Shameless is dysfunction galore

Shameless is terrific. That’s all there is to it.

The Gallaghers are the dysfunctional family we don’t want to admit to living right down the street from some of us. You hear about them; you’ve gotten glimpses of what goes on at their place; you’ve heard yelling and screaming and loud music issuing from that abode, but you really can’t do anything about it. Instead, you either deal with then in silence … or you anonymously call the police and ask them to enact a noise curfew.

The Gallagher family is led (if you can call it led) by Frank Gallagher (the outstanding William H. Macy who plays his role with all the dippy, dopey drunkenness he can muster). And let me tell you: The casting folks for this show picked the perfect person to step into this part. Not only can he exude inebriation out your television screen with vim and vigor and possibly a hint of stale breath, he proselytizes like no one’s business as to what his thoughts are at times convincingly.

The rest of the family — Fiona (Emmy Rossum), the eldest daughter of Frank who is the glue keeping the household running; Lip (Jeremy Allen White) the genius wiseass eldest son; Debbie (Emma Kenney), the sympathetic, emotional daughter; Carl (Ethan Cutkosky), who’s future looks to be in demolition and trouble; Ian (Cameron Monaghan), the closeted homosexual middle brother who’s secret is discovered; and baby Liam (who’s exact origins are a bit clouded) — are in the throes of an interesting, chaotical structure in need of constant adjustment and readjustment at the flick of a switch. Things happen in this family and, often, everyone needs to adapt to keep things in line … what little line is actually being kept, that is. Right away, Fiona gets a love interest tossed into her incredibly busy world — Steve (Justin Chatwin) who is not at all who he appears to be. And we find down the line he fits in with the family perfectly.

The character I really gravitated toward in this smart series, however, was little Debbie, the emotional daughter of Frank, who has the softest of hearts for her good-for-nothing father. It will be interesting to witness the unfolding dynamic between she and Frank, regardless of the fact your heart will be torn out watching her put effort in with him only to get zilch back in return.

In the opener, after a brief synopsis of who’s who by a voiced-over Frank, the family is seen contributing to the bills of the household. Just about everyone pitches in, sans rule breaker Carl. This is an example of the fractiousness Frank has sloughed off himself and onto his children, the resulting consequences of a hopeless drunkard family head. The kicker within the show, from the get-go, is watching gape-mouthed, wondering just how in the hell someone as selfish, loutish and clueless as Frank can even be lovable.

But he is, in his own alcohol-soaked, faux charismatic manner. And that’s the beauty of a character played by Macy, who puts his all into his roles.

Future episodes will flesh out more of who The Gallaghers are. The viewing effort will be well worth the ride Frank and Company will take you on.

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Jan 09, 2011 @ 22:54 EST5EDT