Tuesday, January 30, 2018

What I’m Watching: Shameless


Shameless: Season 8, Episode 10 “Church of Gay Jesus” (B+)

This is the first review I’m posting in over two weeks, which is after this show’s season finale has already aired. My excuse is good – I promise – and it includes getting to see a very enthusiastic Emmy Rossum on stage at the premiere of “A Futile and Stupid Gesture,” the Netflix film about National Lampoon, at the Sundance Film Festival. This was one of the few episodes I had the chance to watch during Sundance, where I was busy seeing forty films, and I apologize for my late review, which will be followed by separate takes on the final two episodes in the next week or so. I was happy to recognize an actress here, Fiona Dourif, but disappointed that she was so unmemorable after her unforgettable turn in the recently cancelled “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.” It’s hard to see Lip so down and disappointed about how little he seems to have mattered in the face of his mentor’s death, and I’m not sure how he’ll rebound after that. Fortunately, Fiona and Ian are in a better place now, as the former has to contend with squatters who are scamming her to make money off her generosity and the latter has become a religious gay icon. Leave it to Frank to tell shirts reminiscent of Andy’s “Chris Died For Your Sins” gig on “Weeds” to make a profit with his enterprising son Liam. Debs was good at being a welding scab but she managed to score a pretty bad injury on her second effort. Carl almost had Kassidi convinced that they should hold off on the wedding, but a faked suicide attempt and a whole lot of crazy means that they’re now bonded together, and I don’t know how he’s going to break free from her truly stifling and rather terrifying grip. I won’t comment much on the Kev-Veronica-Svetlana plotline since it was pretty awful, but at least Svetlana ditched the earpiece quickly so we didn’t have to experience any more of that.

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