Take Two: Shameless

Shameless: Season 1, Episode 2 "Frank the Plank" (B+)

This show is most definitely bizarre. I think it's an asset more than anything, but this show definitely doesn't hold anything back. If a girl's boyfriend kidnapping her father and transporting him to Canada is a nutty plot point, that's nothing compared to Frank getting a little more than he bargained for when he finds out that the kindly and reserved Sheila is into him in a weird way. It's not as if Frank doesn't deserve the shocking treatment he gets as a result of his crummy behavior, but it's still an alarming scene, and a magnificently crafted and acted one at that. Two of the most stirring moments of this episode involved the two most active of Frank's children: Fiona defending "her children" and Lip following him from house to house on his bicycle. As much as he might usually be a screwup parent, Debbie did a good job putting on a brave face for his young and innocent daughter Debbie. It's absolutely fascinating to see how this family operates, certainly in a most untraditional manner. I'm intrigued, as anyone would be, by the relationship between Fiona and Steve since the latter seems intent on bettering her life while the former wants to be responsible for any positive changes in her life rather than accepting his well-intentioned charity. As a second installment, this episode holds up just fine, and I'm entirely excited to see what's next in store for all the zany members of the Gallagher clan and their even wilder neighbors.