#Shameless Season 11 Episode 10 Review: DNR

Where has this level of storytelling been all season?

After Shameless Season 11 Episode 10, it’s clear all of the storylines are concluding, leaving us with many possibilities as we head toward the series finale.

It’s not the easiest hour to unpack due to all of the different directions the characters’ storylines are going, but at least we finally have a direction.

If you’ve been reading my reviews this season, you already know it was inevitable Kev and V would decide to move to Kentucky.

They may be South Side through and through, but the city of Chicago has hardly been good to them. They’ve constantly been on the breadline, despite having multiple businesses, so it was more or less an easy decision for them.

Kev made a killing by stepping in to help the struggling restaurant. He’s always had the gift of great chatter, even if it’s somewhat empty. Making more in tips from one shift than his own bar makes in a week makes it all the more necessary for them to have a change.

Will their bar ever be a big hitter? It doesn’t seem that way, and given V’s recent thirst for politics, it’s easy to see how there are more opportunities for the family away from the South Side.

V was adamant about not wanting to move, but her family made it all the easier by explaining the lofty benefits of living in Kentucky and how her quality of life could be improved.

Maybe V was worried about Kev being against the move, but I hope they don’t chicken out at the last minute.

The most likely person to buy the bar is Debbie. She’s been struggling with the prospect of moving into a home alone, but if she purchases the bar, she will be kept busy all day and then retire to the small apartment upstairs.

Debbie is one of the most self-centered characters on TV, but living in a bustling house, complete with many family members, has been all she’s known since being a young child.

She’s never felt lonely, and while it would be easy to say she needs to grow up, I suspect she’ll be running the bar by the end of the series finale while simultaneously cooking up plans to keep the bar making a profit.

Mickey and Ian are making substantial strides as a couple, and it’s about time. Mickey’s growth alone is astounding, but Ian signing the lease without fully thinking it through was cruel.

Had this been pre-marital Mickey, he would have probably broken Ian’s nose, dumped him, and found someone else to pass the time for a few episodes.

There’s always been a part of the couple that likes chaos, but it seems Ian has grown up and is at a point that he wants to settle down. Mickey has only ever known a life of crime, so it’s going to be fun to see how they navigate this new direction.

Mickey almost knocking Lip off the ladders before getting into a fist-fight with him completely threw me. They are both hot-headed men, so a fight at one point was inevitable.

Lip had the day from hell, much like Mickey, but Lip is spreading himself too thin. He’s bending over backward to fix the house up to sell it while babysitting and trying to conceal Frank’s crime.

It was nice how Ian recognized his brother was suffering and suggested he attended a meeting. The last thing Lip needs right now is to return to his reliance on alcohol. He would lose Tami, his son, and everything he’s building to achieve for the family.

It was a rare moment between the brothers that didn’t feel forced, but it also gave Lip the clarity he needed that he’s pushing himself too hard.

Tami isn’t with Lip 24/7. They are both trying to make this house sale happen to allow them to move on with their lives, and Lip needs to confide more in her, or they are going to be set up for disaster down the line.

Communication is the recipe for success in any relationship, and Tami would probably back off a little if she realized the immense pressure her lover was under.

Even Frank had some excellent material to work with. He’s always been an unpredictable man, going from zero to 100 without thinking about it, but now that he has dementia, he’s even more unpredictable than before.

His confusion was tragic to watch, but it hit home even more because of William H. Macy. That man can act anything thrown at him, and we’ve witnessed a lot of bizarre storytelling here, but this particular direction for Frank seems genuine.

He knows his actions have consequences, and he doesn’t want to burden his family. He’s been a burden for too long, and he wants to be in control of his fate, which explains why he got the tattoo telling medical professionals not to resuscitate him.

I’m unsure whether we’re headed towards the demise of Frank in the finale, but there’s a certain finality to the direction we’re traveling here. It’s a one-way ticket to the finish line.

Carl is probably going to end the series fighting for police reform. Ever since the beginning of this arc, he’s been pushing to do the right thing, even if he wanted to bend the rules somewhat.

His bending of the rules, however, probably is the right thing. These rich men with highly-paid lawyers on retainer are acting like they’re invincible, and you could see that Carl is no longer satisfied by his career.

For such a young man, he’s had many careers, but deep down, he’s always wanted to help people. He wouldn’t maliciously hurt anyone, but his endpoint as a character is the only one I’m struggling to theorize about.

There are so many variables in play, but after watching him grow from a kid to a man over the course of a decade, I hope he gets a satisfying conclusion.

That’s all I got, Shameless fans.

What did you think of Frank’s decision? Where do you think the characters will end up?

Hit the comments below.

Remember, you can watch Shameless online right here via TV Fanatic.

New episodes air Sundays on Showtime.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.