Season 5, Episode 7
Air Date: Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime
Rating:
“God gave you that joystick to control your woman and you’re just letting that thing dangle between your legs.” – Carol
Yes, Carol (guest star Vanessa Bell Calloway), tell it like it is! All along, this season of Shameless has depicted Vee (Shanola Hampton) as suffering from a serious case of postpartum depression. Now, in “Tell Me You Fucking Need Me,” it looks like Kev (Steve Howey) is suffering from a male dysfunction of his own—the Madonna/whore complex, first identified by Sigmund Freud in 1912. As Pat Gaudette’s book Madonna-Whore Complex explains, “There may be enough sexual encounters to start a family, but with a child or children comes even more sexual distance. Once she’s a mother, he has even more reason not to “defile” her with sex…He loves her but he doesn’t want to be sexually intimate with her. She loves him but she is increasingly bitter because he won’t give her the sexual intimacy she desperately craves.” If that doesn’t describe what’s going on with Vee and Kev, I don’t know what does. Vee and Kev have always been a very sexual couple so her being upset with Kev for shirking his husbandly duties is perfectly understandable. On the other hand, I never expected Vee to be so disinterested in her twin girls. In “Tell Me You Fucking Need Me,” Vee moves into the upstairs room at The Alibi, I suppose to make a point. Neither of them knows whether they’re separating, taking a break, or headed for divorce. Hopefully, they’re just “taking a break” so they can get their shit together. Vee’s mother Carol gives both of them some excellent advice; it will be interesting to see which one listens to her. I truly hope Vee and Kev find some way to come back together. With all the craziness of Shameless, they’ve been the only sane ones of the bunch.
Svetlana tells Kev what “wifely duties” means.
To make matters worse, Mickey (Noel Fisher) throwing Svetlana (Isadora Goreshter) out of the house definitely doesn’t help since she moves in with Kev. Svetlana’s idea of performing “wifely duties” in exchange for room and board may solve Kev’s problem but it sure won’t help Vee. If Vee finds out what’s going on, she’s going to be one very pissed off woman. Svetlana is a talented lady, if you get my drift.
What a coward Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is! She takes the easy way out in “Tell Me You Fucking Need Me” by telling Gus (Steve Kazee) she slept with Jimmy (Justin Chatwin). I don’t understand; does Fiona want to force Gus into asking for a divorce? Sure, getting a secret like that off your chest makes you feel better but it always hurts the one you love. Fiona needs to decide whether she wants to stay married to Gus and by telling him about Jimmy, she puts that decision in Gus’ hands. What does Fiona expect Gus to do with this information? Certainly not what he asks her for, which I didn’t understand until I saw Gus’ reaction to Jimmy at Patsy’s Pies. Surprise, surprise; Jimmy hasn’t changed one iota despite what he tells Fiona.
Debbie isn’t the sweet, young innocent girl she used to be.
I got a real kick out of Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) explaining to his older sister Debbie (Emma Kenney) what the different touches of a man mean. Since when did Carl become such an expert on the subject? I don’t like where Debbie’s story line is going this season. She’s been turned into a bully, using her fists to get what she wants. Kenney plays Debbie’s newfound status to perfection, especially when she seeks advice from Holly (Danika Yarosh) about how to get out of the “friend zone.” The sad thing is Debbie has no game whatsoever; Derek (Luca Oriel), on the other hand, does. (wink, wink)
Once Frank (William H. Macy) comes home from the hospital determined to take his health seriously, Sammi (Emily Bergl) realizes she has to do something drastic to teach Frank a lesson. All she really wants though is for Frank to apologize for the way he’s been treating her, something we all know will never happen. Drastic doesn’t even begin to describe what Sammi does to Frank in “Tell Me You Fucking Need Me.” Don’t get me wrong, Frank gets his licks in too, and at first, it looks like there’s going to be an all-out war between them. I agree with Frank that this chick is “bat shit crazy.” Sammi can be so nice when she wants to—the key words being ‘when she wants to.’
Ian listens but isn’t very responsive during Mickey and Fiona’s visit.
“Tell Me You Fucking Need Me” is Macy’s first time directing an episode of Shameless, and he does a great job, particularly with Fiona, Mickey, and Ian’s (Cameron Monaghan) scene in the psychiatric hospital. Ian is struggling to adjust to his new surroundings, which most likely is due to the medications he’s taking. He seems to have a one-track mind where baby Yevgeny is concerned, and when Fiona and Mickey visit him, he barely speaks to them. Macy does a terrific job with this scene, specifically by playing up the noise from the ping pong table, and making the audience feel what Ian is feeling. It’s all so very sad, especially when Ian is forced to face the reality of being bi-polar like his mother. I’m worried about where Ian’s story line is going. Will it include many fun, yet sad, crazy mood swings and terrible decision-making, maybe even a tragic outcome? With Monaghan’s new role as a young Joker in Fox’s Gotham, I can’t help wondering if this is Monaghan’s last season of Shameless.
Lip has a real problem on his hands when he finds out his college schedule is on “temporary suspension.” Apparently, someone at home signed for his financial aid papers and forgot to tell him. Without a completed registration, Lip is responsible for his $12,000 tuition. Even though Lorenzo (Michael B. Silver), the financial aid officer, gives him a 10-day grace period, where is Lip going to get that kind of money? Remember what I said in my review of last week’s episode, “Crazy Love,” about the ease with which students can get credit cards? For someone as smart as Lip, I can’t believe what he does. With all the money Amanda (Nichole Bloom) and her father Jason (Ian Kahn) have, why doesn’t Lip ask one of them for a loan?
Other Observations
- Writer Nancy Pimental really plays up the stupid angle for Chuckie (Kellen Michael) when she has him act like a total “asshead” at school. Carl follows up on his promise to Sammi to watch out for Chuckie and uses the situation to make Chuckie his slave. “When I text you, you run.” Carl never misses the chance to make his life easier. I hope he doesn’t get Chuckie involved in his drug business.
- In true Shameless fashion, Lip’s financial aid papers are used to prop up a window. Another check in the what-I-did-right category for director Macy.
Overall
“Tell Me You Fucking Love Me” mainly deals with relationships — Fiona and Jimmy; Fiona and Gus; Sammi and Frank; Vee and Kev; Debbie and Derek; and Lip with his family. Each one of them must decide what they want out of their relationship, be it marriage, a lover, or family. And those decisions are what make “Tell Me You Fucking Need Me” one terrific episode. Way back in “I’m the Liver,” I complained about the fast pace of the episode, something that has continued until this episode. Macy must have been listening because the pacing in this week’s episode is spot on. He gives you enough time to digest what you’ve just seen before moving on to the next story line or plot point. What I’m interested in knowing now is whether Gus will forgive Fiona, where Sammi and Frank’s story line is going, and whether the worst will happen for Vee and Kev. I’m going to be very angry if they end up getting divorced.
What did you think of “Tell Me You Fucking Love Me?” Hit me up on Twitter @SeasideTV, or leave me a comment below. Do you relate to Vee or Kev? If you were Gus, would you stay with Fiona or throw her cheating ass out?
Tune in to Shameless Sundays at 9:00 pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.
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All photos © 2015 Showtime Network, a wholly owned affiliate of CBS Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Linda
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