Shameless Season 11 Episode 2 Review: Go Home, Gentrifier!
Paul Dailly
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That was a nice change of pace.
COVID-19 took a back seat on Shameless Season 11 Episode 2, and it paved the way for an enjoyable hour of this Showtime drama series.
Yes, the pandemic is still very present in the characters' lives, but it didn't feel as in your face as Shameless Season 11 Episode 1.
Mickey's full-time return on Shameless Season 10 failed to result in meaningful plots for Noel Fisher's character, aside from getting married.
"Go Home, Gentrifier" was vintage Mickey Milkovich, and it took me back to the earlier days of the series. Despite trying to get a job, Mickey is not cut out for a legit life.
Ian may be happy with his minimum wage position because it makes him feel like an adult with purpose, but he and Mickey are not cut from the same cloth.
We've witnessed them cheat on each other in the past and question whether to have an open marriage, so Ian threatening to take sex out of the equation didn't have the impact that it should have.
Mickey's interview will go down as one of his most comical scenes to date. But at least it gave Mickey the drive to do what he does best:
Steal from the more fortunate. It could be argued that there should more progression for Mickey, with this being the end of the series, but the message appears to be that Ian married Mickey for who he is, and he shouldn't be changing him.
Hey, back up. What do I look like, an information lady? Hell, no. I'm a law enforcement officer, emphasis on the enforcement. You need to know what happened last week on Shameless? You better go find someone who actually gives a shit.
Carl
Mickey has not tried to change Ian, and I dare say Debbie won't give a crap where the money comes from for bills, so long as there is money in the house.
The only issue that could arise with this storyline is that Mickey could find himself back in jail, or Ian could return to his dodgy dealings and find himself in a precarious situation.
I can't shake the feeling that the series will end with a big heist, orchestrated by Mickey and Frank, to move all of the rich people out of the South Side and allow it to go back to the way it was.
Liam: Don't touch.
Lip: Why?
Liam: I'm going to sell them for cheap to the lunch day kids.
Lip: What's a lunch day kid?
Liam: Kids who run out of money on their food account. Can't eat the hot lunch today until they pay up.
Lip: Is that even legal?
Liam: Yeah, but the lunch lady serves them gross shit, like stale bread, government cheese, chunky pudding.
Lip: So, you're capitalizing on them by selling them your peanut butter sandwiches?
Liam: It's the American way. See ya.
The good thing about this plot is that it echoes real-life and how costs soar in an area when richer people move in, pricing the less fortunate people out of the area.
Lip's home getting trashed when he wasn't looking was a convincing plot, and I didn't for one minute expect it to be the nice lady next door.
But it made sense in the end. Lip and Tami are not made of money, so replacing windows and things multiple times a week wouldn't have been financially feasible for them.
They strived to have a nice exterior of their property, but everyone else got their back up because of the potential of rich people moving in.
Watch out, crackheads. I'll come back for you later.
Carl
Additionally, if their property looked the most expensive, then potential robbers would probably target their home before others on the street.
It's a good thing that they embraced what the others wanted them to, or they could have stood to lose a lot of money. Lip is bringing the home back from the brink of death, despite not owning it.
Unfortunately, he's in that position, but after his stint in the Gallagher household, he wants his loved ones to grow up in luxury.
Carl working for Chicago PD is not the plot I saw coming, but it makes sense when you think about it. Despite doing some sketchy things while growing up, he wants the mean people off the streets.
Making a mental note of your face, shit bag.
Carl
This could also suggest that he's going to bicker with his family over the South Side changes. He wants the streets clean, and clean streets make the homes more attractive to potential buyers.
The place's gentrification is coming from all angles, and I like how it's starting to affect many of the characters. We have 10 episodes remaining, and a lot can change between now and the series finale.
Now on to the bad stuff, which isn't actually a lot.
Debbie continues to be the weak link, and I'm slowly getting to the point that I don't care to watch her scenes.
The writing for her has hardly been consistent, but she's becoming a trainwreck. Yes, she's finally looking after her child, but she didn't really think about what Frannie would want for a party.
Instead, she followed what she would have wanted, and that's pretty darn selfish. It's nice the family managed to come together during COVID-19 but did she really expect other parents to allow their children to attend?
We're in the middle of a global pandemic, the Gallaghers don't have the best track record, and Debbie is a convicted felon.
Hopefully, the look of despair from her at the party will push her to change her ways quickly.
Kev and V getting into business with Frank is not a plan, and they should have known that. Kev has never been the brightest, but agreeing to Frank's demands without countering or consulting with his wife, was tedious more than anything.
Watch it, ladies. Might haul your asses down to the station. That's right, you're looking at the new po-po. First day on the job.
Carl
If you watch Shameless online, you know Frank always finds a way to swindle those he's working with, but V will not allow him to take everything from her without a fight.
"Go Home, Gentrifier" should have been the season premiere, and Shameless Season 11 Episode 1 should not have been a part of the season.
The premiere was filled with needless exposition, but there are signs of life with the series.
What did you think of Carl's first day on the job? Are you sick and tired of Debbie? What will become of the South Side?
Hit the comments.
Shameless continues Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
