Summary : Natural lead actress, empathic protagonist, guilty pleasures,
controversial topics, inspiring "Sinderella" story,
neverending remake
Score : 7/10
Remakes repel me. Wouldn't it be more interesting and
culture-friendly to just air the original in America ? There're
reasons why the British series is successful after all and I question
the decision to adapt a foreign recipe in order to make it more
digestible for a specific audience. That's why it took me a while to
decide either or not the show deserved my attention. Now that I have
seen the pilot I absolutely not regret my change of heart. Moreover
when you think about it the arguments in its favor are numerous
enough. However when it comes to Showtime I tend to raise my eyebrows
because despite some undeniable qualities productions like
Californication and Weeds are definitely not my cup of tea. Otherwise
they're just the tip of the iceberg because in my humble opinion
Dexter is a masterpiece, at least until season 6, and The Borgias was
enchainting.
But let's go back to Shameless. I instantly digged its concept,
following a dysfunctional family, because we all have issues. Your
mother is a Queen ? Your five years old sister demolished your tower
defense highscore ? William H. Macy was the second thing that
convinced me to give the show a chance. Indeed his dual performance
in Umney's Last Case (Nightmares & Dreamscapes) was delightful so
I highly anticipated his role as a drunken father. Sadly it's only a
minor one but at least he did a good job and you should enjoy the
small gathering scene. The other excuse I found, yes because it
confused my senses, is Emmy Rossum. I've always been fascinated by
performers breaking the barriers of their own cells to free their
talent and shatter the audience. Does Christian Bale in The Machinist
ring a bell ? Rossum's transformation is nothing jaw dropping but I
really enjoyed that she just looked like the sad girl next door.
Without make up, a messy haircut and none of the glamourous
attributes that shine on her promotional photos. So considering I had
never seen her before her empathic role as Fiona Gallagher confirmed
that smoking beauty and real talent can mix on TV !
In the entertaining department we have the best of what Showtime
has to offer. From shocking to sex-driven scenes there're plenty of
guilty pleasures to appeal the network addicts. However shame on them
for not promoting safe sex ! At least they had the decency of keeping
Rossum's curves in the dark, making her even more charming and sexy.
Anyway these are minor details compared to the story. Yes because in
the end it's all about the characters and the obstacles they have to
overcome in order to survive the harsh reality ! From addictions to
sexuality many interesting and disturbing topics are covered. Add an
immersive production with a slightly amateurish visuals and you have
a winner ! The wicked minds behind the show also had the wise idea of
enriching the story with a more conventional arc. Indeed Fiona can be
seen as a modern Cinderella. She's actually inspiring because she
takes care of everybody and the ongoing romance intrigued me.
Moreover the writers twisted things a little, making an event very
surprising. I just didn't see it coming !
In the end it seemed the remake had potential. Between two dramas
there was even room for comedy but don't expect Shameless to be a
dramedy ! However my fear is that the audience will probably never
see the end of it. Indeed the original has already 10 seasons and in
this installment I didn't really see a glimpse of hope. It actually
reminded me of Hung because I fell in love with it during its first
season but gave up on it during the second because it just seemed
hopeless. When characters have issues, they have to solve them. Of
course you can't become sober overnight nor improve your social
condition in a few weeks but I just hate neverending series. Still I
have read some raving reviews about Emmy Rossum's performance in
later episodes and the preview revealed that the next installment
should shock the audience even more !
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