Grade: 94%
Because the stakes have been raised,
this season of SHAMELESS should grow in ways that will be exciting and
feel fresh. Yet, the characters remain true to themselves at their core,
bringing the same sensibilities they always have. “El Gran Canon” is a
fitting season premiere, and is tantalizing enough to get fans pumped
for the rest of the run.
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
Article first posted on Seat42F
Showtime’s SHAMLESS comes back this
weekend with “El Gran Canon,” airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. While the
Gallaghers may be the same old family they’ve always been, the stakes of
season three have definitely been amped up, with real life-and-death
danger threatening them all.
I refer, of course, to Steve / Jimmy’s
(Justin Chatwin) father-in-law. Estefania’s (Stephanie Fantauzzi) dad
blows into town, and, after watching Jimmy for awhile, takes him to
Estefania’s apartment and murders Estefania’s boyfriend, Marco (Thierre
Di Castro). Then he tells Jimmy that he expects him to watch out for
Estefania, and keep his nose clean to avoid trouble with the law,
meaning Jimmy will have to get a legitimate job.
Marco’s death is disturbing in that
Jimmy is forced to witness it. But Marco is known to be abusive, so
despite Estefania’s protests, it’s probably not a bad thing that he is
dead.
The point of this really appears to be
to put serious fear into Jimmy so that he will do what Estefania’s
father wants him to do. This looks to be very effective. Jimmy is
noticeably shaken, and while he would have probably helped out Estefania
without the threats, he definitely will do his best now.
The thing that goes unspoken between
Jimmy and his new “boss” is that Jimmy can continue to live with Fiona
(Emmy Rossum) and her family, as long as he puts Estefania’s needs first
when she needs him. This is all well and good for Jimmy, but the thing
he should consider is, he is putting his new family, the Gallaghers, in
danger by hanging around them. If Estefania’s father would kill Marco so
callously to manipulate Jimmy, it is likely that he would not be above
hurting one of the Gallagher children to continue to do so.
Fiona, for her part, remains oblivious,
but she wants to be. As “El Gran Canon” begins, she is bored of Jimmy
acting as the house mom, helping with the responsibility, seemingly
being a normal, though not legal, husband. The danger presented by
Estefania’s father’s surveillance of the house and Jimmy’s disappearance
for a day excites her, and she’s soon hopping into the sack with him,
whereas before, she made excuses to avoid sex.
Fiona has always seemed the normal,
responsible member of the family. It’s a little disappointing when
SHAMELESS reveals that she is not much better than the rest. Is her
attraction to the danger around Jimmy a character flaw, or just a method
to blow off steam? Either way, she is jeopardizing her charges, putting
them at unnecessary risk.
Other than that, though, Fiona is doing
good, finally moving up in the working world. She has a chance to do a
promotion night at the club, and she hands over her last paycheck from a
crappy job to do so. Her irresponsibility in not paying the property
tax could come back to bite her in the butt, but hopefully, by then she
will be making enough money to fix things. One can wish, anyway. At
least she might be able to break even, and keep the status quo.
The rest of the Gallaghers are doing
what they normally do. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) is getting into trouble
with the law, misusing his formidable brains, but never far away from
taking the right path. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) continues his affair with
Jimmy’s dad, Lloyd (Harry Hamlin), though he is starting to pull away, a
good decision, even if Ian may do it for the wrong reason.
Debbie (Emma Kenney), alone, has put her
life on hold. Frank (William H. Macy) has been missing for over four
months, and while the older children know enough now to worry about him,
maybe even hope that he won’t return, Debbie prays at an altar set for
Frank, and looks for him every day. It’s sad, knowing that she will be
disappointed by her father soon enough. Yet, it’s cool that SHAMELESS
lets us see a kid not yet cynical and spoiled by reality, the way the
rest of the family is.
Frank is actually down in Mexico,
without identification, unable to cross back into the United States
after a really bad bender. While this could spell trouble for most,
Frank is a conniving sleaze ball. It doesn’t take him long to find
passage home, using his anal storage talents, and setting a record in
the cocaine smuggling world. This is the comic relief of “El Gran
Canon.”
While there is definitely real danger
for many of the characters presented in this episode, it’s hard to
believe that Frank will ever come to real harm. The good die young, but
the bad don’t. Frank always stumbles into something to save himself. His
family would be better off without him, but as Fiona promises Debbie,
Frank will always find his way home.
Speaking of homes, Sheila (Joan Cusack)
seems to be building one with Jody (Zach McGowan) and the baby. I wonder
how long Sheila can possibly be happy with her daughter’s immature,
hippy ex-boyfriend? At least Jody cares, and appears willing to take on
the responsibility of fatherhood.
Lastly, Kevin (Steve Howey) and
Veronica’s (Shanola Hampton) latest venture is performing racist,
historical, live sex shows on the internet. It’s funny because it’s so
wrong. The only complaint I have about this sequence is, how come their
“fictional” sex is so much less raw and dirty than their real
intercourse? This couple’s passion is renowned, but it’s not very
evident here. However, maybe they think of this as a joke as much as
viewers will, thus why they aren’t giving it their all.
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
Article first posted on Seat42F
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