'Shameless' Season 1, Episode 9 Recap

['Shameless' - 'But At Last Came a Knock']

You can choose your friends, but you sure can't choose your family, and never has such an adage been so painfully illustrated as on this week's 'Shameless,' when we finally got to meet the Gallagher kids' absentee mother, Monica.

If you thought Frank was flaky, he's nothing compared to this broad, who -- after disappearing for years without a word -- chose to return to town not to check up on her kids, but to collect a giant teddy bear with her new lesbian life partner, and possibly one of her younger children in the process.

Needless to say, this suggestion didn't go down well with the kids, but was wholeheartedly endorsed by Frank (as long as he got his settlement signature, anyway).



This week's episode showcased the kind of tour de force performance I've been waiting to see from Emmy Rossum. We've seen flashes of Fiona's tough-girl facade beginning to crumble all season, but it was her fierce, furious confrontation with Monica that truly highlighted the actress's impressive range as she traveled from quiet disappointment to disbelief to outright rage.

We all want to believe the best of our parents, even if they consistently let us down, but Fiona finally reached her breaking point this week, wisely deciding to wash her hands of her mother and take refuge with Steve (or is it Jimmy?) instead.

Judging by Frank and Monica's collective track record, I'm guessing it won't stick for long -- whether she likes it or not, Fiona is far too responsible and loves her siblings far too much to abandon them to the whims of her parents, especially since Monica seems to view parenthood as something akin to picking out a puppy at the pound.

I can understand Monica's desire to start over and have a second chance with Liam while he's too young to realize what an enormous failure she is, but as Fiona said, "why don't you finish this [family] first?". Skin color is not enough of a reason to justify parenthood, and while I'm certain that "Bob" and Monica couldn't be more neglectful parents than Frank, I'm guessing that Monica will get going as soon as the going gets tough, since that seems to be her default setting.

Who could've predicted that Kev and V. would offer the most responsible picture of parenthood on this show? Despite the ominous appearance of the social worker with the voice that "dresses up for Halloween," Kev and V. seem to be doing an admirable job of making Ethel feel at home, and despite Veronica's hesitation, I'm predicting that Kev might just end up with the full house he wants so desperately. V. was even thoughtful enough to provide Ethel with earplugs before she and Kev got kinky -- now that's good parenting!

Another example of bad parenting? Steve's seemingly drug-addled mother who likes to kiss her son on the lips for an inordinate amount of time. Creepy. I can kind of buy his "raised by wolves who went to Harvard" excuse, judging by what we've seen of his family so far, but I don't think that explains or justifies his relationship with the mysterious blonde he kissed last week, who Debbie didn't encounter during her sleuthing.

As usual, the kids were behaving more responsibly than the adults this week; though it was extremely ill-advised for Ian to fool around with Mickey in the back room of Kash's store, it was way more ill-advised for Kash to shoot Mickey in the leg for stealing a Snickers, even if the kid kind of deserved it for all the gloating and thuggery. I guess we've finally discovered what can push Kash to grow a pair -- jealousy is a great incentive.

We were treated to a couple of great cameos this week, for those of you who watch as much TV as I do: 'Family Guy' star Alex Borstein appeared as Frank's sketchy ... lawyer woman, I think? 'Cougar Town' resident Carolyn Hennesy appeared as, you guessed it, the cougar neighbor who tried to seduce Lip while he was fixing up her house. And, as a 'Supernatural' fan, I always appreciate it when cute pairs of dysfunctional brothers play rock-paper-scissors to figure out who gets to do an unappealing job, like taking care of a crying Liam.

'Shameless' airs Sundays, 10PM ET on Showtime.

What were your favorite moments from this week's episode? How long do you think Monica will last with the responsibilities of motherhood? When do you think Fiona will find out about Steve's double-life? Share your reactions below!

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