The Defenestration of Frank

Last updated

"The Defenestration of Frank"
Shameless episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 6
Directed by David Nutter
Written by Etan Frankel
Cinematography byLoren Yaconelli
Editing byJohn M. Valerio
Original release dateNovember 6, 2016 (2016-11-06)
Running time58 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Own Your Shit"		Next →
"You'll Never Ever Get a Chicken in Your Whole Entire Life"
Shameless season 7
List of episodes

"The Defenestration of Frank" is the sixth 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 78th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Etan Frankel and directed by executive producer David Nutter. It originally aired on Showtime on November 6, 2016.

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, Fiona makes a big decision for her future, while Frank takes advantage of the money provided for the shelter. Meanwhile, Lip continues his operation with Joaquin, while Debbie announces a shocking decision.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.44 million household viewers and gained a 0.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, although some were unsatisfied with the episode's subplots.

Plot

Fiona (Emmy Rossum) buys an A/C unit for her bedroom, and decides to pursue buying the laundromat from Etta (June Squibb). Fiona convinces her in buying the lease by asking for a $100,000 loan, and Etta will still be allowed to live in her apartment upstairs. However, Fiona is disappointed when the bank is only willing to lend $80,000.

Debbie (Emma Kenney) has moved in with Sierra's paralytic brother Neil (Zack Pearlman), whose brain injury has caused him to say the very first thing that comes up in his head. She invites her family to dine with them, except for Fiona. Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) has been accepted into military school, but is having second thoughts about joining after considering he might be a victim of hazing. Dominique (Jaylen Barron) also is interested in getting back with him, although Luther (Peter Macon) later shows Carl that she is once again cheating on him. While transporting a woman in the ambulance, Ian (Cameron Monaghan) is shaken when the woman dies despite his efforts.

As Frank (William H. Macy) gets the inhabitants at the shelter to act as beggars in the street, he has the church donate some furniture. Subsequently, he resells the furniture and keeps most of the money for himself. As he is counting the money, he is visited by Debbie, who asks for a favor; she wants to marry Neil and wants him to sign papers in allowing it as she is not an adult. Frank refuses, feeling that Debbie is condemned to a long life before finally getting Neil's cash as he is still relatively young. Debbie angrily leaves, although one of Frank's inhabitants overhears Frank explaining his money plans. Later, Frank returns to the shelter to bury the money, only to find that they have already discovered it. Angry at Frank's actions, they kick him out of the window and exile him from the house.

Lip (Jeremy Allen White) continues having sex with Sierra (Ruby Modine). However, she feels insulted when he is unsure over the status of their relationship. Sierra makes it clear that while she likes having sex with him, she is not interested in pursuing something big with him, and Lip agrees in keeping it the way it was. Lip also continues his operation with Joaquin (José Julián) at the company, until the DEA arrives to shut it down. When Fiona tells him about the loan, Lip is infuriated when he learns that she placed the house as a collateral until she pays the rest of the $20,000 loan. Kevin (Steve Howey) is disturbed when he discovers Yvon (Pasha Lychnikoff) having sex with a woman, believing it to be Svetlana (Isidora Goreshter). He and Veronica (Shanola Hampton) check again, and are horrified that it was actually Svetlana. When they confront Svetlana, she confirms the sexual relationship but also drops another surprise: Yvon is not her father, is her husband.

Ian and Trevor (Elliot Fletcher) want to pursue a sexual relationship, but discover that both of them are "tops", and they end up questioning how to proceed. Debbie asks Fiona to sign the papers, and is surprised when she actually agrees. That night, after being encouraged by his siblings, Carl finally leaves for military school. As they leave the bus station, Lip tells Fiona she can still reconsider the loan. Fiona simply stays silent, and Lip angrily leaves. At military school, a group of bullies tries to intimidate Carl. Carl easily beats the leader, and the rest of the group chooses to leave him alone.

Production

Development

The episode was written by executive producer Etan Frankel and directed by David Nutter. It was Frankel's 12th writing credit, and Nutter's fourth directing credit. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "The Defenestration of Frank" was seen by an estimated 1.44 million household viewers with a 0.5 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.5 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [2] This was a 20% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 1.20 million household viewers with a 0.4 in the 18–49 demographics. [3]

Critical reviews

"The Defenestration of Frank" received generally positive reviews from critics. Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "The show has been on much stronger thematic ground this season, but a byproduct of this is that I find myself wishing that the show was able to focus more on those themes, and not have to serve as many masters as it has chosen to. This particular hour ended up having a little too much going on to tap into what the season is doing best, but it's still there, and will hopefully become a proper focus as the season wears on." [4]

Christina Ciammaichelli of Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote "Is this power struggle between Lip and Fiona tearing anyone else apart, or is it just me? They're so great as a team when they're on the same page, but from the looks of tonight's episode, they won't be seeing eye-to-eye anytime soon." [5]

Dara Driscoll of TV Overmind wrote, "After last week's filler episode, I was hoping for something exciting this week. Nothing groundbreaking happened, but that sentimentality came through again this week. There were a few great scenes between the siblings exchanging stories that I loved." [6] Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.8 star rating out of 5, and wrote, ""The Defenestration of Frank" was a decent episode of this Showtime drama. All of the characters are making some big decisions about their lives and it's making for good TV." [7]

Related Research Articles

"Father's Day" is the fifth 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 17th overall episode of the series and was written by co-producer Etan Frankel, and directed by Anthony Hemingway. It originally aired on Showtime on February 5, 2012.

"Strangers on a Train" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 40th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Etan Frankel and directed by Peter Segal. It originally aired on Showtime on February 2, 2014.

"The Legend of Bonnie and Carl" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 45th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Etan Frankel and directed by executive producer Mark Mylod. It originally aired on Showtime on March 16, 2014.

"Tell Me You Fucking Need Me" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 55th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Nancy M. Pimental and directed by main cast member William H. Macy. It originally aired on Showtime on March 1, 2015.

"Uncle Carl" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 56th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Krista Vernoff and directed by Wendey Stanzler. It originally aired on Showtime on March 8, 2015.

<i>Shameless</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, premiered on January 10, 2016, concluded April 3, 2016. Executive producers are John Wells, Andrew Stearn, Nancy M. Pimental, Davey Holmes, Christopher Chulack, Krista Vernoff and producers Terri Murphy and Princess Nash.

"NSFW" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 66th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Sheila Callaghan and directed by Jake Schreier. It originally aired on Showtime on February 14, 2016.

"Happily Ever After" is the eleventh 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 83rd overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Etan Frankel and directed by John M. Valerio. It originally aired on Showtime on December 11, 2016.

"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.

"I Am a Storm" is the fourth 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 76th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Sheila Callaghan and directed by main cast member Emmy Rossum. It originally aired on Showtime on October 23, 2016.

"Paradise Lost" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 70th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Etan Frankel and directed by Lynn Shelton. It originally aired on Showtime on March 20, 2016.

"Sleep No More" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 71st overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Sheila Callaghan and directed by Anthony Hemingway. It originally aired on Showtime on March 27, 2016.

"Hiraeth" is the first 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 73rd overall episode of the series and was written by series developer John Wells and directed by executive producer Christopher Chulack. It aired on Showtime on October 2, 2016, but was available online on September 23, 2016.

"Swipe, Fuck, Leave" is the second 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 74th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Nancy M. Pimental and directed by Rob Hardy. It originally aired on Showtime on October 2, 2016.

"Home Sweet Homeless Shelter" is the third 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 75th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Krista Vernoff and directed by Iain B. MacDonald. It originally aired on Showtime on October 16, 2016.

"Own Your Shit" is the fifth 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 77th overall episode of the series and was written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by executive producer Christopher Chulack. It originally aired on Showtime on October 30, 2016.

"You'll Never Ever Get a Chicken in Your Whole Entire Life" is the seventh 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 79th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Nancy M. Pimental and directed by series developer John Wells. It originally aired on Showtime on November 13, 2016.

"You Sold Me the Laundromat, Remember?" is the eighth 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 80th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Krista Vernoff and directed by Allison Liddi-Brown. It originally aired on Showtime on November 20, 2016.

"Ride or Die" is the tenth 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 82nd overall episode of the series and was written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Zetna Fuentes. It originally aired on Showtime on December 4, 2016.

"Requiem for a Slut" is the twelfth episode and season finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 84th overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series developer John Wells. It originally aired on Showtime on December 18, 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "Shameless - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  2. ↑ Porter, Rick (November 8, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Walking Dead' down but stays on top, 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' returns lower". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  3. ↑ Porter, Rick (November 1, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'The Walking Dead' takes a bigger-than-usual hit in episode 2". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  4. ↑ McNutt, Myles (November 6, 2016). "Sibling tension continues to fuel this season of Shameless". The A.V. Club . Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  5. ↑ Ciammaichelli, Christina (November 7, 2016). "Shameless recap: Season 7, Episode 6". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ Driscoll, Dara (November 6, 2016). "Shameless Season 7 Episode 6 Review "The Defenestration of Frank"". TV Overmind . Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ Dailly, Paul (November 6, 2016). "Shameless Season 7 Episode 6 Review: The Defenestration of Frank". TV Fanatic. Retrieved July 9, 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.