Play Truth or Dare with Lip Gallagher from Showtime's Shameless

I'm not going to lie, I have a little bit of a crush on the eldest Gallagher son Lip (Jeremy Allen White). Although it's not so much a crush, as it is an all-encompassing mission to be his partner in petty crime, while trying with all my heart to save his little bad boy soul. Anyway, I digress. Shameless won't be back on TV for a few months (January 8th, to be exact), but while we impatiently wait for everyone's favourite dysfunctional brood to return, take comfort in their latest social media promotional campaign.

Showtime will be putting out a web series featuring Lip, where fans can submit to play Truth or Dare with him through Shameless' Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter pages (Twitter tweeps can submit their truths and dares with the hashtags #liptruth and #lipdare). According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network will then pick 10 finalists and have Lip answer the chosen questions or do the submitted dares for the web series. How very Old Spice of them.



I'm smitten by this social media campaign - it's socially interactive, we get to see more of Lip (who, if you ask me, doesn't get nearly enough screen time), and it gives fans extra and new content between seasons so we don't have to keep watching reruns of season 1 for the third or fourth time... yeah, I've done that.

Shameless - Nice Day for a (Fake) Wedding

Showtime's Shameless seems to be following the general plot line that basically proves on a weekly basis that the Gallagher kids are NOT alright. Fiona continues to fall for adrenaline-inducing Steve even though she knows Tony's a better guy, Frank is a drunk (as per usual), and once again, this week's episode was filled with a scam (or three), with a fake wedding (in a bar!), a close-call car heist, and a third ball (or as Frank so eloquently put it, his 'third passenger').

Joan Cusack continues to steal the show with her loony-bin issues; every time she wholeheartedly attempts to venture outside her home, it's actually quite heartbreaking to see her fail and breakdown. I'm interested to see more on how her daughter, Karen, handles it. It's obvious she's destructive, sexually promiscuous and screaming for attention by attempting to seduce Frank (gross, even though she's got Lip). But she's a product of her environment, so to speak, with a fucked-up home life like all our principle characters. This past episode, we got to see past the humour and caught a glimpse of the helplessness and disappointment Karen must feel on a daily basis.

We were also introduced to a new (also-crazy) character, Veronica's brother (Anthony Anderson). Of course, only on this show would being Bipolar not be enough. Poor guy's got to have Tourette's and be a Pyromaniac too.

The preview for next week gets back to reality a little bit - or as real as Shameless could possibly get. Fiona's not actually the legal guardian for all her siblings, and she's not exactly doing a great job raising them despite all her efforts. There are severe issues underneath the comedic facade. We've already seen how damaged Debbie is, she did steal a toddler just so she could have someone to play with. Looks like we'll get more insight into Carl, so far the only Gallagher kid we've heard barely a few words from. He's already kind of creepy, microwaving gold fish so nonchalantly. Obviously he has some issues that aren't going unnoticed at school, even if he's being ignored at home.

Shameless Gives Lip

SHO.com

After the third episode of Showtime's Shameless, it seems like the, 'let's see how shocking we can be', shenanigans have calmed down a bit and it's starting to get into a more comfortable groove. It looks like each week, a money problem arises, and it's up to the Gallaghers to scheme their way through it, as the dysfunctional family that they are. And they really do take dysfunction to another level, last night kidnapping an old lady from a nursing home, to pose as their dead Aunt Ginger. Well, crisis averted, and Aunt Ginger's social security cheques will continue to help out around the house, at least for now.

Forget nice-guy Tony and even car-thief Steve, Lip (Jeremy Allen White) is the one who's stealing my attention. He's perfect for the role of second-in-command at the Gallagher house. Being forced to be responsible, he has a protective nature just like Fiona, and even makes money off of his smarts, getting paid to write exams for other kids. Plus, that scene with him and Karen, screaming at the roaring trains passing overhead, perfectly reminds us of how frustrating his life really is and how well he handles his situation. In last night's episode, Lip gets a serious beat-down from the brothers of a girl (Mandy) that younger brother Ian rejects. He takes the punishment for Ian head-on and doesn't run away scared, which I loved. You've got to appreciate the natural banter and conversations Lip and Ian have, very typical of real brothers. Lip doesn't rat Ian out to save his own neck, and he throws in a dig about how slutty Mandy is, even though it makes his beating even worse. Gotta love that Lip.

Meet the Gallaghers, Showtime's 'Shameless' Family

Who doesn't love an underdog? A 'tale as old as time', watching characters overcome the hand they've been dealt is always good TV. For a society that loves to watch people hit rock bottom, and then attempt to build themselves back up (like Britney Spears and the fun-loving train wreck that is Californication's Hank Moody), Shameless is unapologetically just right.

A remake of a British television show of the same name, the first episode opens in blue-collar Chicago, with alcoholic Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) introducing his six children. The main focus is on Fiona (Emmy Rossum), the eldest, who basically runs the household, collecting money to pay the bills, getting the kids off to school on time, and taking care of the youngest, a toddler. She's the rock of the family, has multiple (I counted three) jobs to help scrimp and save while Papa Gallagher signs over his disability checks directly to the bar he frequents.

The true protagonist of the show, Fiona is hardened by her circumstance. All in one episode, she meets and reluctantly falls for a guy, Steve, who seems too good to be true, only slightly jaded by her situation. In her defense, he DOES buy her a shiny, new, washing machine. Not sure how this relationship will turn out, since happy doesn't really last long on cable.

Another thing about cable television, on channels like HBO and Showtime, is that pretty much anything goes. From nudity to swearing, it can be realistic in that we're not really censored in real life, but just because you can swear and be nude all you want, doesn't mean you do. After that first episode, with the raunchiest sex scene I've seen on TV pretty much ever, Shameless runs the risk of having to spend the rest of the season living up to that shock value.

Notable mention to Joan Cusack, for finally getting the chance to be in something her brother isn't already starring in. She was actually the most interesting character of the premiere, playing an OCD mom who can hardly take her eyes off the Food Network. So much so that she doesn't notice her daughter spending entire tutoring session under the table, showing gratitude to the second-oldest Gallagher child, Lip.

I must admit, I like the dysfunction of it all - the chaos, commotion, and how wrong it is. With compelling, and seriously flawed characters, it makes for a great story, and an enjoyable addition to the Showtime television family. I guess we'll have to wait and see if they can keep it up, or if the need to 'shock' the audience trumps the root of the story they're trying to tell.



Shameless is on Sundays at 10 pm on Showtime (U.S) and Mondays at 8 pm on TMN (Canada).