The first season of Showtime’s brilliant new drama Shameless ended with a sad state of affairs for the characters. Fiona chose not to go to Costa Rica with Steve, instead staying with her family. Lip nearly killed his dad after learning about Frank’s sexual webcam show with Karen. And Karen’s dad took the final plunge, killing himself over the embarrassment of his daughter’s exploits.
It was a real downer, but it fit beautifully with the series and firmly established Shameless as my favorite new show of the year. William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum deserve Emmy nominations for their fearless performances as the clueless drunk Frank and the hard-working Fiona.
The finale also featured my favorite scene of the series as Ian finally came out to his sister Fiona. Her response was pitch-perfect. “I know,” she said, followed by a long pause before adding, “You’re still on my sh*t list.” If more people reacted the way she did, the world would be a much better place. Being gay isn’t some big deal, it’s just a fact of life.
The first season finale also helped lead Shameless to its highest ratings ever, with over 1.16 million viewers watching. Season 2 of Shameless won’t arrive until 2012, which gives us plenty of time to meditate on some important questions.
Will We See Steve Again?
The answer to this question has to be “Yes,” since he’s the main love interest, and Fiona finally confessed that she loves him to Veronica in the season finale. He may be off to Costa Rica, but not for long. Plus, Debbie is still the only one who knows about Steve/Jimmy’s secret double life, which leaves plenty of story left for his character.
Can Lip Ever Forgive Frank?
What do you do when the girl that you love essentially rapes your dad on a webcam? Lip has to answer that question, and while he seemed to forgive Karen by the end of the season 1 finale, his relationship with Frank is as strained as ever. However, Frank’s willingness to let his son urinate all over him is a good (albeit disgusting) start on the long road to forgiveness.
Is Karen Pregnant?
I hope I’m not the only one thinking this, but after she had sex with both Frank and Lip, it feels almost inevitable that Karen will get pregnant, fulfilling the professor’s warnings to Lip about not getting her knocked up to keep him from achieving a future. But if she is pregnant, is it Lip’s son or brother? The fact that I’ve already thought of this almost makes me hope the writers don’t actually do it.
Will Fiona Switch Sides?
Fiona’s “friendship” with Jasmine was suspicious from the start and it’s clear that her intentions weren’t necessarily pure. I’m still unclear if Jasmine wanted to swap men, have a foursome or just enjoy more sweet lady kisses with Fiona, but since Fiona chose to get a job with Jasmine over fleeing with Steve, it’s incredibly possible the eldest Gallagher might try out lesbianism for a bit.
What do you want to see in Shameless season 2?
(Image courtesy of Showtime)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
