‘Shameless’: Frank Finds a Kindred Spirit & Carl Breaks the Law (RECAP)
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 11, Episode 3 of Shameless, “Frances Francis Franny Frank”]
The South Side gets wilder with each passing day, and in the latest installment of Shameless, the Gallaghers’ usual shenanigans have an extra dose o drama.
Whether it’s Frank’s (William H. Macy) business dealings or Debbie’s (Emma Kenney) single parent struggles, there’s never a dull moment. Below, we break down all the news from “Frances Francis Franny Frank.”
A Granddaughter After Frank’s Heart
Paul Sarkis/Showtime
High on his own weed-laced baked goods supply, Frank is tasked with delivering granddaughter Franny (Paris Newton) to school after a kitchen spat with son Liam (Christian Isaiah). As per usual, he takes a wrong turn or two, and brings Franny to the wrong school. He then decides to just bring Franny along on his “work day.”
Frank sees the advantages of having a kid by his side, and asks Franny to help him as he haggles for some pot that he’ll use in Kev (Steve Howey) and V’s (Shanola Hampton) baked goods as they continue their business arrangement. Franny also assists Frank on ripping off the suppliers and even helps him roll joints as he continues on his rounds.
Pleased with their teamwork, Frank even names on pot concoction after Franny. Things get a little turned around though when confusion sets in for Frank during a forgetful moment (either a result of age or his hard partying ways), eventually he and Franny commemorate their day with a tattoo session. His heart-shaped piece proclaims his love for her, while Franny gets a temporary magic marker heart of her own.
Earlier in the episode, Franny had refused to wear a dress for the Little Miss South Side competition photo, and Frank asks her why; Franny says she’s more of a boy. So Frank brings up the “playing along game,” and he suggests that she put the dress on to make Debbie happy, even if it’s only for a little while.
Debbie’s Bad Decisions
(Credit: Paul Sarkis/SHOWTIME)
So Debbie, by the way, couldn’t get Franny to school because she was getting ready for a new job as a result of her Instagram page. Leaving the Gallagher house assuming someone else would take care of Franny, she shows up to do handy work at a wealthy client’s home. But then she remembers she’s on snack duty at Franny’s school, so she swipes some things from the lady’s fridge and ducks out one of the windows, planning to return and replace the items she took.
But of course the snack drop off is not a quick errand, because she learns that Franny never came to school. So she and girlfriend Sandy (Elise Eberle) search for the young girl. Making matters more stressful, Debbie gets a call from the customer she walked out on; apparently the police were called when neighbors saw Debbie crawl out the window. Needless to say, she’s not getting a good review or recommendations from the woman, who tells her to never return.
Of course, once Debbie discovers Franny’s not at school — she goes there to drop off snacks — Frank’s in the dog house. He later says that grandchildren are easier because the pressure’s off and he eventually gets Franny to put the dress on for Debbie, which redeems him a bit, even if the good deed goes unrecognized.
At home, after finding Franny with Frank, Debbie gives her family hell for not taking the little girl to school and asks why no one stepped up. Brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White), dealing with issues of his own, is fed up with the reprimanding and blows up, asking Debbie why it’s not her responsibility to take her own kid to school. It leaves things on a sour note.
Lip & Tami’s Family Drama
Paul Sarkis/Showtime
In Lip and Tami’s (Kate Miner) world, he’s fixing up their place and Tami’s busy supporting her cousin Cami (Melissa Paladino) and her husband Brad (Scott Michael Campbell) as their baby experiences health struggles. In return, Lip is picking up the slack at the garage where Brad runs things, but when Tami learns her cousin’s baby has a heart defect, she can’t help but want to support them.
She calls Lip from the hospital to see how quickly he can sell the motorcycle he’s fixing as a means of getting cash because the strapped Cami and Brad have to shell out big bucks to even consider getting their baby a necessary surgery. The situation gives Lip a lot to consider which could explain his outburst at Debbie in the episode’s final moments. Thankfully he’s getting help in some ways because the owner of his and Tami’s house swings by and notices all of the renovations being made. The young man offers to split costs with Lip, decreasing some of the financial burden.
Carl’s New Partner
Paul Sarkis/Showtime
After putting his first partner in a coma, Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) is assigned to a new vet on the police department’s pay roll. Officer Janes (Toks Olagundoye) is the exact opposite of Tipping (Joshua Malina). Throughout the day, Carl is constantly shocked to see his spunky partner break the rules, shoplifting from a convenience store, pushing around disabled citizens for being too slow on crosswalks, and pushing around perps through glass windows.
Her interrogation methods include driving recklessly with unbuckled criminals in the backseat, coaxing answers with each painful crash against the metal partition separating the front and back seats. Despite the lack of ethics involved, Carl’s happy to make his first arrest, even posing for a photo. When he asks Officer Janes about her methods, she tells Carl that their job is justice above all else.
The Couple Debate
Paul Sarkis/Showtime
Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) begin their day with some morning sex. Things turn iffy for Ian when Mickey tries to change things up. The situation then leads to a discussion of who is the “man” in their relationship and who is the “woman.” All day, the guys ask people around them, Mickey at the Alibi and Ian at the warehouse. Neither of them get satisfactory answers, which leads to a scuffle in the Alibi when Ian shows up early after quitting his job.
The boys get into one of their characteristic knock-down-drag-out fights until V intervenes. She tells them that there are only equals in a relationship, and that she won’t tolerate their fighting. Eventually the pair figure it out when we see them in bed together at the end of the episode. It would seem that they have a thing for the Jonas Brothers because it’s a frequent topic of discussion in their conversations about sex. Who would have known the South Side guys would be into the trio?
Kev’s Money Misses
Paul Sarkis/Showtime
With their pot business booming and the Alibi once again open, Kev is getting a littler freer with spending his money. When the episode opens, he presents V and their daughters with some pricey clothes but she shuts it down and says he’ll return the items as soon as possible. Much to V’s surprise, Kev’s also supped up his truck and she questions if it’s a good idea to be so flashy.
She continues to push the subject at the Alibi and learns that Kev’s been stashing their cash at the bar in various spots. Mickey suggests that they launder their money by visiting a casino and, while heading out to do that, Kev gets cocky and brags about his booming business to his friends at the basketball court. Yes, he then gets robbed. Returning to the Alibi, Mickey offers to be a security person for them, making money runs on the down low in exchange for a cut. Good deal or not, it’s definitely better than getting robbed again.
Shameless, Sundays, 9/8c, Showtime
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