From its humble beginnings as an Americanized version of a popular British show, Shameless has proven to be a real hit for Showtime with an audience that has become emotionally invested in the journey of the Gallagher family. From the screwed-up patriarch, Frank (William H. Macy), down, the dysfunctional family is filled with individuals who have gotten into some seriously messed up situations, while delicately maintaining our support for a positive outcome. The exploits that these characters get into on the Southside of Chicago can be very dark, but the show continues to find ways to find the humor within the struggle. As we await the COVID-delayed eleventh and final season, let’s take a look back at the eighth season of the show. This was a season that was largely in flux due to the uncertainty of key cast contract negotiations, but this season still kept up its critical acclaim as Macy earned a SAG award for his portrayal. After coming off a season with some key character departures, let’s explore how the show was able to forge forward.
In the eighth season of Shameless, what is old is new again, and not necessarily for the better. While we have come to expect some cyclical plot threads to keep reappearing due to the nature of these flawed characters, this seasons finds many storylines spinning their wheels as they await a decision on when the show might conclude. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) once again tried to gain some semblance of independence from her family, but the storyline of her ownership of the apartment building did not really lead anywhere meaningful. We know her family is not going to become disentangled from her everyday life, but the way in which they introduced conflict within her story just lacked urgency. Frank, on the other hand, starts out in a really interesting place after a death shakes up his character. Sure, Frank trying to clean up his act is not a new development, but you feel like this is the prime opportunity to make things stick. There is still room to stick the landing, but the need for the character to serve a purpose to the end seems to have the writers stumped on how to carry on his story.
The strongest arc of the season might just got to Lip (Jeremy Allen White), who is trying to tackle his alcoholism in a real way. There are some really compelling elements dealing with confronting who you truly are in the face of sobriety. The writers use elements from the past to enhance his story rather than just recycle. The challenges he faces throughout the season really resonate on a broader level, and he is one of the few characters where you feel the writers nailed it all the way through. The way in which they thankfully stick the landing leaves you in a hopeful place. Not as cheery is the downward spiral that seems to have attached to Ian (Cameron Monaghan). Ian takes some bold stances throughout the season that hurt the family, and you are left feeling incredibly frustrated by his actions. That might just be the point, though, as his mental instability serves as the perfect explanation for his actions. The way in which the show addresses this, though, leaves a lot to be desired. If someone in your family was getting into the situations that Ian does, you would drop everything to try to help him.
The remaining stories are a mix bag of strong characters and those that could be dropped without anyone noticing or caring. Debbie (Emma Kenney) was another highlight of the season, mostly on the strength of the hilarious exploits of being a parking attendant. It can be difficult to see this girl that started out so innocent evolve into another in a long line of screw-ups, but Emma does a great job with the character. Liam (Christian Isaiah) likewise provides a lot of entertaining moments as he deals with being one of the few African American children in his new fancy school. There are many things to appreciate this season, but the amount of plot points that are introduced and subsequently abandoned is just bewildering. I want the best from this show, as I love seeing what schemes the family gets into from year to year. But, after so many seasons on the air, it is time to start preparing for a graceful landing, if that is even still possible. With three more seasons in store and more cast shakeups on the horizon, fingers are tightly crossed for some semblance of a satisfying conclusion.
Video Quality
Warner Archive brings Shameless: The Complete Eighth Season to Blu-Ray with a very pleasing AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is the first season that was handled by Warner Archive after taking over for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and they maintain the high quality we have come to expect from the imprint. The image is clean with the cooler color palette accurately showcasing the shabby situations in which these characters exist. The black levels are handled well and there is no discernable digital noise. The flesh tones are natural, and the presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the more brightly lit exterior shots. This is as solid of a presentation as any modern television should provide on Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This season comes to Blu-Ray with a solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that handles everything this show throws at it with ease. As you might expect, there is not a lot of action happening here, but that does not mean there is a lack of activity in all of the channels. The track handles the hustle and bustle of the Gallagher house very well with activity coming from the appropriate directions. Music within the show is given the appropriate weight within the mix. All of these elements are balanced well with the dialogue so that nothing feels overpowered. The various environmental effects are given nice placement within the surround channels. This is a top-notch audio presentation for a show that would not spring to mind as an audio heavy-hitter.
Special Features
Disc One
- My Shameless Sister: A five-minute featurette hosted by Emma Kenney (Debbie) in which she interviews her television sister Emmy Rossum. It’s lovely to see how much she looks up to Emmy, and she asks some interesting questions regarding her turn to directing on the show.
- My Shameless Mentor: A nearly eight-minute featurette once again hosted by Emma Kenney in which she interviews some of the other female cast and crew members from the show. She asks some of the basic questions you would expect about developing their characters and being a woman in Hollywood, but she also delves into more delicate topics such as how it feels to portray nudity on screen.
- Deleted Scenes: Nearly seven-minutes of unused material from three episodes including additional material with Liam at school and a hilarious doctor visit with Veronica and Kevin.
Disc Two
- Deleted Scenes: Nearly eighteen-minutes of unused material from four episodes including additional material with Debbie living her best life, Frank advocating for Liam, Carl and his junkies, Frank looking for work and more. A lot of fun snippets here that are worth checking out.
Disc Three
- Deleted Scenes: Nearly seventeen-minutes of unused material from four episodes including additional material with Veronica, Kevin and Svetlana, Lip dealing with his emotions, Debbie scamming for baby supplies and more.
Final Thoughts
Shameless: The Complete Eighth Season finds the series starting to show its age, as many plot threads feel stuck in uncertainty. Despite this, there are still many entertaining storylines this season that will leave you satisfied. As we set an eye towards a definitive end point, let us all hope the creative team finds a way to conclude the series in a way that will validate our investment in the journey. Warner Archive has delivered a great A/V presentation for this season along with a pretty great selection of special features. Fans of the series will be more than pleased with the quality of this set.
Shameless: The Complete Eighth Season can be purchased directly through Warner Archive or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
