‘Shameless’ Season 9, Episode 4 Recap: Election Déjà Vu

The 100th episode of Shameless, “Do Right, Vote White!”, is on the nose in the way Shameless is wont to be. With an election that goes in a direction we should have seen coming, Nazis and Antifa, and an extended #MeToo/#TimesUp bit, it’s hard not to feel exhausted. I know I’m beating the same drum every week by complaining about how the story isn’t going anywhere and we’re sticking around for the characters we love, but that appears to be the situation we’re stuck in for the foreseeable future. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Liam, perhaps the only truly upstanding Gallagher in the gang, continues to succeed at school (despite trying to get out of going). He gets noticed by his teachers, who decide to bump him up to 6th grade to the fall, much to his delight. Carl’s future also seems a little brighter (?) as he accepts a challenge to duel the kid he stole the West Point recommendation from, and through a wild series of events, discovers this kid didn’t want to go anyway. Carl helpfully shoots him in the thigh to ensure there’s no military in this poet’s future, and is happy to find he’s got his “homicidal mojo” back. (We won’t get into the racist veteran advice scene that led him here).

Let’s go ahead and dive into the “on the nose” stuff, because there’s a lot of it. Remember that whole “rapiest bars” list and Kev’s efforts to make The Alibi a safe space for women? Well, this actually works – so well, in fact, that Kev is able to turn it into a business, consulting with other rapey bars in the area to make them more female-friendly. (In the meantime, he’s also categorizing his rapey barfly friends as Weinsteins, CKs, Ansaris, and more! How fun.) Speaking of rapey men, the election continues down a path we might not have seen coming had we not already lived it in 2016: Mo White wins, the Ruiz supporters cry, and it turns out that we’re all a whole lot more racist than we’d like to admit. This victory is not totally easily won, however; Frank enlists the help of Milkovich and his Nazi cronies to scare people away from the polls, and Antifa shows up to save the day (and start a riot). Fiona, previously not very political at all, now has skin in the game for Ruiz, and throws her own punch.

While we’re on the topic of Fiona, let me again stress just how frustrating it is to watch Shameless fumble with her character. Emmy Rossum is far and away the star of this show, and it feels like they just don’t know what to do with her. Her relationship with Ford is damn near impossible to root for, her random political activism (and bitterness towards her own class) seems totally off brand for her, and her friendship with Vee now seems surface level at best. She’s only got a handful of episodes left. I wish they would make them count.

Debbie, enjoying some very rushed domestic bliss with Alex, outs herself as a curious straight girl pretty quickly. While she doesn’t see any problem with the way she talks about her newfound sexuality, it strikes a serious emotional chord with Alex, who breaks things off. A tearful Debbie moves back home, the rarely seen Franny in tow. And she’s not the only one with problems at home. Lip’s fatherhood stint comes to a heartbreaking close when Xan’s mom resurfaces, demanding that he return her daughter. Lip sells his precious bike and tries to pay her off so that he can become Xan’s legal guardian, but when Xan follows him and emotionally reunites with her mother, he can’t go through with it. He drops the money and runs. (Let’s hope Brad doesn’t tell him “I told you so”.)

A lot of things may be up in the air for the Gallaghers, but no one’s future is as uncertain as Ian, who may face prison time if these Gay Jesus charges doesn’t go his way. He’s wrestling with it all, uncertain of how to proceed: his supporters want him to take it to trial so that they get as much publicity as possible, but he could also take a plea deal and ensure some semblance of a life for himself. After he’s chased by some MAGA-hat wearing homophobes, he’s only more confused about it all. He’s once again gotten in way over his head, and whether or not he’ll be able to fight his way out of this one remains to be seen. If only he’d stayed on his meds and kept saving lives.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She is also a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

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