The ninth season of Showtime’s Shameless finds the Gallagher family reaching a pivotal turning point which honestly should have been tackled long ago. For a decade now, we have followed this screwed up family as they have made poor decision after poor decision with only the occasional moment of relief. That is the whole point of the show, right? The title tells us we are dealing with what we would hope is not the typical person. The show has not built a following because this is a This Is Us style love-fest, but because audiences like to see working class people making incremental improvements in the face of poor decision making skills. While Frank (William H. Macy) is the patriarch of the family, it has always been Fiona (Emmy Rossum) that has kept the family together. With Fiona’s arc finally wrapping up on the show, the series is left to discover what it will look like for the two additional years it has on air. Before we reach that point, though, we have fourteen episodes of Gallagher antics to parse through before we say goodbye.
The end of the eighth season of Shameless served as a nice bit of table setting for the ninth season. Probably the most dramatic of the finale developments was some really impulsive actions on the part of Ian (Cameron Monaghan) that lands him in jail at the beginning of this season. Similar to Rossum, Monaghan announced that he was going to be leaving halfway through this season, which I guess inspired the writers to not do much exciting with his character. The Gay Jesus content continues even in jail, and it is simply not a plot thread that holds a lot of promise. The best use of Monaghan was in the finale when Ian got to have a genuine moment with his sister. Monaghan reversed his decision to leave the show, which may be a good decision if the writers can find a better way to wrap up his character. In what should come as no surprise at all, Frank eventually devolves into a bad situation throughout the season. Macy is great at playing the character, but the lack of growth just proves frustrating after all of these years.
The core of the season proves to be sending Fiona off with a fully realized arc. Things are not smooth sailings by any means, as her misguided relationship with Ford (Richard Flood) often leaves you wanting to pull your hair out. About midway through the season you get really concerned for Fiona as echoes of her dad reverberate out of her self-destructive behavior. You know this is the final stretch of episodes for the character, and you are unsure if it will be a tragic or inspiring farewell. Rossum pulls out all of the stops in her final run with the character, delivering her most compelling moments since the early days of the series. The female characters of the series seem to be where the show thrives creatively. Debbie (Emma Kenney), ever a messed up individual in her own right, seems to be the one anointed to take over the matriarch role of the family. She has a very different attitude than Fiona when it comes to keeping the family in line, but this is much more preferable than having a carbon copy of what has been tackled before. It’s been one heck of a journey for this character, and following her would be the best consolation for the absence of Fiona.
As with the last season, the main issue with this season remains the way in which the show repeats storylines a bit too frequently. I know the appeal is to see these characters behave shockingly, but achieving this at the expense of character growth seems like a bad play. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) impresses this season when it comes to taking responsibility for Xan, but anything involving Tami (Kate Miner) just feels inconsequential. At least Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) dreams of something better for himself this season in the form of West Point, which leads to a really affecting moment between him and Fiona in the finale. There is more good than bad throughout this season, but the show has not given a satisfactory reason for why it has continued as long as it has outside the fact that it is still making money for all involved. I love spending time with these characters as much as the next guy, but I rather have a series know when it is time to wrap up rather than having to be told by outsiders that it is time to go. The shakeup at the end of the season has me interested in how the show moves forward, but I am grateful they have already announced that season eleven will be the last.
Video Quality
Warner Archive brings Shameless: The Complete Ninth Season to Blu-Ray with a great AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 that largely matches the previous season. Warner Archive maintains the high level of quality we have come to expect from the imprint. The image is clear and clean with the stylistically cooler color palette accurately rendered in the transfer. The black levels are generally solid and there is no discernible digital noise or compression artifacting. The flesh tones are natural, and the presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the more brightly lit exterior shots. Some of the interior scenes appear a bit hazy, but that might be due to stylistic flourishes rather than a problem with the transfer. This is another solid presentation from the Warner Archive.
Audio Quality
This season comes to Blu-Ray with a great DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that showcases all of the sonic details of the show accurately. There is not a lot of action happening here, but that does not prevent the show from delivering a pleasing amount 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. Warner Archive has delivered a mighty track for a show not typically known for its dynamic audio mix.
Special Features
Disc One
- Deleted Scenes: Nearly eight minutes of unused material from three episodes including additional material with Ian seeing his teachings in action in jail, Lip searching for a lost Xan and Frank advocating for Mo White.
Disc Two
- Deleted Scenes: Ten minutes of unused material from four episodes including additional material with Mo campaigning at a nursing home, Ian weighing options for his trial, Kevin and Veronica surveying bars, Ford getting what’s coming for him and more.
Disc Three
- Deleted Scenes: Seven minutes of unused material from three episodes including additional material with Fiona living her worst life, Liam owing Debbie money, Frank setting up an “honesty booth” and more.
Disc Four
- Deleted Scenes: Nearly four minutes of unused material from three episodes including additional material with Fiona going to a fast food joint, Lip taking care of business at work, Debbie searching for Liam and more.
Final Thoughts
The ninth season of Shameless sees the show going through some major shakeups, which gives it a greater sense of urgency in comparison to the prior season. There is still quite a bit to enjoy throughout the season, but the decision to wrap up the story with season eleven is probably a wise one. Warner Archive has once again delivered an excellent Blu-Ray package replete with a pleasing A/V presentation and some engaging deleted scenes. Fans of the show will be pleased to own these episodes in the best possible quality.
Shameless: The Complete Ninth 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 set 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.
