'Shameless' Season 11 Episode 1: Was a drunk Frank Gallagher almost a part of the 'Trial of the Chicago 7'?
Spoilers for 'Shameless' Season 11 Episode 1 'This is Chicago'
In the wake of the George Floyd protests, Aaron Sorkin's 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' was a huge hit when it released on Netflix, bringing the story of the Chicago Seven and the 1968 Democratic National Convention riot to an all-new generation to show how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Of course, a man like Frank Gallagher (William H Macy) is not content to have a spotlight so heavily featured on his home city of Chicago if he's not a part of it, and he's doing his damndest to let people know that there's been a Gallagher at every pivotal moment in Chicago history — including himself.
Gentrification has been slowly but surely creeping up on the South Side of Chicago — a process that, for the moment has been halted by the pandemic. At least one student has decided that it's worth taking a closer look at the South Side and how the pandemic has been affecting its economy, and Frank's never been one to turn down an opportunity to brag about himself if there's a free drink involved.
Season 11 of 'Shameless' opens up with Frank claiming that Gallaghers have been an integral part of Chicago history, from the Great Chicago Fire to Al Capone. Images of the current day Gallagher family were deep faked by the show onto old footage and pictures as Frank tries to get his interviewer to imagine the pervasiveness of the Gallagher clan.
Frank even inserts himself into history, claiming that he was there at the anti-Vietnam War riots that took place in 1968 at the DNC. He even claimed that he was one of the riot's ringleaders and would have been part of the Chicago Seven — referred to by Frank as the Chicago Eight — if he hadn't stopped to get a couple of burgers for everyone when the cops showed up.
Of course, the riots happened 52 years ago, meaning that even if Frank was there as a very young teenager, he'd be well into his 70s by now, which discounts Frank's story entirely. While there's a certain amount of white in his beard and a worrying immortality to the character, Frank is nowhere near that old — but then again, when has a little math gotten in the way of a Gallagher rewriting history as they see fit?
The next episode of 'Shameless' airs on December 13 at 9 pm ET on Showtime.