Like Father, Like Daughter Recap: Shameless

Sure enough, Frank’s daughter, Samantha, is 0 positive and she and Frank have a lot in common, like hating butterscotch, avocados and squirrels. Only Sammi doesn’t know Frank is her father. But the title in Episode 3, Season 4 of Shameless (January 26, 2013) actually turns out to refer to Fiona, who finds herself unable to resist the advances of Mike’s brother, Robbie.

Frank cons Samantha

Carl goes with Frank on a recon mission to scope out his oldest daughter, Samantha. She is living in a trailer with her son, Chuck. Frank relieves Carl of the $40 Sheila gave him to buy groceries. He knows Carl will figure something out and also wants him to get more drugs. But Veronica is not the kindly ghetto nurse these days, now that she is carrying triplets. Her stash is for sale only and, as Carl finds out after she leaves, padlocked. Frank takes the $40 to a medical marijuana shop where the salesgirl notes his sorry condition and tells him weed and bad livers don’t mix, but she gives him what he can afford, which ain’t much.

At his grandson Chuck’s school, Frank bribes a kid with weed to smack his grandson around. He gives the kid the nod just when he sees Sammi approaching so he can run over and “help.” He tells Sammi he was just walking by after volunteering at the VA Hospital. She notices he is sickly. He says he hasn’t eaten so she invites him to lunch, where she gaily spills her sordid life story. Frank compliments her on her happy spirit despite the tough knocks she’s had. She invites him to a dodgeball game where little Chucky gets his ass handed to him. Frank says he’s tough as a $2.00 steak. When he lights up a joint, Sammi is concerned. She doesn’t want anything to do with addicts anymore after her first husband. That’s when Frank lays his liver problem on her.

Sammi invites Frank into her trailer. Chucky is sent to bed, and she offers to donate part of her liver to Frank. She then proceeds to try to take their relationship to the next level, still totally unaware Frank is her father. Frank manages to hold her at bay but he can’t tell her the truth or bye bye liver.

Robbie cons Fiona and Mike

Leaving Sheila to babysit the Gallagher household, Fiona slept over with her boss/boyfriend, Mike. She mocks his British boy band music, and he makes fun of her preference for Kanye West’s “gangsta rap”. Mike says she can leave her personal items at his place, and reminds her she hasn’t let him stay over her place yet. Fiona tells him about Frank, his condition, and her new sister. “Just when I think I’ve peeled the onion on Frank — bam — another layer!,” she says. He reminds her they are having dinner with his family.

At work, Mike tells Fiona his family attended Al-Anon meetings and at dinner she meets his brother, Robbie, the reason why. Back from a rehab retreat, Robbie is doing really well. Things get touchy when he wants to use the family’s lake house for the weekend. Treading softly, his parents say nay. Mike is a lot more blunt and Robbie angrily leaves. Mike invites Robbie to dinner with him and Fiona to make up for it. He can’t just turn his back on Robbie, who protected him while they were growing up. At dinner, Robbie convinces Mike to drink a lot so he can experience it vicariously and Mike gets very drunk.

Mike drunkenly serenades Fiona with REO Speedwagon on the ride home while Robbie explains his addictions and how hurting people presents no obstacles. Mike gets sick in the bathroom when they get home room. In the kitchen, Robbie tells Fiona a little about Mike’s ex-wife, then puts the moves on her. She responds passionately while Mike stumbles out of the bathroom, oblivious. He wakes up the next morning with Fiona in the bed and thinks he is the one who gave her the hickey on her neck. Mike has to call out of work. When she calls him later, Robbie answers the phone. Fiona tells him they have to take what happened to the grave and it can never happen again. But Robbie say it will “very soon” and calls her an addict.

Debbie’s Night Out

Debbie’s friends want to help her make her boyfriend “cray” and go all the way. Debbie doesn’t have any sexy stuff but Holly is only to happy to help out. Debbie tells Sheila she is sleeping over Holly’s so she can spend the night with Matty. She changes into a silky undergarment as Matty makes scampi. He says he loves to cook and may even go to culinary school. He sets up their meal so they can watch his favorite movie, “Eraserhead”, while dining. Enter Debbie in her sexy slip (really not that revealing). Far from making him crazy, he babbles that they don’t have to do that, it’s not her, it’s him, he just talked to his mother and the family cat is sick. It’s awkward timing. He does say she looks beautiful and covers her up with his sweatjacket. Matty tells her to prepare to have her mind blown and turns on “Eraserhead.” They sleep in the same bed, still holding hands.

Lip’s Bad Time Management

Lip’s troubles at school multiply as he tries to juggle work and study. Borrowing Ron’s computer, he stays up all night to be able to turn in a paper due by 9 am. The active libidos of Ron and his girlfriend continue to complicate his progress. Having to work on no sleep is one thing but he also needs 30 minutes to study for a lit test. His boss has no mercy. Lip takes his frustrations out on the dumpster out back, but goes back to work. He manages to get his paper in on time but didn’t seem too pleased with a 77.

Sheila mingles online

Sheila has been learning all about Christian Mingle and internet dating. When she gets a poke from a full-blooded Indian named Roger Raintree. Debbie tells her to ask the man if he is “DTF” (down to bleep). When Sheila complains about getting a lot of photos of men in their underwear with bulges, she confesses it’s something Holly says online all the time, but she doesn’t know what it means. When Roger Raintree comes to meet Sheila, he brings flowers and his guitar and sings “Bless the Beasts and the Children.” Sheila asks him if he knows “Sympathy for the Devil.”

Carrot Tops and Hip Bones

While Kevin and Veronica charge for everything and sell pills at $5.00 a pop, plus $1.00 for water, Mickey Milkovich babbles about carrot tops with freckles and is promptly directed to a red head at a table. She and Mickey have a session in the bathroom which doesn’t do much for him. She’s no substitute for Ian, the real redhead he wants.

Carl’s Dognapping Enterprise

Carl shoplifts most of the groceries, including his Vaseline, and kidnaps a dog on a leash outside, with the idea of holding it for ransom. No one claims the dog and he snatches up a couple more. But it ends up costing him money and he throws the dogs out at the end.

Now Fiona’s worried that she may indeed be a self-destructive addict who can’t control her behavior. We’re still worried about the trouble Matty could get in, especially if Debbie decides to tell her idiotic friends that they did go all the way!