Three Boys

"Three Boys"
Shameless episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 5
Directed by	Mimi Leder
Written by	Alex Borstein
Produced by	Cindy Caponera Nancy M. Pimental Michael Hissrich
Cinematography by	Rodney Charters
Editing by	Kelley Dixon
Production code	2J5405
Original release date	February 6, 2011 (2011-02-06)
Running time	43 minutes
Guest appearances
Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson (special guest star) Anthony Anderson as Marty Fisher Vanessa Bell Calloway as Carol Fisher Jane Levy as Mandy Milkovich Sandy Martin as Doctor Tyler Jacob Moore as Tony Markovich Marguerite Moreau as Linda Joel Murray as Eddie Jackson Pej Vahdat as Kash

"Three Boys" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. The episode was written by consulting producer Alex Borstein, and directed by Mimi Leder. It originally aired on Showtime on February 6, 2011.

The series is set on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, and depicts the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a neglectful single father of six: Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam. He spends his days drunk, high, or in search of money, while his children need to learn to take care of themselves. In the episode, Kevin and Veronica arrange their wedding plans, while Frank believes he might have cancer.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.95 million household viewers and gained a 0.4/1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, although Frank's subplot received mixed reactions.

Plot

While preparing for her wedding, Veronica (Shanola Hampton) questions why Kevin (Steve Howey) is proposing to her. Eventually, Kevin finally explains his situation: he is still married to an abusive woman, but he has been separated. Realizing they will not be able to get legally married, they debate over a new strategy to hold off suspicion from Carol (Vanessa Bell Calloway).

To help Kevin and Veronica, the Gallaghers continue with the plans for the wedding. Lip (Jeremy Allen White), Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) manage to get a priest to officiate a false ceremony. However, things spiral out of control when Veronica's brother Marty (Anthony Anderson), a pyromaniac, breaks out of prison for the wedding. Meanwhile, Frank (William H. Macy) attends a clinic, where a doctor is surprised by Frank having three lumps in his scrotum and he must get a biopsy as it could be a precedent for cancer. Frank is astonished by the possible diagnosis, and seeks solace by joining a cancer support group.

With his wife out of town, Kash (Pej Vahdat) decides to invite Ian over to his house to have sex. However, Ian feels uncomfortable upon seeing his imagery and leaves the house. Fearing that Marty may cause trouble at the wedding, Veronica and Fiona (Emmy Rossum) drug him and handcuff him in the toilet. The false wedding goes as planned, and Carol surprises her daughter by giving her a $500 check. Having learned that he is not diagnosed with cancer, Frank makes a toast to Veronica and Kevin. As the Gallaghers join for a family photo, Lip has sex with Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins) in a bathroom stall. Next to them, Marty, having released himself, prepares to burn down toilet paper.

Production

Development

The episode was written by consulting producer Alex Borstein, and directed by Mimi Leder. It was Borstein's first writing credit, and Leder's first directing credit.

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Three Boys" was seen by an estimated 0.95 million household viewers with a 0.4/1 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.4 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 1 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast watched it. This was a 15% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 1.11 million household viewers with a 0.6/1 in the 18–49 demographics.

Critical reviews

"Three Boys" received generally positive reviews from critics. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.5 out of 10 and wrote, "I didn't feel this episode was quite as strong as the last couple. I've noted in the past that Shameless rides a fine line, clearly not playing things exactly realistically, yet still giving you characters to invest in. However, I felt that Frank not realizing his entire life that it was abnormal and perhaps worth investigating that he has three testicles to be pretty ridiculous – Frank is Frank, but he lives in the world and would have basic knowledge on standard anatomy."

Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "All the plotting issues were a shame because I found the dialogue in “Three Boys” particularly snappy. There were hilarious bits of dialogue generously scattered throughout, some of which I'm including in the stray observations, but feel free to contribute your favorites. And true, not all of the plot irritated me."

Tim Basham of Paste wrote, "In a series replete with colorful characters we've only had glimpses into the slightly psychotic mind of young Carl Gallagher, who, in this episode, attempts to microwave a goldfish. Shameless has more psychoses than an entire day of soap operas." Jordan Cramer of TV Overmind gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "With the episode being centered on the big faux wedding, I was expecting more out of the episode than was actually shown. In the end, it was a bungee cord that was too long and a bump on the head of Frank that brought the episode down a few notches."

Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The only huge question mark for me: why can't Kevin just get a divorce? He showed V a picture and told her his wife was crazy, abusive, and an alcoholic. V’s response was that he looked like a douchebag with his mullet." Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity gave the episode an "A+" grade.

External links

• "Three Boys" at IMDb