Shameless Review: Mo White! (Season 9 Episode 2)
The Gallaghers continue to evolve and flourish on Shameless Season 9 Episode 2, “Mo White!,” which begs the question: when will things start to fall apart?
If we’ve learned anything from Shameless over the years, it’s that anytime life seems to be throwing a Gallagher a bone, something or someone comes around to screw it all up. It’s exciting to watch Fiona succeed at something as much as she’s succeeding at real estate.
Having her recruit Liam as her “intern” is a delightful way to give us some of the Gallagher sibling teamwork that makes the show so enjoyable while also incorporating Liam in a way that’s never been done before.
Fiona is kicking ass, and it’s easy to feel hopeful for her future. However, long-time Shameless viewers know how dangerous it is to feel hopeful. Fiona has been close to success (and happiness) in the past, only to have it destroyed by self-sabotage or other horrifically unfortunate circumstances.
Is something going to be different this time? Only time will tell, but seeing a Gallagher doing so well definitely raises red flags as to when and how it’s all going to come apart at the seams.
Which is why Lip’s success in AA and his decision to sponsor a new member is so alarming.
It’s incredible that Lip is doing well with his sobriety. Lip is arguably the best character on Shameless, and the seasons that he was spiraling out of control were some of the hardest to watch. Now he’s got a handle on things, but he’s also got a lot going on.
The higher out of the hole he climbs, the harder and more disappointing the fall will be. There’s a lot on Lip’s plate right now and any one of them could push him over the edge if it starts to feel like too much.
Seeing him handle the Xan situation so well inspires a lot of confidence. If this were any other show, we’d be breathing a sigh of relief that Lip had finally found a way to pull himself together.
But it’s Shameless, and these characters never get to be out of the woods for too long.
Carl, too, has grown tremendously over the years. The dog storyline in this episode is too difficult to watch let alone discuss, but Carl’s inability to do what was asked of him makes it clear that he is not the kid he was the show premiered.
Carl has developed kindness and empathy and a serious work ethic. His journey to making himself a better West Point candidate is very fun to watch, particularly because he has no idea that his behavior is antithetical to the behavior of a person who would typically receive a congressional letter of recommendation.
On Shameless Season 9 Episode 1, Ian managed to convince Fiona to leave him in prison to finish what he started, but no one passed the message on to his disciples. Newly out of prison, likely off his meds, and horrified by what his followers have done since he got to jail, Ian is perhaps the most worrisome of them all.
Is he going to do something drastic to get himself thrown back in prison?
Two episodes into the season, it feels like we’re heading up the steep incline of a roller coaster. Life is slowly progressing upwards…but the inevitable drop is just around the corner. Who’s going to survive it?
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Shameless airs Sundays at 9p/8c on Showtime.
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Tamar Barbash
Tamar Barbash is a TV-loving mother of three. She hosts the Shipping Room podcast where she has the opportunity to take advantage of her social work degree and dive deep into relationships portrayed on television. Tamar loves nothing more than to overanalyze the lives and experiences of fictional characters and she's so excited to be able to do that as part of the Tell-Tale TV community.