SHAMELESS “Father Frank, Full of Grace” Season 1 Episode 12 (Season Finale) – This first eleven episodes of SHAMELESS zipped by and it’s already time for the “Father Frank, Full of Grace” season finale. I’ve seen it, and it’s a jam-packed and very satisfying rollercoaster of revelations, repercussions, and emotional choices woven together with the Gallaghers’ particular brand of humor and heart.
The penultimate episode left us with some heavy storylines to wrap up: Tony’s ultimatum to Steve, Lip and Ian’s arrest, and Karen and Frank’s Daddyz Girl sex. All those-and more-are dealt with as we pick up the action almost immediately following Fiona’s phone call from the police.
I don’t think the Karen/Frank sex was unexpected. If you’ve seen the British Shameless, you knew it was inevitable, but there have also been plenty of clues throughout the season. That doesn’t make it any easier to take, but I think it worked well within the story and it propels plenty of events in the finale. Karen is about as self-destructive as a character can get and Frank is-Frank. Karen absolutely initiated and I kind of love that she knew she needed drugs to get through it, but wow was she coming from a place of pain. The thing about pain, though, is that it can expand-and spread– exponentially if you’re not careful with how you deal with it. How careful do you think she’s being?
Franks is, as always, a fascinating character. Completely self-involved and self-deluded, he is a terrible father and human being, and mostly he blithely goes on his not so merry way. Once in a while, though, there’s a flash of something deeper, something better that not only makes this wreck of a man seem more human, but also makes him that much more frustrating. It’s a tough balancing act, but William H. Macy makes it look effortless.
My love for Lip and Ian, which was already considerable, grows tonight. Lip has the bigger story, but Ian has a long overdue scene that makes me cry a happy tear. Plus, I could watch the pitch-perfect interaction between the brothers for hours. As for Lip, my heart both breaks for him and fills with pride. Debbie, always such a tremendous mix of innocence and cynicism, gets in on the action, doing what a Gallagher has to do to protect the rest of the family. .
Fiona, as always the heart of the show, has a choice to make, even as she has no idea she’s the rope in Steve and Tony’s continuing tug of war. As much as I love all the characters on this show, there is something extraordinary about Fiona. As tough as she is, as savvy as she is, she has a marshmallow center. She tamps down so many needs-for trust, for love, for a moment of peace-and puts herself last so often that I’m glad she has the chance to think about what she wants. Veronica, God bless her, is there to help, and meets Jasmine in the process. Love this new wrinkle, by the way-V’s reactions are not to be missed. Kev once again saves more than one Gallagher, and Ethel is already practically one of the Gallaghers.
This is a particularly well paced and intricately plotted episode of Shameless, with storylines threaded together in interesting ways. As always, the acting is phenomenal and I don’t think there is a single weak link in the cast. The sibling scenes remain my favorites and there are some fabulous ones here. “Father Frank, Full of Grace” does everything a season finale should and it definitely leaves me anxious for next season.
After you’ve watched Shameless tonight on Showtime at 10pm eastern/9 central, I hope you’ll come back and post what you thought. Did anything surprise you or make you especially happy/unhappy? What did you think of the season as a whole and will you be back for round 2 next year? Let me know in the comments.
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