he’s not trying to be charitable. Fiona has assuredly reached a dead end in this mess and it becomes clear during this episode as she gets extremely intoxicated back at the Gallagher home and throws a pity party of sorts. And as much as it pains her, she’s taken Max’s deal and walks away from the dream with which she worked so hard. Given the shape we see her in, the post episode scenes, it’s going to be a wild ride for Fiona’s last few episodes.

 

The mid-season finale of Shameless was everything we hoped it would b, and while we felt Ian’s absence, the cast did a wonderful job operating at full steam ahead and continued the drama we all know and love. When the series returns for the back half of the season next year, we will only have a handful of episodes left before Fiona’s inevitable exit. She’s a bit of a hot mess right now so perhaps her downfall will lead to her pushing the reset button on life outside of south side Chicago.

 

The possibilities are endless and we’re not ready to say goodbye to yet another beloved character, but alas we must. Here’s to hoping they are as memorable and chaotic as Fiona’s life.

Until next year, Shameless fans!