Hurricane Monica (Shameless)

Last updated

"Hurricane Monica"
Shameless episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 9
Directed by Alex Graves
Written by Alex Borstein
Cinematography byRodney Charters
Editing byKelley Dixon
Production code2J5959
Original release dateMarch 11, 2012 (2012-03-11)
Running time51 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Parenthood"		Next →
"A Great Cause"
Shameless season 2
List of episodes

"Hurricane Monica" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless , an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 21st overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Alex Borstein, and directed by Alex Graves. It originally aired on Showtime on March 11, 2012.

Contents

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, Monica stays with the Gallaghers to help Frank, while Lip tries to find a place to stay.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.31 million household viewers and gained a 0.7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the storylines, performances, and directing.

Plot

The Gallaghers learn of Peggy's death and are surprised to discover Monica (Chloe Webb) now staying with them. Monica is helping Frank (William H. Macy) in grieving his mother, but the siblings wonder if she will stay for good. Monica also has sex with Frank, after revealing that her relationship with Roberta (Carlease Burke) has ended.

Lip (Jeremy Allen White) moves in with Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins), but furiously leaves when she says Sheila (Joan Cusack) wants him to pay rent. He then goes with Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton); while Kevin is willing to let him stay, Veronica refuses. He convinces Steve (Justin Chatwin) in letting him stay by being part of his business. While lounging in Steve's apartment, Lip hears Estefania (Stephanie Fantauzzi) having phone sex with a man named Marco; he later informs Steve. Frank breaks into Sheila's house, eager to reclaim the cash he believes Peggy has hidden. This causes Sheila to believe her house is haunted, unaware that Frank is making the noises. She asks Jody (Zach McGowan) for help, and they in turn hire a priest for advice. After attempting to perform a séance, Sheila apologizes to Jody for Karen's behavior and they kiss; Karen later returns home and overhears her mother and Jody having sex.

Monica tries to connect with her kids, attending Carl's football games and thanking Fiona for raising the kids in her absence. After learning of his homosexuality, Monica decides to take Ian (Cameron Monaghan) to a gay club, and wins him over with her genuine sympathy over his recent break-up with Mickey (Noel Fisher). Meanwhile, Frank talks with Jody over the money and is furious when he discovers Peggy gave it to his other brothers instead. The Gallaghers throw a party, where Monica dances joyfully with her children. The following morning, Monica pays for Peggy's ashes, and Frank uses it for his cigarette. Terry Milkovich (Dennis Cockrum) suddenly breaks into the house and attacks Ian, revealing that Mandy (Emma Greenwell) is pregnant.

Production

Development

The episode was directed by Alex Graves. Alex Graves.jpg
The episode was directed by Alex Graves.

The episode was written by consulting producer Alex Borstein, and directed by Alex Graves. It was Borstein's fourth writing credit, and Graves' first directing credit. [1]

Writing

Jeremy Allen White previewed the episode, "Monica comes back, and Lip is incredibly distraught about it. He really feels like he's been kicked out even though he was given some kind of ultimatum. In Lip's eyes, Fiona kicked him out of the house. The next time he sees all of them, Monica's there. So it's another smack in the face. Not only am I kicked out, but now our mother, who abandoned us, is back. [Monica] will be spiraling more and more out of control. She puts the whole family in jeopardy." [2]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Hurricane Monica" was seen by an estimated 1.31 million household viewers with a 0.7 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.7 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [3] This was a 19% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 1.60 million household viewers with a 0.8 in the 18–49 demographics. [4]

Critical reviews

"Hurricane Monica" received critical acclaim. Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade, calling the episode "fantastic" and praising the episode's focus on Monica: "I'm trying to think of a recurring character that has more of a talismanic effect on a show than Monica does on Shameless. In last season's "But At Last Came A Knock," Chloe Webb sauntered in and suddenly everything with Shameless just clicked into place. And so it was with "Hurricane Monica," in which the Gallagher matriarch pops up yet again and brings out everyone's extremes." Alston lauded Chloe Webb's performance as Monica, writing "I can't say enough good things about Chloe Webb's performance. She absolutely owns this character." [5]

Tim Basham of Paste wrote about the episode, "Monica's return to the Gallagher household, though unexpected, comes with some guarded acceptance from her children, whom she had abandoned years earlier." [6] Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Overall this episode was more of a rollercoaster than a hurricane. Everyone was all over the place, several different storylines were running, but the Gallaghers know how to make chaos work. Now that Monica is back and Mandy's pregnant, we're sure to see things get even crazier." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Shameless</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, premiered on January 9, 2011, at Sunday 10:00 p.m. EST on the Showtime television network. Executive producers are John Wells, Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn, with producer Michael Hissrich. The season concluded after 12 episodes on March 27, 2011. The show's season premiere was watched by 982,000 viewers, making it the network's biggest turnout for a series premier since Dead Like Me in 2003. The episode airing January 30, "Casey Casden", received 1.45 million total viewers, making Shameless the best performing first-year drama on Showtime. The season finale scored 1.16 million viewers.

<i>Shameless</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, premiered on January 8, 2012, at Sunday 9:00 p.m. EST on the Showtime television network. Executive producers are John Wells, Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn, with producer Michael Hissrich. The season concluded after 12 episodes on April 1, 2012. The show's season premiere brought in 1.58 million viewers, which was higher than the season 1 premiere. The episode airing March 4, "Parenthood", received 1.6 million total viewers, its highest-rated show of the season. The season finale scored 1.45 million viewers.

<i>Shameless</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, premiered on January 13, 2013, at Sunday 9:00 p.m. EST on the Showtime television network. Executive producers are John Wells, Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn, with producer Michael Hissrich. The season concluded after 12 episodes on April 7, 2013. The show's season premiere brought in 2.00 million viewers, becoming the show's highest-rated episode ever to-date. The episode airing February 17, "The Sins of My Caretaker", received 1.31 million total viewers, its lowest-rated episode of the season. The season finale scored 1.82 million viewers.

"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.

"But at Last Came a Knock" is the ninth 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 co-executive producer Mark Mylod. It originally aired on Showtime on March 6, 2011.

"Nana Gallagher Had an Affair" is the tenth 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 producer Cindy Caponera, and directed by Adam Bernstein. It originally aired on Showtime on March 13, 2011.

"Daddyz Girl" is the eleventh 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 producer Nancy M. Pimental, and directed by Sanaa Hamri. It originally aired on Showtime on March 20, 2011.

"A Beautiful Mess" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 16th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Alex Borstein, and directed by co-executive producer Mark Mylod. It originally aired on Showtime on January 29, 2012.

"Can I Have a Mother" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 18th overall episode of the series and was written by main cast member William H. Macy and Steven Schachter, and directed by John Dahl. It originally aired on Showtime on February 12, 2012.

"A Bottle of Jean Nate" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 19th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Nancy M. Pimental, and directed by David Nutter. It originally aired on Showtime on February 19, 2012.

"Parenthood" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 20th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Mike O'Malley, and directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer. It originally aired on Showtime on March 4, 2012.

"A Great Cause" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 22nd overall episode of the series and was written by co-producer Etan Frankel, and directed by Mimi Leder. It originally aired on Showtime on March 18, 2012.

"Just Like the Pilgrims Intended" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 23rd overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Nancy M. Pimental from a story by LaToya Morgan and Pimental, and directed by co-executive producer Mark Mylod. It originally aired on Showtime on March 25, 2012.

"Fiona Interrupted" is the twelfth episode and season finale of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 24th overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series developer John Wells. It originally aired on Showtime on April 1, 2012.

"Ouroboros" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 81st overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Sheila Callaghan and directed by executive producer Christopher Chulack. It originally aired on Showtime on November 27, 2016.

"Cascading Failures" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 30th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Alex Borstein, and directed by Anthony Hemingway. It originally aired on Showtime on February 24, 2013.

"A Long Way From Home" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 31st overall episode of the series and was written by producer Etan Frankel, and directed by Mimi Leder. It originally aired on Showtime on March 3, 2013.

"Where There's a Will" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 32nd overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Davey Holmes, and directed by Danny Cannon. It originally aired on Showtime on March 10, 2013.

"Civil Wrongs" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 34th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Mike O'Malley, and directed by Gary B. Goldman. It originally aired on Showtime on March 24, 2013.

"Survival of the Fittest" is the twelfth episode and season finale of the third season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 36th overall episode of the series and was written by producer Etan Frankel and co-executive producer Nancy M. Pimental, and directed by executive producer Mark Mylod. It originally aired on Showtime on April 7, 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Shameless - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  2. ↑ Gelman, Vlada (March 10, 2012). "Shameless Son on 'Beginning of the End' for Lip and Karen, Hurricane Monica's Return and More". TVLine . Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  3. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Dominates, 'Oprah's Next Chapter' Sees Series High". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead,' 'Storage Wars,' 'Army Wives,' 'Real Housewives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  5. ↑ Alston, Joshua (March 11, 2012). "Shameless: "Hurricane Monica"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  6. ↑ Basham, Tim (March 19, 2012). "Shameless: "A Great Cause" (Episode 2.10)". Paste . Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  7. ↑ Raines, Leigh (March 12, 2012). "Shameless Review: Rock You Like a Hurricane". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.