BWW Preview: SHAMELESS, Orange is the New Gallagher as Season 5 Approaches

By: Jan. 07, 2015
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

The Gallaghers are back and after a shocking cameo at the end of Season Four, I, for one, cannot wait to see where this family is going to end up next. Frank survived death (again), Fiona survived a downward spiral and they all survived each other. Slowly coming down off the holidays, I think we can all relate, right?

Here's a reminder of where we left the Gallaghers last season:

Fiona - After starting a relationship with her boss, Mike, things get very "Gallagher" when she has an affair with Mike's brother, Robbie which in turn triggers a downward spiral. When baby Liam ingests some of Robbie's cocaine, Fiona lands in jail, then on probation then under house arrest. When she breaks out and goes on a bender, she winds up in jail. Upon release, she is given a job working for an ex-addict at a diner who gets her to go to NA meetings.

Lip - In his first semester at college, Lip is forced to study hard as well as take over guardianship of the kids during Fiona's downward spiral. He hooks up with his roommate's girlfriend, Amanda, who becomes his sugar momma and treats him to a new kind of life he isn't used to. Amanda's parents give Lip a hefty sum to stay away from her, but he takes the money and keeps seeing her despite still pining for Mandy.

Ian - Ian returns from the Army a completely different person suffering from severe mood swings. After a while, the family can no longer deny that it's probable he is suffering from Bipolar disease, just like their mother, Monica.

Debbie - Trying to reinvent herself and desperate to lose her virginity, Debbie latches on to 20-year old Mike. Mike rejects her advances because of the age difference leading Debbie to begin a countdown to her sixteenth birthday.

Carl - After unsuccessfully searching for a new liver for Frank, Carl meets troubled Bonnie and winds up helping her homeless family. Once Bonnie realizes Carl has feelings for her, she takes off leaving Carl alone once again.

Frank - It's time for Frank to get a new liver, but he's pretty far down on the donor list. He reveals there is another daughter, Sammy, who maybe can donate part of her liver. Sammy isn't a match, but he does wind up receiving a new liver. Sheila marries him while he's unconscious. With Carl's help, he escapes the hospital with his new liver leaving both Sheila and Sammy behind.

Kev and Vee - Kev inherits the bar when Stan dies. V finds out she's pregnant with triplets and wants her Mom (who's also pregnant with Kev's baby) to have an abortion. V loses on of the babies, but she and her mom give birth to healthy babies. They decide to let V's Mom keep hers as they have enough to do with the twins. Kev rents the space upstairs to Mickey so he can run a brothel.

Sammy and Sheila - Sammy and her son Chuckie move into Sheila's house to take care of Frank. When Sheila returns with her Native American boyfriend and his five children, she marries Frank and attempts to adopt the kids. The Tribal Elders block the adoption and she is alone again. She and Sammy clash over how best to care for Frank and she kicks her out of the house and blocks her from seeing Frank. When Frank abandons them both, they reconcile as Sheila always likes to take care of someone.

The season didn't slow down for a second. For me, here were the top/significant five scenes:

5 - Fiona's Sleeps with Mike's Brother - After finally entering into a relationship with nice guy, Matt, she meets his brother, Robbie, at a family dinner. Their instant attraction comes to a head when they have sex in the kitchen while Matt is passed out in the bedroom. Fiona's life implodes when Robbie reveals their secret affair to his family.

4 - Lip Calls Out Fiona - A conversation between the siblings escalates into a fight when Fiona insists that Liam eating her cocaine was an accident and Lip wants her to admit she's guilty and take responsibility. An important moment in the Gallagher family when Lip is the grownup disciplining Fiona.

3 - Fiona Tells Mickey Ian's Bipolar - When Ian is in bed for days, Mickey reaches out to the Gallaghers and Fiona has to tell him that Ian is probably bipolar like their mother and will have to be hospitalized. In a genuine moment, Mickey sheds some tears and reveals his love for Ian with a bold statement that Ian is his family. An uncharacteristic moment for the usually emotionless, Mickey.

2 - Frank Defies Doctors Orders - Frank finally receives a liver transplant. The doctor implicitly instructs him that he cannot partake in any drinking whatsoever. Carl helps him escape the hospital and overlooking a very frozen Lake Michigan Frank takes a giant drink. He hands the bottle to Carl and tells him to drink, passing on the family tradition. It's a beautiful and sadly disturbing scene that sums up the Gallagher family in an instant.

1 - Mickey Comes Out - After years of being in the closet and being faced with losing his true love, Mickey outs himself in the bar to his father and everyone else. His father immediately beats him to a bloody pulp which invokes an all out bar brawl and sends Jack back to jail. Covered in blood, Ian and Mickey smile and begin a new life together.

Oh... and then this happened:

Yup! Steve aka Jimmy aka Jack (?) is alive! This cliffhanger tag after the credits was such a shock that even the rest of the cast tweeted their surprise to actor, Justin Chatwin.

SHAMELESS is one of the best shows on television and somehow seems to fly under the radar of the mainstream. Every once in a while in Awards season, William H. Macy's name is thrown around or even nominated, but the entire ensemble is solid and 100% believable as a poverty-level family just trying to survive. Emmy Rossum is always on the top of her game, but this year in particular, Jeremy Allen White (Lip) and Noel Fisher (Mickey) gave incredible performances. The cast has grown up before our eyes and have gone from good actors and characters to great ones. None of them are angels, none of them are devils, they're all conveniently in between and you can't help but root for them.

Here is a trailer for Season 5:

Follow me on Twitter @eponineq and follow @BWWTVWorld for all the latest updates, scoops and recaps.

Season Five of SHAMELESS premieres Sunday, January 11th at 9:00pm on Showtime.

Photo Credits: Showtime



Videos