Last week's episode of Shameless ended with a sobbing Fiona telling her ex-boyfriend Mike's brother, Robbie, "Everything is f**ked because of you." In Shameless season 4, episode 10, titled "Liver, I Hardly Know Her,' Fiona's life has been sliding downhill rapidly, following Liam's hospitalization for cocaine ingestion and Fiona has became a 'felon'.
This week's episode opens with Fiona partying with Robbie and his friends. It's clear that the eldest Gallagher sibling isn't having a good time, she's just trying to forget about the barrage of trouble she's been shoved into lately. The opening scene ends ominously with a vinyl record repeating itself on the record player. Is history repeating itself? Is Fiona turning into her father?
Meanwhile, Frank lies on his death bed. After years of bottomless drinking and drug abuse, Frank's liver is failing and death is upon him. Sheila is still determined to marry the dying Frank so that she can adopt five Native American children but Sammi is more concerned with Frank's end of life care. While Sammi is buying pain meds from a drug dealer, Sheila and Sammi learn that they can get Frank a liver transplant for $25,000. "We can buy Frank a liver!" Sheila says gleefully, visions of wedding bells in her head.
Meanwhile, Fiona wakes up on Robbie's floor to a high girl talking about an organic peach farm. Her ankle bracelet lies beeping on the coffee table, found by one of Robbie's friends.
"How about that ecstasy? You already took it." Clearly she does not recall the events of the previous night. More importantly, she's broken probation, which could be very very bad.
"Are you ready to meet your sister-nieces?" Kevin asks his baby son slash brother-in-law when his mother-in-law brings the baby into the hospital room. This story with Kev having babies with both Vee and Vee's mom is very strange. It will continue to be very strange in what is otherwise the most normal relationship in the show.
All the Gallaghers are on a search for Fiona, even Carl who stops by five hospitals with his new friend Bonnie at the wheel. Bonnie is a bit too ballsy, perhaps even a sociopath. She's appropriately named (her character's name being a clear shot at the 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde" but instead of Clyde, it's Carl). The fledgling criminals decide to crash their carinto a convenience store and steal as much "candy" as they can carry. Bonnie also uses the robbery as an opportunity to kiss Carl. This dynamic between these two kids would be cute if it weren't so terrifying.
Next, the show swings back to Fiona who gets left at a gas station without her phone, a jacket or shoes. At the urging of a very nice gas station attendant, finally calls Lip, who ignores the call from "Unknown," and leaves him a voice mail.
Meanwhile, in the ER, Sheila and Sammi find out what the liver transplant they purchased for Frank was actually a kidney procurement. This is why one should not get operations from unlicensed physicians in warehouses, kids.
Lip comes to pick up Fiona, and the conversation that ensues next is one of the sweetest conversations heard on this show.
"I don't want to be another Frank or Monica," Fiona admits. "I don't know who I am anymore. Clearly I'm not the big sister taking care of everyone."
"Maybe that's good," Lip says.
"How?"
"There's more to you than that."
"Fiona the criminal."
"I"m serious. You always been there for us. I think we've taken it for granted. I know I have. And you're going through some shit and I turn my back. It's bullshit. I'm sorry."
These kids may not have a lot, but they certainly have each other's backs in the craziness they live in, and that's what is really at the heart of the entire series' appeal.
All the Gallagher kids congregate at Frank's death bed. In typical Gallagher insanity form, it's a goodbye ceremony slash wedding. In the middle of the wedding, the medical team runs in. Frank has been pushed up the transplant list due to having lost one kidney. He's about to get the transplant.
Did you watch this week's episode of Shameless? What do you think will happen to Frank? What do you think will happen to Fiona?
