Shameless Review: “Uncle Carl” (5×08)

Gallaghers, right? Our favorite beleaguered South Side family decides their inherited family name is a diagnosis unto itself, or at least it should be, and they’re not wrong. They come to this conclusion while in the jail waiting room; this time they’re waiting on Carl, who has been caught attempting to smuggle, let’s call it way too much heroin, across state lines. Carl has no formal diagnosis to explain his gallivant; then again neither does Fiona. Or Lip, or Debbie. (Liam is yet too young to be quite so fucked up. The jury is probably still out on Sammie.) This idea of “crazy” as a relative thing (pun intended) permeates the episode, and makes for a continued treatise on the idea that this family, maybe, just doesn’t have its shit together because its members are fundamentally incapable of doing so.

The ghost of Monica hangs over “Uncle Carl,” as Ian returns home a shell of his former self. But he refuses to take his medication, and flushes the entire prescription almost immediately. Ian doesn’t see himself as another Monica. Fiona’s been to jail and Carl’s on his way there; what makes Ian the crazy one? To the audience, of course, the answer is obvious—Ian is cursed with Monica’s specific brain chemistry, whereas his siblings are simply products of their upbringing. But there’s considerably more grey area from Ian’s point of view, and one can hardly blame him for seeing things that way.

Here’s the thing: Frank and Monica did a number on these kids, genetic predisposition to bipolar disorder notwithstanding. We have seen since day one the effects of Frank’s particular brand of parenting, and in fact he’s still fucking things up for his kids even now. Chuckie and Carl are in jail in large part owing to Frank, who views Carl’s drug dealing as a good work ethic (something Frank wouldn’t know if it bit him in the ass), and who even still essentially called the cops on his own kid when his plan went belly-up. But “Uncle Carl” sheds some new light on Frank as well, as his kids continue to reenact the various aspects of his own youth with Monica. As Mickey drinks himself into depression over Ian’s current state, Debbie informs him that Frank reacted the same way to Monica. It’s not a statement meant to generate sympathy for Frank; rather, it’s a warning to Mickey, that he needs to be there for Ian rather than feel sorry for himself. Despite their horrid childhoods, the kids are (or at least have a shot at being) all right.

“Uncle Carl” has a lot to recommend it. As Ian’s story calls back to the Gallagher’s collective past, it serves as a lynchpin for the various other adventures the characters are on. The episode strikes a strong balance among its various components through this conceit. Fiona struggles to communicate with Gus because her case study for married life is not a very good one. She can do passion, spur of the moment; getting married on a lark is nothing for Fiona Gallagher. But everything that comes after is hard. Commitment is hard. Complacency is hard, and Fiona isn’t used to that sort of challenge. Even after a big speech and a declaration of love, Gus is still heading off on that tour bus, and Fiona still isn’t going with him.

Or take Lip, who has so much potential—more, if we’re being honest, than anyone else in his family. But he is so ready to self-sabotage, even in his attempts to stay in school. His decision to turn the dorm for which he is responsible into, basically, a pot dispensary is colossally stupid. But he breaks free of his Gallagher-itis by, at least, being able to acknowledge his propensity for poor decision-making. He knows that if he doesn’t stay at university, he’ll fall right back into his old life. If Ian can grow up like Monica, there’s nothing stopping Lip from growing up like Frank. Jeremy Allen White gets a huge scene with Lip’s financial aid advisor this week, capturing Lip’s perceived helplessness and imbuing the character with a newfound sense of tragedy.

The specter of their parents hangs over all the Gallagher kids, but at the same time they find it impossible to escape their parents’ influence. As a result, they find themselves constantly in situations that on the one hand, they bring upon themselves; but on the other hand, these situations are more or less inevitable. The difference is that the Gallagher kids feel guilty about their nature, and seek to fix the messes they create (mostly—Carl is either too crazy or too young). Compare to Sammie, who attempts this episode to “train” Frank, but has so far done so by shooting him in the arm and proceeding to manipulate him emotionally—in other words, the usual tricks of the Gallagher trade. It all boils down to the classic nature versus nurture debate that, in some way or another, has run beneath Shameless’s surface this whole time.

The Gallaghers weekly find themselves in one mess after other, many of their own making. Otherwise we wouldn’t have a show. But the Gallaghers we actually like struggle to make good on their promises, to clean up their messes and fix their mistakes. How long do we have before we’re no longer allowed to fix the things we’ve fucked up? That’s a question the Gallaghers seek to answer, and there’s quite a bit more seeking left to do. By episode’s end, Carl is speaking with a state attorney and the Gallaghers all strongly advise him not to give anything up. Bad advice, maybe, but typically Gallagher. But also by episode’s send, Fiona has re-committed herself to Gus (at least verbally), and Mickey has gotten into bed beside Ian after all. They’re trying.

Stray Observations:

• Svetlana extends her fulfillment of wifely duties to Veronica as well, and gives the same explanation practically verbatim, thereby bringing this joke back from creepy all the way back around to hilarious. In general, Svetlana is a font of practical marital wisdom, and I’m enjoying her increased presence on the show.
• “In my younger days I slept with every member of the Guns n’ Roses cover band Buns n’ Hoses.”
• So many phenomenal Chuckie gags this week, it’s impossible to pick a favorite. That he sleeps on the floor in a dog bed? Sitting in the middle of a bus stop with pounds of heroin taped around his tummy? Standing in a jail cell, excited that Uncle Carl will be his storytelling neighbor?
• Debbie and Derek are pretty adorable together.
• The gentrification runner returns this week after a couple weeks off. The Lisas are building a community garden next to the Gallagher house, and want Fiona to join them for just a two thousand dollar buy in. First of all, that sounds fucking terrible, and second of all, what the hell kind of a garden are they building?
• Sam’s back too, intentionally throwing wrenches into Fiona’s marriage. This character is all over the place to me, and I’m not convinced the writers have a handle on him either.