Shameless 100th Episode Review: Do Right, Vote White! (Season 9 Episode 4)
There’s a lot of anticipation in the lead-up to a show’s 100th episode, and it can be hard to live up to the hype. But on Shameless Season 9 Episode 4 “Do Right, Vote White!” Fiona punches Terry Milkovich, so it actually exceeded expectations.
In all seriousness, Shameless delivers a perfect hour for their 100th episode. A biting commentary on the prevalence of both sexual assault and racism in our culture, this episode provides the perfect blend of hard-hitting truth and edgy-to-the-point-of-discomfort comedy.
Kev is really shining this season as he continues to try and make The Alibi safe for women. Sexual assault is a sensitive topic – one that can be very difficult to approach comedically. It’s typically best to avoid trying.
However, the whiteboard cataloging which celebrity offender best describes the sexual encounters of The Alibi patrons is brilliant and works for several reasons.
First, it calls attention to the all the different ways men have been guilty of sexual misconduct against women while also highlighting how this bad behavior is horrifyingly common. The confusion of The Alibi patrons mimics the real-life cluelessness of entitled men who have been violating women for decades.
Second, Kev and V’s execution of this sorting system is funny while also being profound.
It gives us the opportunity to laugh without diminishing the importance of what they are saying. Top it off with the satisfaction of seeing Kev get a business opportunity, and it’s just an all-around win. I’d definitely give it three vaginas.
Meanwhile, as Shameless hits this major 100th episode milestone, it feels good to return to some of the basics. Ian and Lip have a particularly special relationship, but their heart-to-hearts have dwindled significantly over the years.
Both brothers are struggling with big decisions right now, but they’ve been suffering in isolation for most of the season so far. They each needed to confide in someone and it’s beautiful to see them find each other again. It’s a reminder that at the heart of this crazy show is the love between these siblings.
I only wish Lip could have been more assertive in telling Ian he better take the plea and screw what his followers want. Thinking back to the pilot, Ian was the Gallagher kid with the most promise. The thought of him rotting away in prison for fifteen years is unbearable.
Fiona’s exploration of who she’s become and who she wants to be also provides a nice callback to the show’s roots. It’s easy to forget the desperation of Fiona Gallagher’s circumstances when Shameless premiered nine years ago because she’s come so far.
But the Fiona of yesterday would be horrified by the Fiona trying to drum up votes for the guy who’s trying to screw the little people.
It’s a good sign for their relationship that Ford knows Fiona’s core well enough to know she wasn’t being true to herself and that she was at risk of making a decision she’d regret. I have a feeling Ford’s going to be in Fiona’s life for a while.
Other things of note:
- Despite Lip’s best intentions, he’s lost Xan. In the aftermath, we’re going to see how tightly he’s got a hold on his sobriety. I’m nervous.
- Why doesn’t Shameless know that there’s a whole continuum between straight and gay? Debbie is having her first encounter with a woman. She doesn’t need to gay for her feelings to be valid.
- A few months in a private school pushed Liam from first to sixth grade? That’s ridiculous.
- It’s been almost two years since the presidential election of 2016 and it still feels way too soon to watch Mo White surprise at the polls. In particular, the fact that they had skewed expectations because most people “aren’t willing to admit that they’re racist” felt a bit too close to home.
What did you think of this episode of Shameless? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Shameless airs Sundays at 9/8c 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.