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'Shameless' Season 1, Episode 12 (Season Finale) Recap
by Laura Prudom, posted Mar 28th 2011 6:40AM
['Shameless' - 'Finale']After twelve weeks of 'Shameless' enjoyment, we have, alas, reached the season finale of this ridiculously addictive show, and now our Sundays will be bereft of car theft, inadvisable sex, baby-stealing minors, and so many shots of William H. Macy's bare behind that the supermoon pales in comparison (unless you have a very colorful social life, I suppose). But what a ride these past three months have been ...
There's plenty of pressure on a season finale, which has the unenviable task of tying up the year's loose ends while unraveling some new ones for Season 2 (yes, the show has already been renewed, yay!). And while the ending wasn't quite as surprising as some of the earlier episodes have been, there was still a lot to love in the season's final hour.
I'm still trying to decide which moment was more shocking: Poor, long-suffering Eddie committing suicide in one of the most creative ways possible, or Frank actually apologizing to Lip for sleeping with Karen (and subsequently getting a golden shower for his trouble).
I suppose it's fitting that the episode's two most memorable scenes tied in with Karen's ill-advised decision to seduce Frank last week, since the chain reaction it set off was both devastating and cathartic, depending on the character.
Though Eddie has never been a contender for Father of the Year, at least some of his reactions to Karen's behavior were justified, and to see him driven to such lengths because of Frank's irresponsibility and his daughter's spite was fairly tragic, even if his surreal exit hit a strange note when juxtaposed with the mid-tempo song, 'Long Time' by Cake. (The nostalgic, longing lyrics were an excellent choice for the scene, though.)
Karen, meanwhile, clearly felt worthless in the wake of her father's judgment at the purity ball, but now that she knows Lip loves her, I hope we'll start to see her gain some self-respect and stop acting like the word she had tattooed on her wrist. Of course, once she finds out that daddy jumped into the lake with a block of cement, she's probably going to need a whole lot of therapy -- although after having sex with Frank, I'd suggest that anyway.
It's rare to see Frank ever displaying any semblance of a conscience, so it was heartening to see him own up to his mistake (even though he was so drugged up when Karen pounced on him, it hardly even passed for consensual) and take his shower like a man, since these brief flashes of humanity are desperately needed to make the character seem even vaguely redeemable. After all, although Frank is undeniably neglectful and painfully self-centered, he generally doesn't go out of his way to be spiteful to the kids.
Then we had Fiona and Steve, the latter of which spent most of the episode conspicuous by his absence while Fiona was dealing with Ian and Lip's arrest. We've seen Fiona struggling with her loyalty to her family all season, but did anyone really think she was going to choose Steve over her siblings? The fundamental reason why she and Steve are destined to fail is because he's inherently selfish, and she's inherently selfless.
We know that Debbie finally revealed Steve's double-life to his mother, but failed in her quest to enlighten Fiona, so I'm sure that story is far from over. A part of me thinks we'll pick up next season with Fiona dating Tony, before Steve returns to ruin everything, but we'll see. I'm still Team Tony, even if he is just as manipulative as Steve in a lot of ways.
One of the quietest scenes this week was also one of the most heartfelt -- we finally saw Ian come out to Fiona, played beautifully between Emmy Rossum and Cameron Monaghan. I loved Ian's relieved little smile at the realization that his sister wasn't about to start treating him differently after the revelation -- it was understated but perfectly executed.
We also saw Sheila venture out of the house again -- 13 steps! -- and I'm guessing that Frank and Karen will be keeping their romp firmly hidden from her, since it would probably send the poor woman straight off the deep end. Either that, or it'll make for some great television next year. We also saw Ethel again, albeit briefly, so it looks like she'll be with Kev and V for the long haul -- I hope we get to delve deeper into that storyline in season two.
What was your favorite moment from the season finale? Do you think Fiona and Steve will be back together in season two? Share your reactions below!
Follow Laura on Twitter: @LauinLA.
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