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Life Isn't So Bad Compared To Those On 'Shameless'

A Shameless Review

By Christina BPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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First of all let me state that I really didn't think I was going to like this show based off what I knew, which was that it was about a deadbeat, alcoholic father with a bunch of kids and that was it. I finally gave it a chance and it took watching the first two episodes and one shocking scene that got me hooked. I have now spent the past two weeks watching Shameless every day after I get home from work.

So this show isn't your regular type of family sitcom you would see on television. It is much darker, shows extreme real life struggles of real people and isn't afraid to show you the real sh*t that is going on. Frank Gallagher (played by William H. Macy) sits true to the deadbeat, drug abuser, alcoholic father who does absolutely nothing to support the six kids he has living under the same roof. Not only does he not support them but he uses any chance he gets to steal money from them and use the younger kids to his money making advantages. Macy really embodies the role with keeping the character so terrible, while also having us wait on what crazy thing he might do next.

Shameless [Credit: Showtime]

Since no one can rely on Frank and the mother, Monica, has been long gone and not reliable as she has her own drug issues to deal with, the responsibility of taking care of the kids was left to the oldest, Fiona. Fiona really tries to keep the family together and out of the system (foster care) as much as possible as she works up to eight different jobs at a time, makes sure all the kids are getting to school and are fed, and still manages to have some time to go out herself. She really struggles with the fact that she can't have her own life as she has so many lives that depend on her everyday.

Then we have Lip (Phillip) and Ian who could have their own shows themselves with all the stuff that they do. Lip is a genius. He knows so much and uses his smarts to help a lot of people but he refuses to get a substantial degree, which he can easily get, that would make him a lot of money. He has trouble realizing how substantial it is to be so smart and doesn't seem to have any interest in going to college to get a degree worth of his intellect.

Ian is around the same age as Lip and they tend to hangout together a lot. Ian struggles with meeting expectations to join the West Point academy as his grades aren't the best and he just can't enlist since he is still in high school. He also struggles with the relationships (if you can even call them that) with the men he sees as he isn't super open about his homosexuality but doesn't go out of his way to hide it. He also seems to have taken a liking to Mickey (one of the dirtiest guys around) who he seems to have feelings for but Mickey isn't as accepting of his homosexuality as Ian is.

Then we have the youngest kids, Carl, Debbie and Liam. Liam doesn't really have any issues yet since he is still the youngest except for the fact that he is the only African American child that is somehow Frank's biological son, while the rest of the family is white. Carl is into anything violent and his IQ seems to be very low. Any chance he gets to hit, kick or shoot something, he will do it. Debbie seems to be smart and tries to take on responsibilities so that she is seen as older. She is also one of the few kids that actually tries to give Frank a chance, even though he tends to ruin it 100% of the time. She's just trying to become a decent person as she helps out a ton, but she tends to be very gullible in accepting anything that she is told as true.

Shameless [Credit: Showtime]

This is just the family that is the main focus of the show. Fiona's friends Veronica and Kevin, who live close by, have their own issues with making ends meet and crazy exes. Then there is Steve (otherwise known as Jimmy) who comes from a wealthy family but chooses to walk away to steal cars, fall in love with Fiona and then end up in a bad situation with a drug lord's daughter.

So there is a lot to this show. It reminds me a lot of GOT as it has so many different characters and story lines to follow (also there is a good amount of nudity and sex) but Shameless is a bit easier to follow along. Everything these characters do in each episode shocks me at least once. You tend to see the patterns in behavior and then one of them jumps in and does something outrageous.

Shameless also deals with a lot of serious issues. Extreme bipolar disorder, agoraphobia, alcoholism, financial struggle, sex addiction, illegal activity, etc. The list could go on for awhile. It illustrates a lot of these issues in a very outrageous and comedic way but that doesn't mean that the show doesn't show how serious these situations can be. The humor helps balance out the darker tone the show can take at times, as if it didn't, I don't think a lot of people would keep watching the show.

Going onto it's eighth season, I'm excited to see what more outrageous scenarios they can come up with for the show and how they handle a lot of the reoccurring issues that we have already seen. All seven seasons are currently on Netflix and it is very easy to get sucked in and binge-watch a full season in one sitting. I definitely recommend watching this show if you like anything with drama and comedy mixed into it.

Season Eight of Shameless premieres on Showtime, November 5th at 9PM ET/PT.

comedy
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About the Creator

Christina B

Cinephile. Also obsessed with anything anime or television related.

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