'Shameless' Season 10 Episode 2: Frank and Mikey put on a genius act to 'reclaim patriarchy'
This article contains spoilers for season 10, episode 2.
Frank Gallagher's biggest problem this season is with daughter Debbie taking full control of the household, and most importantly, all the money Fiona has left behind. But Frank finds himself a solid cheerleader in his partner in crime -Mikey - who stands up for the drunk alcoholic to 'reclaim his patriarchy' after the 'female types p*ssy ripped the masculinity' out of Frank. And if you consider the genius ways the duo come up with to acquire money for their drugs and alcohol, it's pretty impressive. In that, regular crooks have a lot to learn from the bunk-buddies.
After Debbie's controlling nature takes the Gallaghers' individual share from the Fiona money hostage, Frank and Mikey resort to their debauchery to make money off the sidewalks. They plot and scheme and come up with a brilliant idea of conning Uber drivers by staging road accidents caused by the driver's vehicle to gain sympathy or plain money to avoid involving the police. But the plan isn't foolproof, and when they realize that, it is Mikey who tells Frank they don't need to stoop to these levels if only Frank can manage to stand up to Debbie.
Mikey goes at length to describe to Frank how he has always been controlled by the women n his life: his wife, his eldest daughter Fiona, and now his youngest daughter Debbie. Mikey accuses the women in his life to have grabbed him by the balls and bent him to do their bidding. Well, true as it might be, the only reason this has had to be done was because of what a f*ck up Frank is, and how mindlessly he wastes money and resources.
So Frank being monitored for being an irresponsible no-good adult was labeled manipulation - something that Mikey believes Frank needs to put a stop to right away, but if he is unable to do so, Mikey doesn't mind stepping in and talking some sense into Debbie to respect her daddy. When all fails, it is Mikey who stalks Debbie down to her storage unit and busts her hoarding expensive clothes and accessories by stealing from outlets. Debbie's elaborate scheme involves buying expensive items and wearing them with extreme caution for a full month, and returning them to the store right in time for the 30 days deadline for returns. But her scam to cheat the system gets busted by Mikey, who steals one of her receipts and blackmails her by refusing to return it unless she starts treating Frank with respect - aka money.
Debbie has to cave in eventually and ends up giving the ATM cards to her dad and siblings, with a token amount added to their accounts so they can enjoy the luxury of their shares of Fiona money too. And thrilled as all the Gallagher men might be, they have to thank Mikey's crooked ideas for it. Frank might make disastrous choices when it comes to women and romance, but the grown man he has decided to literally share a bed with this time is only helping him flourish. What an iconic friendship!
'Shameless' season 10 airs on Sundays at 9pm only on Showtime.