Refugees Recap: Shameless

The 5th episode in the 6th season of Shameless was called “Refugees.” Besides the Gallaghers, there were some real refugees from Myanmar taking up residence with Kev and V; Lip and Helene’s love story went public; Ian did some pitching and Nick’s bike was stolen.

Now that the Gallaghers are about to be homeless, Frank sprang into action to strip the house of anything he could get a few bucks for, like copper pipe. The new owners arrived to check out their new digs and, feeling a bit guilty, gave Fiona permission to stay there for another week. The Sheriff’s Department wasn’t in on that third party deal since the bank was the legal owner of the property until the inspection was done. They started throwing the Gallaghers’ possessions out on the sidewalk. Sean helpfully offered to let Fiona and Liam stay with him and she assumed that included Carl. Well it didn’t because Carl thinks he’s a “black El Chapo” and Sean doesn’t want him around his own son, Will. Carl had plans of his own and plenty of “lettuce”. Debbie was scheming, with Frank’s help, to get the guest bedroom at the Wexler home, her new employers.

Frank told Debbie he would keep the cancer-stricken Erica out of the Wexler house to give Debbie the opportunity “to tend to all” of Tyler’s needs. Frank took Erica out to buy herself a casket and then to the Alibi where he learned that she was no Bianca. He offered to fix her up with some cocaine. After informing Frank that her bucket list was crossed off before she was old enough to buy a wine cooler, she challenged his “Ph.d in the debaucherous arts” with “Have you ever woken up naked in the street with no idea how you got there?” Frank rejoined “That’s called Tuesday. Is that all you got?” Apparently not. Erica was once used as a rotisserie by two members of Guns N’ Roses and she regrets that she was dumped by Melissa Etheridge after making committing the cardinal sin of falling in love with the singer. She gave up that wild and crazy life for the greatest high of all– a family of her own.

Back at the Wexler hacienda, Debbie busts in on Tyler in the shower. When she informs him that she is there to take care of his needs too, he says his wife does that. Debbie pounces: “She’s dying! Just because you don’t want to admit it doesn’t mean it’s not happening.” The kids are reacting badly, she tells him, but they know it’s happening. “You need me,” she says, “Your kids need me. And not just in the mornings. So just man up and admit it.” Later she tells Frank that after he cried on her shoulder, he agreed to give her the guest bedroom, instead of extra pay. Frank was extremely proud and told her to leave the window open so he could sneak in and sleep on the floor at night.

Helene Runyon and Lip went at it hot and heavy in her office up against the bookcase. “Atlas Shrugged” was one of the books that came crashing down on their heads. After Helene gave Lip a book on Gustave Klimt, they shared a tender kiss goodbye and she asked him to come over and keep him company while her husband, Theo, was out of town. Back at the dorm, Amanda came over to snap pictures of the mural she painted over Lip’s bed for her art class “Exploring the Female Form.” Lip tried to hurry her out but Amanda assured him she would be gone before he got back from the shower. Unfortunately, he left his cell phone. She found that naked picture of Helene in Lip’s bed. It soon went viral on Twitter. Lip ran to Helene’s office after finding out but she was gone. He ran to confront Amanda, who informed him that her therapist is an idiot for thinking that “revenge doesn’t give you any satisfaction.”

At Helene’s house, Theo met Lip at the door. Helene, he said, has been summoned by the disciplinary board and that means that Lip may have buried her career. Lip tried to explain that it wasn’t his fault. Someone took his phone. Theo shoved him away and slammed the door shut. Later, Professor Youens wanted to know if Helene is as hot in bed as she looks in the picture and forecast “some elephant-sized sh-t hitting the fan!”

Lip gave Ian the key to his dorm room in case he needed a place to crash, but first, Ian went to a barbecue with the firemen intending to hook up with Caleb. At the barbecue, Caleb wanted to know if Ian ever pitches. “Usually,” Ian responded, “but I’m open depending on what you’re into. Where are we doing this?” Caleb really meant pitching as in softball. They were going to have a game with the gay policemen and guess who is on that team? Tony! Ian asks when he came out and Tony says “your sister turned me gay.” After a brawl breaks out, Ian moves in on Caleb who isn’t a hollaback boy. He wants a date.

Debbie settles down to sleep in her new room where she is joined by Erica Wexler. Debbie thinks it’s Frank. “I was hoping you’d come,” she says and Erica replies: “I was hoping you’d say that,” and begins to croon: “Come to my window. Crawl inside. Wait by the light of the moon…”

Fiona and Liam landed at Sean’s after all. His son, Will, was already there. Self-centered, as usual, she told Sean she forgives him when he wanted her to ask him for forgiveness for her outburst. She also brought up rescheduling her abortion to Sean’s surprise. “You didn’t think I was having second thoughts, did you?” The issue is put aside temporarily and they end up having a pillow fight. Liam and Will join in. Meantime Chuckie has been totally abandoned. No one bothered to tell him that the Sheriff Department threw them out and he arrived home to a locked up house.

The Myanmar refugees: Kevin felt so guilty about Yanis’ death, that he agreed to take in a refugee from Myanmar after participating in bible study with V’s mom. Carol brought about five kids over who were “forced to fight in a civil war and handed guns fresh out of diapers.” Kevin was shocked to learn they were from Myanmar, not Miami. “You know, there’s too many damn countries in Asia. They should just make it one country.” He convinces V that he can get all his karma points at once, and joins the kids for a cigarette. One of them turns out to be a girl.

Carl and Nick checked out a fancy apartment in “crackerville.” Carl told the real estate agent that he was a rapper called “White Chocolate.” When they left, they discovered that Nick’s bike was stolen. Carl offered to buy him a new one but Nick wanted a gun. Whoever stole his bike is about to meet the same fate as Nick’s father. They returned to Kev and V’s where the refugees’ gun experience came in handy and the little girl counted out how many people she killed for Carl on her fingers.