Shameless - NSFW - Advance Preview: "Coping"

The episode opens with a fun hotel montage with Carl, living it up, literally. In general, a big theme of the episode is coping with change and trying to adapt.

Fiona gets a chance to buy her house back, as the promo that aired after last Sunday’s episode indicated. The reasons why she gets to, is actually quite simple. The promo also indicated that Fiona needs Gus to buy back her family home, however with the two standing on very thin ice, you can only imagine how fast it'll resolve.

Ian goes to Lip for dating advice, Ian is genuinely nervous and just wants to do his best. On their date, Caleb is quick to wanting to get to know Ian, but Ian is reserved, unsure and not aquatinted with the art of traditional dating, he's more used to fists and fights. There are a few references to Mickey during the episode, mostly with Ian and Caleb.

Last week, we saw V embrace the Myanmar refugees, not at first, but towards the end, and this week we see V have a lovely moment with the Myanmar girl, as well as her own children. I really love this progression with V's character, we've known Veronica to be not quite as motherly as Kevin is, but she's growing and it's nice. Shanola Hampton shines with sass but something magical happens when we see her in this short motherly moment, which doesn't loose that classic V sass.

Professor Youens offers some beautifully honest advice to Lip, it’s really simple but powerful, especially in this life, where sometimes all you can do, is with Professor Youens says. It's a lovely, heartfelt scene, free from jokes and really tries to convey something meaningful.

The gender of Debbie’s baby is revealed. Some characters will know the gender, whilst others won't. Debbie and Frank have some funny scenes together, the mime like one is truly a standout. Emma Kenney does such a great job making Debbie so adaptable to certain situations, especially in this episode. Debbie's best scene involves a bakery.

We get to see how Ian might act as a firefighter during the episode as a result of certain events. Cameron Monaghan continues to do a great job showing how Ian is really is quick to adapt, that he might be cut out to be a firefighter. His care for this person is very genuine, especially given the circumstances, the look on his face says it all. Ian's empathy during this scene is especially prominent, he might not be a licensed firefighter but his hearts in the right place.

Carl's Prison Inmate/Roommate/Friend as hinted in the promo for this weeks episode does something and it’s not good! The two have some amazing character moments together throughout the episode, it reminded me of a pair of friends from a book I read for English class, but I won't mention it, because of it's foreshadowing nature. Ethan Cutkosky steals this scene when he finds out. The music/score and camera work during this scene is amazing, it elevates the moment and puts great emphasis on the characters feelings.

The fall out between Helene and Lip and the consequences of the NSFW photo leak further exacerbate.

One of the best scenes, if not the best, to me, involves Fiona breaking down to Sean and someone watching her. It’s just heartbreaking, a moment of utter sincerity. The few words of dialogue spoken are perfect and the camera shot of this character watching Fiona (and her emotional turmoil) and their reaction is a complete tearjerker. It derives such a human need to want to help. Sheila Callaghan has always had a way with words, and in this episode, there are a few notable scenes that spark the beauty of her writing coupled with stunning performances by 2 actors.

To end, here are two more teases, a new character arrives and an act of absolute selflessness takes place. Shameless airs Sundays at 9 on Showtime.

Dialogue Teases:

“Sweet and dark, just like your bitches.”

“What am going to do without Kev and V next door?”

“She looked like a rotting apricot.”

“You believe me because I have accent and I never smile.”

“I can’t trust you because you don’t support me.”

“My last boyfriend wasn’t much of a talker.”

"I don't know how."

About the Author - Nirat Anop

Nirat watches a lot of TV Shows, some of his favorites are The 100, Orphan Black, Once Upon a Time, Outlander, Game of Thrones, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, The Flash, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Shameless and More He's a University Student. He will be Previewing Shameless. Feel free to follow him on Twitter, Tumblr or Google+

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