RECAP: 'Shameless' Premiere Shocks, Literally

by uInterviewJanuary 9, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

A new season brings new lows for the Gallaghers as Shameless returned to Showtime Sunday night. It's summertime in Chicago as season two begins, providing a bit of levity to the typically dismal events in the Shameless universe.

Frank (William H. Macy) continues to show a total disregard for the consequences of his actions as he loses $10,000 after drunkenly betting a local thug that he couldn't take two shots from a taser gun without soiling himself. The thug takes the shots, with clean pants, but Frank, of course, doesn't have $10,000. After trying his usual sources for funds — panhandling with infant son Liam, pushing fake drugs, and the like — Frank still comes up short and the thug takes Liam as collateral.

When Fiona (Emmy Rossum) finds out what Frank has done, she rounds up the family to pay the thug a visit. Offering up all they've made over the summer, the Gallaghers find themselves $6,000 short but promise they're good for the rest of the money. Fortunately, Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton) are able to help out after Kevin acquires a surplus of marijuana crop and Veronica forces him to sell it, providing enough dough for Fiona to get Liam back.

Changes at Frank's home away from home at the Jackson have him worried. Sheila (Joan Cusack) and Karen (Laura Wiggins) are working on improving their lives following the disappearance of Eddie (who committed suicide at the end of season one, although the family seems to remain unaware of that fact). Agoraphobic Sheila is determined to change, everyday taking more and more steps away from the house. As Sheila comes to depend less on Frank, he is also worried she will one day find out just what kind of awful things he has been up to outside of the house. Karen is attending a group for sex addicts and is spending time with the man she met in the group – which doesn't sit well with Lip (Jeremy Allen).

Lip has started his own amateur fighting ring and is selling marijuana out of an old ice cream truck, while Debbie (Emma Kenney) is running a daycare out of the house. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) has decided he wants to go to the military academy after high school and, after some reluctance, agrees to help him get in. Change also arrives at the convenience store where Ian works, as his sexual relationship with boss Kash (Pej Vahdat) has seemingly come to an end as Kash begins hooking up with other Muslim men in the store's cooler. By the episode's end, Kash has a break down, telling Ian he can't continue to live a lie and has decided to leave his family and his store and start a new life.