Shameless Season 6, Episode 8 recap – “Be A Good Boy. Come For Grandma.”

After a week hiatus – I presume because the Academy Awards were on – we are back in business! Of course no shortage of Shameless this week and certainly no shortage of some T&A this week, either. So let’s dive in to this week’s Shameless Season 6, episode 8 recap – “Be A Good Boy. Come For Grandma.” Oh and full disclosure: the episode title is exactly how it sounds!

Frank, Carl & Queenie: Queenie, now in charge of the Gallagher clan, is trying to make a REAL family out of them by eating at a dining table. In the dining room. What? They have a dining room? Everyone is confused but they eventually sit down to eat and take their vitamins like a good little tribe.  Once Frank walks in with the quinoa pancakes and yucca fries, everyone leaves the table in disgust to go do their own thing. That is until Queenie slams her hand down on the table demanding them to come back since their father went through great lengths to prepare that breakfast and they need to show him a little bit more respect. Queenie breaks out in song, accompanied by Frank, when there’s a knock at the door. Frank answers the door, still singing. It’s one of Carl’s guys, demanding to see him. Frank, wondering who this guy is, asks him. He is Lamar and he wants to see Carl. Frank nicely asks him to come back, since they are enjoying a family breakfast. Carl, rushing to the door, says he’s got it. Lamar questions where’s he’s been hiding, but Carl just says here and there. Lamar says that G-Dog has a shipment coming in that he needs to run, but Carl says nah, I’m sitting this one out. Lamar then pistol whips Carl, giving him a nice gash in his forehead, and sternly telling him he is in this game for life — he can’t tag in like a Chinese girl playing jump rope. Or something along those lines. Going to Frank for advice, but having to wait as Frank and Queenie finish their “royal” bedroom romp, Carl confesses to Frank that he wants out of the game. Frank jumps on him about how he is the bread winner of the family and Gallaghers don’t quit. After having a little chat, Frank at least offers up to do his rounds for the day so he can get his head on straight — oh and that that gash on his head just might need stitches.

So Carl goes to V to get stitches while she tries to get out of him what’s going on. Giving little snippet answers, she figures out it’s enough to be worried about and tells him to get out of it. Now! Since SHE promised not to tell Fiona, she tells Kev what happened since she knows he can’t keep secrets and will spill to Fiona for her.

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Frank, now running Carl’s protection service, figures he needs to look the role so he gets himself a new do — some cornrows — at the Barbershop. Nothing like an old white man walking into an all black establishment to get the heads turning. Frank, hitting up his first business, is almost laughed at and finds out the only reason he was paying up was because of the scary black man that was with his son. Carl would threaten that he would come in and beat him up if he didn’t pay. He doesn’t need protection from the neighborhood, he needed protection from the scary black man. With a light bulb going off in his brain, Frank heads back to the barbershop and hollers that he needs a  scary looking black man. Again the heads turn as one comes out of the backroom and says to Frank “What did you say, cracker?” But Frank gets him to go do his shakedowns with him. Nothing like two old dudes trying to shake the neighborhood down. His new “friend,” Garreth, sees Frank is not giving him his fair share of the cut and refuses to do anymore til he does — then charges extra for him being racist.

Frank, returning home, finds Carl is fixing up the yard with land mines and tells him how much cash he made, then laughs that he hasn’t done this sooner. Carl tells him he doesn’t want any of the money — he’s out and doesn’t want to do the run — Frank gets upset and tells him how disappointed in him he is. The next day, still trying to be Carl, he goes to track down G-Dog, or at least Lamar. Lamar agrees to see him, and Frank says he’ll do Carl’s run. Lamar, asking how he can trust Frank to do it, tells him that if he doesn’t come through, he will carve off his left nut and feed it to his dogs. Frank looks a little uneasy about these terms but he still accepts. Oh and Carl is NOT off the hook. Frank now goes back to the barber shop to get Big G (his new bodyguard) to take part in this adventure —oh and take him to Indiana. Frank has to offer up some of the product to gauge his interest, which of course leads to a giant party. Frank at this point is a little freaked out that he is going to lose his left nut, but at least they have been cutting in with baby laxative as much as they have been taking. No problemo! Nope not the case. Once the drop off was done, it was figured out since everyone is bleep-ing their pants. Lamar, waiting outside the house for Frank’s return, chases him down. I have a feeling this won’t end well for him, or Carl…

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Fiona, Sean and Carl: Fiona is fitting in nicely at Sean’s, til Will comes for a visit. Will is putting up an attitude towards her now since he found out she moved in. She offers to try and break through to him, since she has been where he’s at, but doesn’t get very far. She finally convinces him to go try out some hover boards and  tries to bond with him over lunch. Telling him about things she did to get rid of partners her parents had by planting drugs on them, she can tell the little wheel in his brain is churning and dares him to try it out her. Their chat is interrupted with a text from Kevin that he needs to talk to her and to come to The Alibi. Arriving at The Alibi, Will plays smartass and tries to order a rum and Coke and is shot down to just a Coke, Kev then blows V’s secret that she promised Carl she would keep Carl’s secret to her (just as V had hoped for). Of course Fiona races home to confront him on it. Asking him what’s going on, she promises not to get upset. Carl breaks down and tells her everything. EVERYTHING. He has seen how horrible this gang-banger lifestyle can be and he doesn’t want to see more of it. He is forever scarred by seeing that kid that Nick killed. Nice to see him realize this isn’t the life for him; unfortunate way for it to happen though.

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Sean takes Carl to go smooth things out with G-Dog and discovers they aren’t young kids working the corner like Carl told Fiona. Trying to help Carl get out of the business, G-Dog wonders how does he know that he won’t go spread trade secrets or work for the competition? Better yet, what kind of message would he be sending if he just let him walk. Sean says people will see he is a reasonable guy and that Carl won’t have time to since he will be working 40 hours a week for him in his diner. Laughing at his comment, G-Dog tells Sean that he is a funny guy and a sharp dresser. He demands the clothes off Sean’s back – and his car– snd Carl and Sean find themselves walking home with no clothes. In Chicago. In the winter. Being about 80 miles north of Chicago, myself, I can say this would SUCK! At least they have a good bonding moment out of it. The guys return home, and Fiona asks what the heck is up as they are frozen and all Carl has to say is he’s out! At dinner, Will is not coming to dinner; Sean discovers him in a room with a gun and Will is a little shaken up. After getting it away from him with no one getting harmed, Sean and Fiona get in a heated argument as to how he even found it. She said it must have been at the house and that she only left Will alone for a second. Sean fears losing his visitation rights over this. He totally accuses Fiona and says some nasty mean things to her. Ouch.

Fiona then takes Carl to the house and walks him throughout the house to find where all the hidden guns are and then rips out all his ‘rows. Now did anyone else put together here that dare she gave Will? I can’t help but wonder if Will did this gun thing intentionally to break Sean and Fiona up.

Debs: Shopping for baby stuff and setting up a registry in hopes someone will throw her a shower, is interrupted by a cute boy wanting her advice on a swings for his pregnant sister. Walking out of the store and running into this guy again he again thanks her for her help and tells her he will let her know how his sister liked the present. Duh how is that going to happen, they don’t even know each other. Making introductions that his name is Larry, he gives Deborah his phone to get her number. But why stop there. Asking her to lunch so he can thank her properly he is at her, she wants to make it clear to him that she is 7 months pregnant. Duh! He obviously knew that. Wanting to get to know more about her, he drills her with a ton of questions to which they seem to have a lot in common. He then makes some creepy statement about how one could disappear someday and no one would notice then plays footy with her. So time out. At this point I am thinking to myself, is this guy a crazy stalker? Does he want to kidnap her and steal her baby like some weird trafficking ring thing? Is he gay and trying to get a baby for him and his partner? Now dropping her off at home, he tells her how beautiful she is, starts rubbing her belly & kissing it. Geez what kind of weirdo is this guy? Asking her out to dinner the next night she says yes.

The next day she goes to Lamaze class only to find Larry in her class with some other girl. Asking if it is his sister he just laughs at her. Asking who she is then Larry just says it’s someone who he sees. Confused as to why he just laughs and thought she understood he was a maiesiophiliac, you know, a guy with pregnancy fetish. OHHHHH, I did not see that one coming! He likes to have a girl at every stage in their pregnancy, Debs is his only 7 month-er. Wondering what happens AFTER she has the baby he says they can be friends, oh and Scarlet says she doesn’t mind sharing. Say what? Debs is not digging the guy who has s pregnancy fetish and is out!

Lip: Getting awoken by a hot naked sorority chic, he doesn’t mind the wake-up call, however the bottom half of him seems to not be amused. He blames it on being stressed, tired, and having lots on his mind and they can try again later. After his breakfast rounds he fires up some porn in hopes to get himself going. Nothing doing, turns out the only thing that will “turn” him on is that naked picture he still has of Helene. Working and boozing it up with Professor Yeuns he asks him a question about his new-found problem. Asking if he has ever used Viagra and wanting to get one from him he tells him he doesn’t need Viagra, he just needs to get off the booze. So taking his advice, gets off the booze for a day and hydrates. Now 20 minutes in with a new girl and he still is getting nowhere until he sneaks the picture of Helene behind her and wa-la.

Going to stay at home for a bit, he is freaked out by all the changes and finds Queenie fixing Chuckie’s swastika tattoo. FINALLY a permanent solution. Wondering who the hell she is, Chuckie replies it’s his grandma. She is ecstatic to meet him since he is the spitting image of Frank 35 years ago when he knocked her up. Bonding with Queenie, she tells him about her holistic healing ways, to which Lip replies that he does not believe in that stuff. She suggests reflexology on him, a foot rub, to which he agrees. Feeling all the tension in his foot, she asks if he just went through a breakup. Lip, amazed she can tell that from a foot rub, starts telling her about Helene. Hitting certain pressure points, Queenie points out even more issues he has going on. He fesses up his sadness about Helene to her and how he was just a little dog that was tossed aside. A she presses harder, he gets more aggressive in his feelings. Reflexology, baby! Lip is still skeptical (notice the change of music in the background here now?) but she points out there is still some tension on the other side of his foot, which is connected to his sex organ. Totally cranking on it now she asks if he is having problems in the bedroom, to which he says yes. Then Blamo! She works it out and says that magical name of the episode. Grandma Queenie to the rescue! Wow, only slightly disturbing. But hey, at least he is fixed now. So fixed he makes good on it with 3 sorority girls. At the same time!

Ian: Studying for his EMT test at Caleb’s, they seem to be bonding farther. They do seem to have a code though for things they aren’t ready to talk about quite yet. Skeletons. Closet. Enough said.  Dropping him off at his EMT class at the hospital, he asks him out to dinner and a movie with some of his friends. Of course one is his ex, but Ian is up to the outing. While giving him a kiss good-bye and walking into the hospital, a guy smoking outside says “disgusting” as Ian walks by. Ian is ready to pick a fight and Caleb tells him to calm down — it’s not worth it. So, turning back to go in, he just walks up to him and blows him a little kiss. Aw. Ian must be changing.

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Out on their outing with Caleb’s friends, they seem to be having a good time. Caleb, not pointing out who his ex is, tells Ian to guess. Bingo, he got it! Old guy in pink sweater. At the “day drinking” portion, the ex throws jabs about Ian’s age, to which Ian’s sharp tongue battles right back. After getting drilled with some questions, then them picking on Caleb for his taste in guys, Ian is totally accepted by the gang.

Back at Caleb’s apt they finally get intimate. Both admitting they have deep secrets to share the decide on a 123 go to share one. Turns out Caleb’s secret is much deeper then Ian’s being bi-polar. Caleb’s HIV positive although he supposedly can’t pass it on, he still is very cautious about it. Phew at least they used protection. Opening up with their feelings on both comments shared, their bond grows even deeper.

I could totally tell with some earlier foreshadowing earlier in the season that HIV would come up somewhere, just did not expect it her. I have a feeling this won’t be the only case either.

New episodes of Shameless Season 6 air Sunday nights at 9pm on Showtime.

Photo Credit: Showtime