Slaughter
It’s been a few weeks but we’re back at it!
Mickey and Ian start their cannabis protection gig and since the word is already out that Kev and V are selling and transporting money (thanks Kev) it doesn’t take long for the two to get spotted and robbed. Thankfully, or not, one of the guys that robs them is Mickey’s cousin. He only takes a thousand dollars. This is a pretty funny scene with Mickey and Ian arguing about having only an airsoft gun and leads to a change in strategy: they need a different car. Ian gets the good/bad idea of stealing an ambulance and modifying it to keep them from being caught with a stolen car. It is a good incognito transport vehicle with the problem of a dead man in the back. Cue creative way to get rid of a body in Shameless fashion.
Lip and Tami have put a lot into their house. They’re renting the place from Lip’s friend (who doesn’t own the property) and when the owner finds out about all the upgrades, it’s put on the market. Lip doesn’t have a lease signed, so they are legally screwed. They explore their options and quickly find out that the gentrification of the neighborhood is moving way faster than they realized. Their house is going to sell for over $300,000. They find a murder house for cheap and decide to go for it (or be homeless). Then another shoe drops.
Shameless has always been about economic struggle and this season is highlighting it in new ways. COVID has up-ended everything and put oppressive pressure on economics where the poor are getting crushed further down while the wealthy make out fine and dandy. Where some can’t find a job because businesses are closing, others are buying out small businesses and cutting hours. This happens to Lip at the shop. He reacts violently to his arrogant new bosses and is now out of a job. Now his family is looking at a greater chance of being homeless. It’s a depressing time and that is not good for a recovering addict, it’s going to be a struggle for Lip to keep his head above water.
V goes out to canvas to get out the vote to support rent control that’s on the next ballot and she runs into the gentrification head first too. The South Side residents she’s known are all disappearing. There’s going to be no support for rent control and that’s going to accelerate people getting pushed out of their homes.
Deb tracks Sandy around town and has a lot of questions. Sandy is very secretive and when Deb realizes she doesn’t know anything about her (not even where she lives) she comes at her hard when she thinks she’s working at a gnarly strip club. Turns out Sandy is doing gig jobs (like GrubHub) to make money (a sure sign of a healthy economy!) and sleeping in her car when she’s not with Deb. Deb assumed a lot and it’s as awkward as can be. This was long overdue as Deb hasn’t been sure what kind of relationship they are in. They need to work on their communication skills.
Speaking of skills, Carl uses his again this week. Leesie leans on the locals like a freight train again, much to Carl’s dismay. The kid she “scares straight” pops up again quickly and Leesie ends up hurting herself going Rambo and Carl does some actual work. Instead of intimidating the boy, Carl talks to him like a peer. He knows the escape route the kid is taking and cuts him off. He gains the boy’s trust by showing that he’s actually just like him. He’s grown up doing the same things and knows the same people. Carl offers him other places to go (just like he did with the woman selling loosies last episode) to try and keep him useful and out of trouble. Carl is, whether he knows it or not right now, building a network of eyes and ears on the street for himself. It’s great to see and is a promising look into his future after the show is done and we are no longer following him.
The war with the Milkovich infestation is still strong with no end in sight. Kev and Frank try to reason with them but that goes exactly no where in scary ways. Liam gets scared half to death and rightfully fears for his life so Frank is convinced they have to do something drastic to force them out. His first idea is to get them out of the house so he can unplug Mrs. McCurdy’s life support. She owns the house so if she’s gone, the Milkovich’s will be tossed out. So Frank makes some flyers about an al-right rally happening nearby and that works (and Frank gets his own look at who’s working in his community). Mrs McCurdy is a tough cookie, Frank retreats to come up with something else and a whole lotta people show up at the rally Frank made up.
The final scene is high up on the wild and crazy Shameless scale that will have major consequences. Anything could happen from here. This episode is one of major shifts, the environment around everyone is changing.