What I’m Watching: Shameless

Shameless: Season 11, Episode 5 “Slaughter” (B)

I’m not sure exactly what to make of some of what’s happening on this show. Its style has always been great, and I don’t know what the need is for things like that final scene where the bullet went straight up into atmosphere and then fell right down on Terry, killing him instantly. This show is wild enough without having Liam be an accidental murderer because he shot his gun into the air to scare off the Milkovich clan, and I’d much rather stick to the absurdity of Frank advertising a Unite the Right rally to get them out of the house and then causing violence as a result. Veronica canvassing and finding out that the only Black woman on the South Side was an Obama-hating birther conspiracy is more like it, highlighting the impact of gentrification and the futility of hard work. Lip and Tami getting evicted felt sudden, but now they have a murder house to live in which sort of fits with their fixer-upper vibe, though I’m not sure that they’ll still be able to afford it with Lip losing his job. Leesie tripping and getting partially impaled by her machete was a ridiculous development, but it does help Carl get out from under her maniacal grasp. I’m glad that Debs has finally realized that she, like viewers of this show, really doesn’t know much about Sandy, though she could have gone about it in a much smarter and more delicate way. I wouldn’t say that I’m on board with Ian’s logic that, if he’s going to hotwire an ambulance called in for a fake crime, he may as well carry a real gun, but it’s working for him and Mickey, so I’m all for it.

What I’m Watching: Vice Principals

Vice Principals: Season 2, Episode 2 “Slaughter” (B+)

One of the best things about this show has been the unexpected transformation of Neal into a good person. In this episode, he demonstrated a few positive traits, starting with his realization that he had caused damage to Robin’s life. Offering him readmission to school following his expulsion was a very nice thing to do, and giving Dayshaun a real gift was nice too. He even wanted to protect Amanda from Lee’s wrath, though that may all have changed when he got triggered at the end of the episode by the sight of her new boyfriend. With Neal’s world outlook softening, Lee is coming into focus as the malicious one, motivated by his own hatred for others and desire above all to be liked. Listening in to the teachers’ gossip was a bad idea, and it didn’t even matter that he was bugging them when he called them all into the woods to demand their IDs before burning them and telling them they would be shot if found on school property. Lee has some truly evil impulses, like referencing making execution videos when talking about his hatred for Mrs. LeBlanc. It’s hard to tell whether the things that he and Neal do actually stick since they’re so wild and unbelievable, but Lee’s act is unquestionably a declaration of war against all those who oppose him. Lee’s wife is on his side, telling him that kindness is power, but we saw how that sushi offer went from a decent idea to a terrible one in mere moments.