Writer: Sheila Callaghan
Director: Mimi Leder
Previously on âShameless:â
Episode 4.07 âThe Legend of Bonnie and CarlâÂ
On lockdown at home, Fiona (Emmy Rossum) needs a fix, be it beer, vodka or cookie dough but really itâs family that makes it all better.
Letâs be clear on who exactly qualifies as âfamilyâ to Fiona: everyone except her old dying drunkard dad, Frank (William H. Macy) and new scheming old sister, Samantha (Emily Bergl). No one wants anything to do with these two, except maybe Debbie (Emma Kenney) and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky), who refuse to take orders from Fiona since she became a felon. After Fiona destroys her âvirginity countdownâ art project, Deb turns to Samantha for advice how to handle her non-boyfriend, Matt and Carl has Frank go to school with him to end his suspension for bullying. The way Deb sees it, Fiona is a âtotal spazâ whoâs afraid of ending up alone. Actually, that doesnât sound too far off the mark.
Not being able to leave the house can make anyone a little spastic, but for someone like Fiona, whose life is a constant hustle to keep her family fed, clothed and housed, itâs absolutely maddening. Instead of getting her life back on track, Fiona downs vodka and burns dinner. To her and Vee (Shanola Hampton), itâs just another laughable Gallagher calamity, but for Lip (Jeremy Allen White) itâs the last straw. He grabs Liam and Carl and takes them to an âABCâ party at his dorm â ABC as in âanything but clothes.â
The Gallaghers are used to getting kicked when theyâre down but not by each other, except maybe Frank. For Fiona, an empty house is an empty heart. She calls Lip at school and tells him she canât take it anymore. He brings the kids home and in the process loses the best wingman heâll ever have in little Liam.
Fionaâs dark odyssey may not be over just yet, however. Robbie (Nick Gehlfuss) drops by to check on her and find out if he should be watching his back for the cops. Fiona tells Robbie he ruined her life and slams the door in his face but that doesnât mean she wonât sleep with him again. It would be nice to think Robbieâs surprise visit represents closure to that part of Fionaâs life, but the Gallagher heart wants what it wants and itâs almost never good.
While Fiona stares at the walls, the rest of the Gallaghers continue to grow up, without her. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) brings Mickey (Noel Fisher), whoâs slowly becoming more comfortable with his sexuality, to an upper class after-hours party. But just because he can handle making out in a club doesnât mean heâs ready for sleepovers with breakfast. He is a âpimp,â after all with a pregnant Russian prostitute wife who makes it clear to Ian sheâll âbash (his) orange headâ if he comes between her and Mickey.
Ian and Fionaâs storylines provide most of the weight in this episode but Kev (Steve Howey) and Vee also deal with some heavy stuff when they realize that Carol (Vanessa Bell Calloway) wants to keep her newborn son. Vee convinces Kev that letting her mom raise the boy is the right thing to do. And with Kev looking to buy a grenade launcher from some guy operating out of a van in an alley, itâs probably for the best.
As for Deb, she gets her period and some advice from Samantha on how to run âa long conâ on Matt so heâll see her as the woman sheâs now become. Deb may be a woman, but sheâs also a Gallagher and they donât have the best track record with men. Just consider who sets the example.
âHope Springs Paternalâ puts the Gallagher family back together after a long but necessary separation. Everyoneâs back home with new problems, arrest records, menstrual cycles and maybe even a yet-to-be-discovered venereal disease. And Fiona wouldnât have it any other way.
