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No, no, no, seriously, I want to know! What's so pressing in your life that you can't make time for one of the best, most versatile shows on the air right now? Oh sweet Jesus if you think that hatewatching a show is more important than love-watching a show, then do us all a favor and get the gently caress off the Internet. There's too many of you; we're seriously considering shooting a few to save oxygen.  That show where every problem these bitches could ever have was solved for them so they invented new poo poo to get mad about? Try again.  I guarntee you that the French did it better. Really, every drat time some assholes try something like this, the French did it better. Isn't that always the case with you loving people?  Oh, yeah, that's a good show, or at least it would be if CBS had the decency to start it on time. Seriously, what's with those guys at CBS? You know what America was founded on? Lower taxes, and starting our poo poo on time! Why else would we call our militia "The Minutemen"? Now look at us, we're taxed out the rear end and our programs start 30-45 minutes later than they tell you. You're gonna support that un-American bullshit? Come on!  They kill the dog, then they bring the dog back because they're a bunch of pussies, and you should not be in the business of devoting your time to pussies. All they do in the end is leave you holding your dick.  Same pussies that made Family Guy. What part of "don't devote your time to pussies" isn't getting through?  Oh, you're gonna watch football? You're gonna watch a bunch of people slowly murder themselves each other via head injury for the entertainment of those fat cats on Wall Street? They can call it America's Pastime all they want, but MY America doesn't stand for murder. REMEMBER JUNIOR SEAU.  Allow me to sum this one up: There's darkness in everybody. There, did you really need 8 hours to figure that out? These "shows." loving pretenders to the throne. Let me tell you about the good poo poo.  Now most of you haven't heard of this show because you were too busy doing brain surgery to pay attention, so let me set it up for you. There's a family living in the Chicago slums, and their Dad's a mostly-absentee shitlord who steals their money, so they have to cheat their way through life. "Oh, that sounds depressing! If I wanted to be sad about not having money for an hour a week I'd just look in the mirror!" Please, this isn't your show if you're looking for Les Mis-esque squalor porn. Remember that poo poo? Remember when Fantine cut her hair and was dying of TB or something and she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" and everybody loved it and they were glad they weren't her? Fiona Gallagher was the chick screaming "PIPE DOWN YOU loving WHORE, I GOT WORK IN TWO HOURS!" This show is hysterical. It doesn't "have moments where it's funny," it's legitimately one of the funniest shows on TV, and you're allowed to laugh and enjoy because the Gallagher family makes their lives work, if only just barely. And because it's so easy to laugh along with the show, if you're not careful, it can gently caress you up without warning. Very little time is spent on the characters bemoaning their lot in life, so the times where they just have to throw their hands to the sky and ask "WHY" are brutal, horrible, and hard-earned. When a typical show gut-punches you, usually you say "drat" and shake it off. When Shameless does it, you need to take a long walk around your block. "If it's so great, how come it keeps getting ignored by the Emmys?" For the same reason Modern Family won 4 "Outstanding Comedy Series" Emmys in a row. "Oh, who created it? John Wells? I don't know if I trust anything from the old guard." Bitch, John Wells was doing ongoing stories, evolving characters, and cinematic framing/editing on China Beach (under John Sacret Young) long before anybody knew who the gently caress Vince Gilligan was. Don't you loving "old guard" me, cockbite. He ran the show that gave us "Hell and High Water" and "Love's Labor Lost." He helped bring The West Wing and Southland into the picture. John Wells may not be interested in exploding meth labs or aliens or whatever you usually pitch a tent for, but he is a God-drat-Capital-W Writer. You should be ashamed for even suggesting that he's on the same level as Shane Brennan. "Old guard." Kick your pretentious rear end... "But isn't it a remake of a British series?" Despite what I told you about Resurrection Boulevard or whatever they're calling that show, in this case, the Americans really did do it better. I can say that with confidence because there are BRITISH people who will tell you that we did it better. I'm moderately sure Rapey Joe Stalin is one of them and he has to constantly invent new and increasingly vulgar idioms just to differentiate everything he hates! "But how can you presume that Res--" BECAUSE IT'S ON ABC, NOW SHUT THE gently caress UP. "Yeah, but Showtime ran Dexter and Homeland into the ground--" After their first seasons. It's coming on season 4 and we're still here talking about it like it's TV's Best Kept Secret, so what does that tell you? "Weeds went downhill after Season 3 too." Well, since I left my loving Ouija Board at home, I guess we'll have to assume that Shameless season 4 is going to kick rear end based on how each previous season of the show greatly improved on itself. "But I really don't want to go into it without seeing the other three seasons!" You know in the old days nobody gave a poo poo about this? If you were told that a TV show was a good way to spend an hour, you'd just pick it up. But now we're all insisting on hearing stories from the beginning, because if you can pick it up from just anywhere, that would mean the story is static and therefore terrible. Shameless doesn't work like that. It's not like they "waah waah hit the reset button" at the end of each season, but it's set up so that you can jump in from the beginning of each season, no problem. But since you're all about what you missed, fine, I'll prime you. --- FRANK GALLAGHER (William H. Macy, front-right) The aforementioned shitlord patriarch. Frank is an alcoholic like Slash is a guitar player. In his various misadventures, Frank has stolen his neighbor's disability checks, hosed his oldest son's girlfriend, drove her father to suicide, interfered with another girlfriend's heart transplant, hosed that girlfriend to death, made his son think he was dying of cancer, and called social services on his own family in a desperate bid to reclaim "his" house and/or prove to them how much they needed them. At the end of last season, Frank went to the hospital after puking his body weight in blood and was told he could never drink again. He was last seen escaping the hospital, trudging across a snowy bridge to an unknown destination. FIONA GALLAGHER (Emmy Rossum, front-center) The eldest child of the family and, as of last season, its legal guardian. Fiona is only around 19-20 years old, is forced to act 30, and occasionally wants to be 15. Last season she braved one lousy temp job after another -- some which involved literally cleaning up lakes of other people's poo poo -- to catch a stable desk job and the eye of her handsome, presumably well-off boss. As far as she knows, her boyfriend Jimmy (Justin Chatwin) ran off after an ugly fight, but in reality, he's most likely dead after pissing off a Mexican drug lord. PHILLIP "LIP" GALLAGHER (Jeremy Allen White, front-left) The eldest Gallagher son and a literal genius. His identification with the slums and his distrust of authority runs so deep that he rejects the calling of higher education and embraces his life as a hoodrat. Naturally, he's being a loving idiot, and few people have a problem telling him this, including his girlfriend Mandy Milkovich (Jane Levy in season 1, Emma Greenwell after). After endless badgering, Lip applied to MIT and was shocked to discover that he got a full ride. IAN GALLAGHER (Cameron Monaghan, second row, extreme right) The second-oldest Gallagher, a JROTC hard-man who happens to be gay. Was in a relationship with Mandy's closeted brother Mickey (Noel Fisher); they were discovered by Mickey's homophobic father and beaten. Ian was then forced to watch Mickey gently caress a Russian prostitute; Mickey later married her after she got pregnant, refusing to face his homosexuality. Having had enough bullshit, the still-underaged Ian stole Lip's identity and enlisted in the Army. DEBBIE GALLAGHER (Emma Kenney, second row, right) The youngest Gallagher daughter. She's a genuinely sweet girl who believes that most people are good at heart. You could say this makes her naive, but this may actually make her more dangerous. For one thing, she's not above participating in any of her family's scams; she even came up with a few small ones of her own. For another, she will beat the poo poo out of anybody who breaks her heart, including her own father. And last year, when their rear end in a top hat cousin Patrick tried to evict the family using an illegally forged will, sweet little Debbie told the cops that "Patrick LOVES me (inappropriately)," and suddenly, their rent is now a measly $500 a month, down from the $1800 he was trying to extort from them. It is known: Don't gently caress with Debbie Gallagher. CARL GALLAGHER (Ethan Cutkosky, second row, left) The second-youngest son. Not much goes on with him, you just need to know that he's a likely sociopath who's already killed animals. LIAM GALLAGHER (third row, on shoulders) The Gallagher toddler. He's black. VERONICA FISHER (Shanola Hampton, third row, center-right) & KEVIN "KEV" BALL (Steve Howey, third row, center left) Next door neighbors of the Gallaghers. Veronica is Fiona's best friend and the family's occasional makeshift doctor (she used to be a nurse but was fired for stealing medical supplies). She makes an okay living as a camgirl. Kev is the owner and bartender of The Alibi Room, the only neighborhood bar that Frank hasn't been banned from. He's a good guy, but an illiterate lunkhead. This story's a little hosed up. Veronica and Kev want a baby, but she can't have children. So Veronica's mother agreed to be a surrogate, except the turkey baster wasn't really working for her, so Kev has been having sex with Veronica's mom with Veronica's approval. Mom finally got pregnant after several attempts, but she actually hid it for a couple of months because she didn't want the sex with Kev to end. So that's awkward. SHEILA JACKSON (Joan Cusack, not pictured) Sheila is an agoraphobic germophobe whom Frank used to sleep with and steal disability checks from. Sheila has improved a little bit over the years and recently started making a living as a sex toy saleswoman. Used to have a family, but with her blessing, her boyfriend Jody (Zach McGowan) moved to Arizona with her brain-damaged daughter Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins) and their adopted Downs baby Hymie to be near a spiritual healer. Oh, I should note that Karen is brain-damaged because Mandy Milkovich (not irrationally) viewed her as a massive obstacle to Lip's bright future and a cancer on the world in general. So Mandy mowed her down with her car -- if you ever catch up with the show you may conclude that this was also a rational reaction to her presence. Still, this was one step too far for Lip, and he and Mandy had a vicious breakup after he found out. --- That's all you need to know. The new season starts January 12th at 9 PM on Showtime. Why am I putting this thread up now? Well, are you a Showtime subscriber? Do you get your cable through Verizon FIOS, AT&T U-Verse, DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner, Optimum, or Bright House? If you answered "Yes" to both questions, you have access to Showtime Anytime, which will allow you to stream the entire series through your computer or your iOS / Android / Amazon device because I know some of you will demand to do so anyway! If you're stuck with a smaller cable outfit or, worse, Dish Network, keep an eye on your TV listings. At the very least they'll be running a season 3 marathon in the runup to the season 4 premiere. If you don't subscribe to Showtime at all, well, I'm sure you'll figure something out if you're so determined. Anyway, it's only 36 episodes, which you can easily plow through in 2-3 weeks, especially in the middle of the TV Dead Zone that takes hold over the Holidays. You're out of excuses. I've put it down. Pick it the gently caress up. DivisionPost fucked around with this message at 12:51 on Jun 21, 2014 |
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Dec 23, 2013 06:25
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I guess it's time to put down our hard-ons for Tatiana Maslany and start 'em back up for Emmy Rossum. At least until Orphan Black comes on.
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Dec 23, 2013 08:21
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Watch this goddamn show people.
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Dec 23, 2013 23:19
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This show is so loving good and if it continues getting even better then it's probably going to make me die from laughter and crying at the same time this season.
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Dec 24, 2013 05:07
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People aren't watching this show? The gently caress outta here, those people. It's William H. Macy for pete's sake.
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Dec 24, 2013 05:16
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Started watching this show because I agreed with the OPs short descriptions of the other TV shows, so there we go. (thanks for not hating on The Good Wife [I like that show  ])I just saw the first episode and really enjoyed it. Thanks TVIV! I'm definitely going to watch the rest.
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Dec 24, 2013 07:43
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As long as they keep renewing it each year, I don't give a poo poo who or how many people watch Shameless. Personally, I think the thread is better for it. The Walking Dead gets 12 million viewers a week, and have you seen that thread?
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Dec 25, 2013 19:37
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I started watching this when it started expecting it to be poor in comparison to the British show, I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that it started as good and got better unlike the British one which went rapidly down hill. Cant wait for the new season!
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Dec 25, 2013 19:55
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Literally the best show. Thanks for the thread or I would've missed the premier since Showtime has gently caress-all else to watch.
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Dec 26, 2013 19:00
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At the urging of this thread I started watching season 1. This is literally the best show. I have to force myself to not binge-watch the whole thing so I don't run out of episodes.
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Dec 26, 2013 22:33
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Jesus Christ this show is brutal. The good people are ALWAYS dragged down, and they just keep making the worst decisions, too. drat. I feel guilty for enjoying this show so much, and they're not even real people.
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Dec 27, 2013 04:42
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Hell yeah, gently caress youuuu Fraaaannnnkkk
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Dec 27, 2013 04:47
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gently caress yes this is a great Christmas present, thank you DivisionPost because I don't know if the spirit of this show could be communicated any better  I am so psyched for the 12 because dammit I want to know what happened to Jimmy/Steve (even though he is probably 90% dead)
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Dec 27, 2013 06:43
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Drifter posted:Jesus Christ this show is brutal. The good people are ALWAYS dragged down, and they just keep making the worst decisions, too. So where are you at this point?
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Dec 27, 2013 06:51
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DivisionPost posted:So where are you at this point? Just finishing Season 2. I posted after s2ep10 when the mom stole their squirrel stash and Fiona realized it....and two seasons building up to that. It was really sad when Fiona just gave up going to her manager job. And THEN I watched the thanksgiving episode... 
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Dec 27, 2013 07:18
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Drifter posted:Just finishing Season 2. I posted after s2ep10 when the mom stole their squirrel stash and Fiona realized it....and two seasons building up to that. It was really sad when Fiona just gave up going to her manager job. Exactly what I was referring to when I talked about "those rare moments" in my OP. And yeah, the Thanksgiving episode was a sucker-punch to the face on top of that kick to the gut. If you want something to look forward to, #3.6 got last year's thread chanting "EMMY FOR EMMY" with a single look.
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Dec 27, 2013 07:27
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Gangringo posted:At the urging of this thread I started watching season 1. This is literally the best show. I think Shameless is one of those rare shows that is better to watch on a week to week basis, or at least not on a binge schedule. I LOVE this show, but there is so much of the Gallaghers a man can take at a time. And if you're in season 1, and you think this is the best show at this point, you haven't seen poo poo. It gets exponentially better. I can't state how excited I am for the new season. I feel disappointed every year the fall shows go on hiatus or end (Boardwalk Empire, It's Always Sunny, Breaking Bad, etc), and then this thread pops up every December and it lifts my spirits.
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Dec 27, 2013 09:31
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Out of interest, what do American fans think of the English series it's based on? From what I recall it went for a few seasons as a relatively down to earth dramatic comedy before just becoming a dumb farce.
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Dec 27, 2013 16:16
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I enjoyed the Brit version for a while, yeah, but then it almost felt forced. I feel like the American one is more accessible to me as an American, anyhow, because this portrait of lower income, alcoholic, violent life is pretty familiar to most of us and it gives us an outlet to express our frustrations at the current state of inequality, or something like that.
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Dec 27, 2013 16:45
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Exploder posted:I think Shameless is one of those rare shows that is better to watch on a week to week basis, or at least not on a binge schedule. I LOVE this show, but there is so much of the Gallaghers a man can take at a time. I think it's also the fact that a decent amount of time usually passes between episodes (in show-time) so when Frank does a completely unforgivable shitlord act and then in the next episode the family is still relatively close-knit, it makes more sense.
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Dec 27, 2013 17:08
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I will say, Frank has the most progressive views on sexuality. It's impressive, even for him. For an rear end in a top hat  he's got a really positive outlook on homosexuality.
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Dec 27, 2013 20:05
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joedevola posted:Out of interest, what do American fans think of the English series it's based on? The English show started out okay, and then all of the main characters left, and now the show is about the Gallaghers neighbors. (They have jumped over sooooo many sharks)
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Dec 27, 2013 23:56
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gently caress off, the English version is classic. The characters are just developed so well and so blood relatable. I've seen eight seasons of UK Shameless and US Shameless just made me want to watch the UK one again.
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Dec 28, 2013 02:51
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On episode 3 of the first season and William H Macy's character was with the dead aunt and... what the gently caress am I watching?
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Dec 28, 2013 07:57
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You're watching loving Shameless. gently caress. Just watch it.
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Dec 28, 2013 15:17
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Thank You for bringing this show to my attention. I guess this runs after midnight on some smut channel in the US since the Pilot has half a second of boobies?
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Dec 28, 2013 20:18
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sauer kraut posted:Thank You for bringing this show to my attention. It's got more boobies than The Game of Thrones, buddy.  GoT has it beat in the iluvdicks department, though. I just finished season 3 earlier today. Goddamn. What a wonderful show. gently caress Frank, still, but him becoming a political spokesperson and that whole associated arc was pretty amazing.
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Dec 28, 2013 20:55
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sauer kraut posted:Thank You for bringing this show to my attention. It runs on Showtime, the same network that makes shows like Homeland and Californication. Premium (subscription-based) cable networks in the US allow nudity in their shows, mostly because they don't have to succumb to advertiser demands. But yes there's plenty of nudity. Just don't creep up the thread with it please.
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Dec 29, 2013 01:24
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One of my favorite parts in the whole series is when Lip discovers a child molester is living a few blocks away and goes to kick his rear end. On the way there they round up a small posse of people, only to discover it's a girl when they get to the house.
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Dec 29, 2013 02:00
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You know, Mandy's just a Drifter fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Dec 29, 2013 |
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Dec 29, 2013 02:47
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Got through the first season and holy poo poo the stuff with Monica (spoilering I guess for other potential first watchers) was a serious bummer. This show is really drat good. I also didn't recognize Noel Fisher initially and it's really cool to see him in something again because I haven't seen him in anything since The Riches.
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Dec 29, 2013 20:06
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I just went and had my mom order this through netflix (along with Chicago Code) so she and my dad'll watch it too. Thanks, OP, for writing such a convincing post. 
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Dec 29, 2013 20:53
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Drifter posted:You know, Mandy's just a
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Dec 30, 2013 00:57
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gently caress! I couldn't resist and binged through seasons 2 and 3. Now I have no more Shameless to watch.
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Dec 30, 2013 04:23
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Sober posted:The best part was how her brothers threatened her with a freshly digged grave that freaked her out. Then a bunch of gangbangers show up and ask if they could use it, and then pay them for having it pre-digged. loving Shameless. No point wasting a good grave. Mandy's brother is a frustrating character but the short times he opens up to Ian are pretty :3 Is this show considered progressive or does it lose points because there are closeted people who say fag? I think my favourite moment in this show was the agoraphobic woman finally running outside to save Liam.
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Dec 30, 2013 20:14
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I think it's fairly progressive but I'd like to rewatch it and concentrate on it. What's your reading?
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Jan 1, 2014 06:49
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Wouldn't it be progressive in that instance because they're showing multiple characters dealing with the same issue and accepting it in different manners? Anytime you are shown multiple points of view it's gotta be better than just one point of view. Mandy's brother and Fiona's brother are very clearly products of their home environment when it comes to how they approach their sexual preference, and how they shape themselves around it in the otherwise harsh community they live within.
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Jan 1, 2014 08:32
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Drifter posted:Wouldn't it be progressive in that instance because they're showing multiple characters dealing with the same issue and accepting it in different manners? Anytime you are shown multiple points of view it's gotta be better than just one point of view. For this reason I think Shameless is one of the most progressive shows on television. Although homosexuality has become much more socially acceptable in the past couple decades, I think we lose sight that there are large portions of our population who still look down upon it, and not just for religious reasons. I couldn't imagine the emotional struggle one goes through being gay, let alone living in a tough neighborhood, and having to conceal it. The Mickey/Ian/Terry confrontation was one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever watched on television, but it was done in such a brutally honest way that it was actually refreshing. It really struck a cord and put me in Mickey and Ian's shoes, and reminded me that there are still Terry Milkovich's in the world.
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Jan 5, 2014 10:34
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Aces High posted:gently caress yes this is a great Christmas present, thank you DivisionPost because I don't know if the spirit of this show could be communicated any better The following is an unfilmed scene from that episode, as described by the shows producers in an interview after the end of the season: There was a scene to be filmed on the boat that would show JimmySteve being killed, however they ran out of time for filming at the location and had to cut it. So by the script he is dead, however even the producers have said that down the line who knows. I'm dreading the new season because it's obvious that Fiona will have to lose her job at some point, things are just starting to go too well for her. Sure she lost her bf, but she got given the money and has a stable job and a new love interest for the new season, along with control of the family. I was a massive fan of the UK version for the first few series, however stopped watching 2-3 years ago because most of the original cast was gone and the show became more like a gritty reboot of Coronation Street. My favourite aspect of the US Shameless is that the family sticks together and looks out for each other.
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Jan 5, 2014 11:35
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I'm so goddamn ready for this show to come back. OH MAN.
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Jan 5, 2014 11:57
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