“We’re smart men in a stupid world.” – Kash
I’m a little bit confused. Are we supposed to think of Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) as a sort of working class (or non-working class) anti-hero or is he actually a villain with no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own? After the first several episodes, I would have said that he was probably the former, but after episode six, “Killer Carl,” I’m leaning towards the latter. Television is full of jerks and selfish pricks. But typically, as we get to know these characters, we find that they have a softer side and we begin to empathize with them. Not the case with Frank as the further we get into the inaugural season of Shameless, the more I kind of wish he would just drop dead. Maybe that’s intentional. After all, it’s certainly more of a challenge watching a show whose main character is so completely awful.
We know that Frank is a shitty parent. Hell, the premise of the show is a family of kids struggling to survive and raise themselves on their own. But, until “Killer Carl,” I assumed that Frank cared about his family with at least some portion of his whiskey-soaked heart. It’s pretty clear at this point that this isn’t the case. Frank cares about getting drunk, using people, and using people to get drunk.
“Killer Carl” is the first Carl-centric episode of the season. Carl (Ethan Cutkoski) has mainly been used as a kind of set piece or prop — hanging out in the background of scenes, usually doing something twisted to a doll or small animal. Of all of Frank’s kids, Carl is clearly the one most in need of a father figure. Carl’s sick behavior at home doesn’t stop at the Gallagher’s front door. He is having serious issues at school. His teacher and principal demand a sit down at Parents’ Night with a legal guardian, but Frank has no time for school, or his kids. Kev gives him the benefit of the doubt, telling Fiona, “Frank will show up for Carl. I know you think he won’t, but deep down I know that he’s capable of doing the right thing.” I’m not as confident, and apparently neither is Fiona.
Fiona (Emmy Rossum) goes to the school with a story about Carl’s parents being out of town, but the administrators are in no mood for excuses. “I’ve had what seems like 15 of you goddamn Gallaghers come through this school and I have not once met a parent. Who is raising this degenerate? Come back tonight with a parent or a call will placed to a place you don’t want me to call,” says the principal. The “call” he is referring to is to Social Services. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; at times I feel like the younger Gallagher kids would be better off in the care of the state.
Frank does actually show up at Parents Night, but not for Carl. He is in a bit of hot water with some neighborhood thugs over a botched auto theft scheme. Karen helps him evade them and in return asks that he accompany her to school. Karen (Laura Wiggins) wants someone to be present to hear all of the praise from her teachers, but clearly Sheila (Joan Cusack) can’t make it because of her agoraphobia. So that leaves “Daddy Frank”. He throws on a tie and takes all of the credit for Karen’s academic success. What a dick. (Over the past couple of episodes, the relationship between Frank and Karen has become…shall we say, a bit strange. I keep feeling like it’s only a matter of time until she tries to seduce him. And Frank is f-ed up enough to let her).
Meanwhile, just down the hall, the Gallagher kids are presenting a united front in an attempt to prove that Carl has a strong support structure at home. The principal isn’t buying it. Carl needs more than structure, “What Carl needs is medication, a near death experience or a lobotomy…I am not a religious man, but every now and then a child comes along that makes me believe in the existence of Satan.” Just when things are about to spiral out of control, Steve (Justin Chatwin) bursts through the door to save the day. He notices a small Grateful Dead figurine on the principal’s desk and sees his angle. The guy likes The Dead, so he has to like the ganj, right? He offers to hook him up with a teacher’s discount and the principal agrees to let Carl stay in school. Isn’t it amazing how a little bit of chronic can smooth over nearly any problem?
On their way out of the school, the Gallagher kids bump into their father and Karen. The look on Debbie (Emma Kenney) and Carl’s faces is one of pure heartbreak. How could Frank show up to conference for Karen and not for Carl, his own flesh and blood (presumably)? The only glimmer of humanity Frank exhibits all episode occurs when he comforts Sheila after she again fails to make it beyond her front door. “You are going to make it through those doors any day now, and never look back.” Why is Frank able to muster kindness for this woman and not his own family? It’s really sad when you sit down and think about it.
Lip (Jeremy Allen White) is quickly becoming my favorite Gallagher child. There is something about his detached sarcasm that clicks with me and I found his subplot to be the most interesting part of “Killer Carl”. It’s SAT season and business is booming for Lip. So much so that he draws the attention of an investigator from the Educational Evaluation Service. The investigator can’t believe that someone from an under-performing urban school could score so highly on so many exams. He figures that Lip must be cheating and asks him to take a brand-new test to find out. Lip aces it, of course, and the investigator is stunned. It turns out that the guy from the Educational Evaluation Service is also a member of the faculty at U of Chicago. After telling Lip to quit taking the SAT for other kids, he invites him to stop by his office to chat. This is the first sign of a possible future for one of the Gallaghers that doesn’t involve bodily harm, sexual abuse or possible jail time.
Some stats and info about Shameless, “Killer Carl”
TV SHOW – Shameless
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Showtime
GENRE – Drama, Relationship Shows
CREATED BY – Paul Abbott, John Wells
CAST – William H. Macy, Ethan Cutosky, Jeremy Allen White, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Cameron Monaghan, Emmy Rossum, Michael Patrick McGill
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.