Those Gallagher nutjobs sure have packed a lot of wrongness into a mere 24 episodes, haven't they? As we count down to the Season 3 premiere on Sunday, let's remember some of their ... um ... finer moments.
And be sure to check back on Monday for a whole new season of gobsmacked weekly recaps!
1. Eating Bald Eagle at Thanksgiving (Ep. 2.11)
Well, hey - Benjamin Franklin did lobby for the national bird to be the turkey. So they're not roasting an endangered species to succulent perfection, they're just paying tribute to our forefathers. Right?
2. Using Carl as Bait for a Pedophile Priest (Ep. 1.05)
Thankfully, budding sociopath Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) can handle himself, but the fact that Lip (Jeremy Allen White) and Ian (Cameron Monaghan) would dangle the kid in front of the old perv like a jerky treat is pretty foul. In the end, they did get "The Groper" to perform Kev and V's fake wedding without any funny business, so all was good in Shameless-land.
3. Frank Has Carl Get Hit by a Car (Ep. 1.10)
Again with the Carl! This time Frank (William H. Macy) used his already-injured son to throw a pesky insurance fraud investigator off of his trail.
4. Eddie Calls Karen a "Whore" at a Purity Ball (Ep. 1.10)
Granted, Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins) was in the process of listing all the guys she'd banged, but come ON, Eddie (Joel Murray) - nothing crashes a father/daughter dance faster than one of the dads comparing his blessed princess to a common street prostitute.
5. Frank Gives Himself a Handy-J with His Despondent, Suicidal Wife's Clammy Hand (Ep. 2.11)
In last season's epic Thanksgiving ep, Frank reached a possible new low (for the day) by ignoring Monica's (Chloe Webb) clear need for medical and psychiatric attention in favor of a "stranger". Ugh.
6. Karen Rapes Frank (Ep. 1.11)
Poor Karen Jackson is pretty much one of the most sad and damaged (if not broken) characters I've ever seen on television. So having her lash out at her father by raping a pill-addled Frank, taping it, and posting it online was just awful. I do believe that in a later episode there's an offhand reference to the act not being actually as um ... "complete" as she made it out to be. But still...
7. Sheila Kills Grammy (Ep. 2.08)
Okay, sure - GrammyGallagher (Louise Fletcher) did ask Sheila (Joan Cusack) to do it. But when the old bird fights back, Sheila really digs her ... um ... heels into the job. So sick, so twisted, so Shameless.
8. Frank Kills Butterface (2.03)
Frank's wooing of an unattractive woman in need of a heart transplant was sad enough - watching him intercept the notice that there is a new heart for her and then screwing her to death (upon request) in exchange for two grand and a flatscreen was outright wrong.
9. Jody Kills "A Kiss from a Rose" (Ep 2.07)
Thanks, Shameless - I can never hear Seal's soaring, treacly love theme from Batman Forever again without seeing Jody's (Zack McGowan) "Oh Face".
10.Veronica Finds a Used Condom Covered in Cheetos (Ep 2.09)
Or, as the media like to call him, "Kevin Federline". (STILL GOT IT)
BONUS! 11. Carl Builds - And Then Blows Up - a Meth Lab (Ep. 2.07)
Grammy Gallagher was one bad customer - so when she told Carl that she was going to "teach him a trade" we knew she was up to no good. We just didn't realize HOW no good.
That's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of this kooky clan's shenanigans. What's your favorite oh-no-they-didn't Shameless moment?
