Shameless

[DRW50]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4120006/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t23

[All My Shadows]

Watching the second episode of S5, and this Frank/Sammi/Sheila sh!t just has to go. Nothing infuriates me more than two characters being written in such an obnoxiously stupid way just to support the eternal sh!tbag that is Frank. The need for Sammi's demise is obvious, but Sheila serves absolutely no real purpose anymore. Her character has gone as far as they'll ever take her, it seems, and it's sad, but it's time for her to go.

No real opinion on the rest at this point.

Oh, Fiona's version of Alice. How stupid of her to chase a customer out of the diner to "ask about my tip" and how stupid of her boss to beat the guy's ass. In the real world, they would have gotten sued.

Edited April 11, 2015 by All My Shadows

[All My Shadows]

LOVED the scene with Fiona and Debbie outside the club. She realized that Dermot Mulroney was right (keep forgetting his name) in saying that she's a chaos junkie, and it really hit home for her because when all of other options were exhausted, she ended up enlisting DEBBIE in all of this nonsense. Because she just couldn't go without the craziness of it all. Sad.

[All My Shadows]

Watching the third episode, and I'm just disgusted with Carl "getting the lesbos out because Frank says so," Lip helping him out, and Ian happening upon "Operation Dykes Be Gone" and seemingly having no problem with his brothers attacking lesbians after everything that went down last episode. Stupid, stupid shock writing. Lip grew and progressed so much last season, but now they've just dropped him right back in the stupid ghetto box, and I hate it. In the season premiere, he seemed to be unhappy about being back amongst the south side losers, but now he's just fitting right back in where he left off. Gross!

I loved the gentrification theme of all of this season's promos, but the fact that they've dumbed it down to being all about "the lesbians are coming" is just...I can't.

I also can't give Sheila any handclaps for realizing Frank doesn't care about her because bitch, he never gave a damn about ANYBODY! He blatantly and openly cares only about himself and RARELY made a move to pretend otherwise. Why is she JUST realizing this? Get her stupid ass out of here.

"Mandy could get any guy she wanted" blah blah blah. Mandy is a nasty ho, nobody wants her but "Kenyatta."

The characters are all just so, so stupid. I'm hard-pressed to find one on the show who is likeable so far this season. Mickey might be it.

Mandy's "I love you," answered by absolutely nothing on Lip's end :lol: Bye, ho!

Carl is a disgusting slut.

And so is Debbie.

Edited April 11, 2015 by All My Shadows

[AllMyDaysatGH]

AMS, you're speaking all the truth's as you witness the complete, unfortunate dismantlement of the show ep by ep! Love your commentary!

Edited April 11, 2015 by AllMyDaysatGH

[All My Shadows]

LOL thanks. This is the only show that I absolutely have to comment on nearly every episode for, so there's more to come.

Episode 4. Ugh.

Frank's story was stupid, and I feel like it served absolutely no purpose beyond allowing for a scene in which Frank drags a one-legged girl around a room by a prosthetic leg. Pathetic. At its worst, the show is just a bunch of shock-value vignettes strung together with a vague, outlandish plot.

Debbie's story is seemingly getting better. Lord forgive me because I don't know how old the boy is, but got-damn that Derek is a little hottie. He reminds me a lot of Cameron Monaghan circa season 2. He seems to be legit, and I'm so glad to see Debbie finally away from the tater thots and creepy Matty. That guy was THE most pointless character the show has ever had, and I feel the most of the actor, because I can't imagine he had a good understanding of his character at all.

The Ian stuff is annoying. It had the potential to be great, but they've kinda erased all of Ian's pre-S4 characterization just to go head-first into the "Ian is Monica" narrative. Could pre-S4 Ian have devolved into the character he is now? Sure, but they've forgotten how different Ian was and how much, out of everyone, he most wanted to get out of the south side hell hole. Perhaps because he's lived his "dream" and it wasn't all that he wanted, he's more comfortable being south side trash, idk. It just irks me that everyone on this show just readily breaks the law on a daily basis and shows no interest in getting legitimate work to make money. Mickey and Ian are both young and fit. You mean to tell me that stealing other people's sh!t and selling it is the ONLY way for them to get an income? Stupidity.

The realest thing in the ep was Veronica's dancefloor orgasm, which I thought was pretty well-done (the whole arc around it, I mean; I am NOT zeroing in for an analysis of the art of dancefloor orgasms). He motives have been building across the episodes, and the climax of the scene was well-played, but the BEST part was that she immediately put an end to it out of guilt and love for her husband. AND she told him about it nearly right away. That's the V we know and love, and that's the V/Kev relationship that we know and love.

Fiona's story was stupid, and I'm just so tired of her hooking up with random guys. I say "random guys," but I'm referring to basically all of the Jimmy placeholders. I love you AMD, but Fiona's OTP is Jimmy. Fiona's endgame is Jimmy. All of these random guys in the meantime are basically given the same exact story: Fiona's interested until she's not, and then she screws it up. This thing with Gus has the added gimmick of "OMG we're getting married," but as Sean said two episodes ago, the bitch loves drama and any man who'll deliver it. I can't with her just leaving the house for days at a time and having the nerve to tell Debbie to tell Liam she loves him. Liam doesn't even know you, girl!

Lip's story...hmm. I love collegiate Lip, I love straight-laced Lip. I don't like it when the show goes out of their way to portray caricatures of upper class people, but they got all of those jokes out of the way pretty quickly and played Lip's developments straight with Amanda's father, which I liked. Anything that gets him out of his comfort zone and into an environment where he is forced to learn and change and grow is A-OK in my book.

Carl's story rubbed me entirely the wrong way. The constant "nigga" music, Carl's outfit, etc. Just totally offensive.

[Cheap21]

I completely forgot the lesbians and the neighborhood takeover! They seemed to just drop that plot. I thought it would be part of some overarching plotline to tie everyone back together but by finale, its nowhere to be seen

[All My Shadows]

I'm glad they dropped it, but I'm more upset that they ruined what could have been a good story. So stupid.

Sheila's exit was pretty good, and I hope she's gone for good. The Black Keys song was perfect. The only way I'd take her back is if she had Karen with her. It IS kinda sad that her house is gone, though! It was the setting of one of my favorite scenes of the series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk7Fro581LE

"Jesus! Is that bitch ever gonna shut up?"

"Why don't you do yourself and everyone else a favor and shuTup?"

"No one wants to hear it, you f!cking windbag."

"I will f!ck you up!"

I hate Frank and always will, but Peg was a boss.

Edited April 12, 2015 by All My Shadows

[All My Shadows]

Episode 5

I'm just gonna stop wasting my time with trying to come up with new ways to say I hate Frank and think he's useless. The entire plot with the donor parents was so predictable, from the dad becoming creepily obsessed with him to the mom having sex with him. I figured as soon as Sheila left, they'd have another set of well-to-do characters for him to manipulate. Gross. I won't be mentioning him in my recaps anymore unless something different happens (different meaning different from all of the same old sh!t we've had to endure with him for 4 1/2 seasons).

The Lip/Mickey thing. First, I always love when the two of them have scenes together, especially now that Mickey's open about his love for Ian. But the whole plot with them in this episode was stupid. I REALLY appreciate the fact that Lip didn't shoot up the coffeehouse and then opted to go back to school early. I'm kinda understanding his rationale with some things a little better. When Mickey was talking sh!t at the Alibi, you could see that Lip's need to be part of the hometown gang on the south side comes just as much out of a need to belong to something as much as it does out of blind loyalty to the south side. He's proud of his home because it's an extension of himself, but it's getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that it's a dead end. Meanwhile, I'm not gonna hold any of this against Mickey at all because his role in the entire plot (scene at the Alibi + scene at the coffeehouse) could have just as well been played by a random day player. Mickey never showed any type of animosity whatsoever towards Lip before, and when it was over, it was like it never happened, and I'm sure it was never mentioned again. Stupid, contrived nonsense.

Carl's storyline is still so stupid and annoying. I just hate what Carl has turned into. I know he wasn't much in the beginning, but I was hoping they'd start to flesh his character out beyond stupid stories like this.

I'm actually liking Veronica and Kevin's stuff. Out of all the season's stories, they've kept the show grounded. I don't think Veronica comes out of this looking horrible. A lot of people expect parenthood to be one thing and then are just completely distraught when they realize it's a 24/7 thing that is always at the forefront of your life. Kevin found his niche early on, but V's struggling, so of course that's gonna cause problems. As long as they keep circling back to that central conflict, then they've got a good storyline going.

Fiona is a hot mess. She's never home anymore and she doesn't seem to care too much at all about what the kids are doing. Oh, but she's got all the time in the world to get married to a perfect stranger and stop her life for everyone except her family. The whole thing with her maybe/maybe not trying to hide her marriage and then maybe/maybe not thinking it was a mistake to begin with is just a rehash of her central issue, which is that she can't stand to settle down with someone who is actually going to take care of her and help her grow. She's going to gravitate to my dead husband Jimmy because OMG he was dead now he's back after how long? There's tons of chaos and drama there, so of course she's gonna go right to it. Once that settles down, she'll be looking for something else or just create her own chaos.

Debbie. Ugh. She's just become one of the dumbest characters on the show, and she used to be the smartest (easily).

I'm glad Ian's still working at the club (side note: this show is always top-notch when it comes to nightclub scenes, both at Ian's job and when Fiona and Veronica have gone out to clubs over the seasons) because homeboy be gettin' it. I'm so thankful we didn't have to see the porn being made because I'm sure it would have been stupid. Mickey beating that one guy's ass was kinda random, but it made sense bc you could see he was really peeved about Ian. They've done a good job of showing Mickey's slow acceptance that Ian really does need help. The "pack your [!@#$%^&*]" scene was especially good -- love that contrast of Ian coming home all smiley and giggly about shooting a porn and then Mickey getting ultra serious about putting him in a hospital. I'm still not sure how I feel about Ian taking the baby and leaving, though. Leaving, sure that's expected. But why take the baby, presumably if he didn't want anyone coming after him?

Sammi. I don't really hate her at this point. Is she stupid and pointless? Yes. But she doesn't really annoy me.

[All My Shadows]

Episode 6 was fantastic! I'm on my phone, so no long-winded analysis (yet), but wow. Incredible writing, acting, cinematography, and music. This episode had me from beginning (Fiona beating Jimmy's ass) to end (Ian checking into the hospital). It's no coincidence that Frank got very little screen time in this ep. Only part about him I'll mention is:

"Are you retarded, Frank?"

"No."

"Then get your sh!t together!"

:lol:

The writing for Sammi is just so inconsistent, but I loved her in this ep. I'm sorry, but I wish Fiona's bitch ass would've said something about Sammi enforcing real rules in that house and actually being a presence in those kids' lives. I was sold when she told Chuckie and Liam both to not help Frank because he's a piece of sh!t.

Jimmy's return. Sigh. First, thank you TPTB for getting him naked already. Chatwin and Emmy's chemistry, as always, was through the roof in every scene, whether they were fighting or fu'cking. I want more of an explanation of everything he did while gone before I'm actively campaigning for a reunion, but it's hard to root for anything other than that when the alternative is this stupid marriage to nobody Gus. I will say, despite the last few Gus/Fiona scenes being extremely well-done, I just find it hard to care because their relationship and marriage were just so rushed, and he seems so blah and indifferent.

Ian. Man...Cameron hasn't been on his A game since coming back from his break in S4, but he was back in fine form in this one. Ian's downward spiral was so uncomfortable to watch, especially the gas station stuff. Those day players were great. Noel Fisher brought it as always, but there were so many notes that he just played pitch perfect. "I'm worried about you. I love you." It really helps that this couple hasn't been subjected to as many outlandish comedy plots as others have been. They're truly a high-water mark for gay couples in TV history. Also loved Mickey's hesitation when the cop brought him the baby.

Handjob girl's face when Kev was getting on her nerves gave me LIFE. Other than that, I wasn't feeling their story. Veronica and Fiona's scene was nice, but I wish they'd kinda called out the fact that they've had so little time for each other in recent eps.

Loved Lip saying that he'd "have a talk" with Carl about the weed. They seem to finally be committed to Lip bettering himself and maturing, and I of course think it's great. I know I'm in the minority, but I love all of the college scenes and I totally want Amanda upgraded to regular status. The actress can do both comedy and drama well, and she'd bring something different to the core cast.

This was easily one of the show's best hours. It would be Emmy-worthy in several categories if they had the sense to submit it under drama.

LOL at me thinking that it'd be a shorter post because I'm on my phone!

[Cheap21]

 

 

[All My Shadows]

I need to finish season 5, and I refuse to wait for the DVDs this time around. The last ep I saw (I think it was #6) was phenomenal, and I'm scared the rest of the season might be a letdown.

[AllMyDaysatGH]

 

Ugh. I just can't quit this show.

 

AMS, prepare yourself for the dreck that's about to come. Worst season ever, with a few (very) bright spots. Hope they get it together for 6.

[All My Shadows]

Showtime has a free preview this weekend, so the entire S1-S5 is available on demand through Comcast/Xfinity, so it looks like I'll finally be able to finish S5! I'm rewatching episode 6 before I get to the rest, though, because I just have to enjoy this fantastic episode again.

[All My Shadows]

OK, first. WOW at that promo. I love love love the 70s motif in season 6's promotional stuff. Debbie's looking fierce with her hoops, and  hillbilly Ian.

Episode 7 of S5.
I still love Lip, and I really get why he was upset about losing his scholarship. No, it's not really anyone's fault at the house because he should be responsible for his own things, but that was never going to be his initial reaction. He had to be angry, and he had to blame others first, but in the end, I think the post office scene was meant to show him accepting that it is, indeed, his responsibility to stay on top of it. And going further, I think it's symbolic of so much more than just that. Getting that post office box means he has one less reason to go back to that house, and it's severing yet another tie to his family. He goes to college, lives at the school, gets his mail through the PO box - thought he's fought it every single step of the way, he's becoming more and more independent, and it's quietly driving him insane.

The only reason they have other characters involved in the Ian/Mickey drama is so that someone like Fiona can have a throwaway line about Monica. I see the relevance, but Ian and Mickey are so elevated from a lot of the other BS on this show that I wish they didn't ruin it by contriving stuff like Fiona going to the hospital with Mickey. Of course, Fiona should be there because she is Ian's sister, but let's not act as if they wouldn't have just wrote her as being with Steve or Gus or serving up pie if they didn't need some Monica exposition. As good as Ian's descent has been, it still rubs me the wrong way that they've completely shed his earlier personality hallmarks to get him there. I don't understand what's going on inside his head anymore, and that makes it hard to get deep into any of his scenes with Mickey because they used to have good, messy, real conversations, and we're just not there yet.

V and Kevin. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I'm completely over it at this point, and I was just getting ready to say that I appreciate what they've done with Svetlana, but two steps forward, three steps back, AS ALWAYS with this show. I'm severely uninterested, and I really don't have anything to say as far as analysis is concerned.

And really, I don't have much to say for the rest of the show in this episode. I like Derek, and I'm hoping this thing with him and Debbie is the real deal, but I've learned not to put too much faith in the way they're writing Debbie these days. The Carl and Chuckie stuff is just a nonfactor. Carl needs a serious, mature story in season 6 for me to even care about him anymore. I'm over Fiona's merry-go-round of men.

I wasn't expecting anything amazing after ep6's greatness, so I'm not TOO disappointed, but because I'm not good at being spoilerless, I know it's gonna only get worse...