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Monday, March 26, 2012

Showtime's Shameless. Writing so good, it soars.

Shameless is one of my favorite shows. It's created for Showtime and is the story of a very dysfunctional family that somehow, manages to find love and function despite extreme poverty. It's a story of survival and opportunism and is probably one of the most heart-breaking, yet uplifting shows I have ever seen. The scene below, in the pilot episode, made me tear up. This writing is incredible. Please watch the embedded clip and get ready for some seriously heavy romance. Grab a tissue. This is a conversation between Fiona and Steve (who loves Fiona so much). Fiona is a girl who has been denied her childhood because she has to care for her brothers and sisters. Mom left; dad's a drunk, and it's only her. And life hasn't been kind. Not one bit.
FIONA played by Emmy Rossum
STEVE played by Justin Chatwin
Steve: "Hello"
Fiona: "If that wasn't bullshit, what was I wearing?"
Steve: "Huh?"
Fiona: "First time you saw me...if that wasn't a lie."

Steve:  "Black top with gold trim, black shiny jeans, thin shoes...straps...sandals...with your hair pinned high. Dangly gold earrings that made me smile. A big watch...too big. So subtle arm movement looked great. And you were dancing next to a red-haired girl in a green dress."

Fiona: "Yeah yeah. Jenna. It was Jenna's birthday. So you were...were watching her...who's a lot better lookin' than me."

Steve: "You think so? Really?"
Fiona: "Yeah...so how come you're not stalking Jenna?"

Steve: "Because you-y-you think like that and Jenna doesn't. Jenna dances for an audience and you dance like there's no one else in the room. Your life's not simple, Fiona and you can't stop it from showing me 'cause you're no fake, you're not lost, you don't need finding. This whole city belongs to the Jennas, but I'm sick of them. I swear Fiona you're nothing like anyone I've ever met! You make me want to enjoy my life again! Are you there?...Fiona?"

It's writing that's so good, it soars. Please please watch the clip. You won't regret it. The embedded video is unwatcheable on Apple iPad and iPhone. I assume it has something to do with flash. Also the video comes from a Chinese server because YouTube had embedding blocked for the exact same video clip. So I went to a lot of trouble to show this to you guys!

Happy Monday.

36 comments:

  1. Judging from this clip they've stayed pretty true to the English version which is cool. I loved this show.

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  2. I liked it a lot. Very romantic, and it was nice how he liked her for being different and real.

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  3. I am excited about catching up with shameless!!! ( both the Brit and US version)... you are the one that hooked me! :P

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  4. I've seen this show advertised on showtime, but never gave it a go... might have to try it out...

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  5. ...agreed, truly a fantastic series.

    El

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  6. I haven't heard of this show and the clip is really good.

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  7. There's a British version? WTF? How did I not know that?

    I love this show. I'm a little disappointed by Lip's storyline in the current season, but I'm pleasantly surprised that Monica's return isn't sucking as much as I expected.

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  8. Was this another show adapted from a British series? One day on Netflix I saw a series with the same title from 2004 and it sounded like a similar premise.

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  9. This is a British show. Nice to see it's become popular in the USA. Course, the cast of the US version are still way too shiny for reality. I like the ugly grunginess of the British cast. lol

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  10. I just don't watch enough TV! Lots of good stuff, but there's just not enough time.

    And I have a grudge against Justin Chatwin. Just can't stand him, through no fault of his own. His portrayal of Goku in Dragonball Z was a monstrosity. Terrible.

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  11. Haven't come across this show before. While he describes her as the real deal, he comes across as genuine himself. Cool clip.

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  12. I'll have to watch from home then - it isn't showing on my phone.

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  13. I had showtime as a trial run when I signed up for cable, but never had a moment to check out what the channel had to offer. You've piqued my interest in another show, however.

    To answer your Prometheus question: that would be sweet. I'll have to see what my schedule's like when we get closer to the release date.

    Thanks for the invite! :)

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  14. Dang it! I saw previews for this show when it was first coming out, and thought it looked incredible. Now I'll have to watch it for reals :)

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

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  15. This is the first I've seen of it, but man, what a spectacular cast. If you're right, and the writing is good, it'll be top notch.

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  16. I think Emmy Rossum is SO gorgeous. I hadn't heard of this. Thanks or sharing!

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  17. I wondered what that show was about.

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  18. I've been interested in the show because of Macy. Great actor.

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  19. Haven't seen Shameless. I need to break down and order Showtime and HBO.

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  20. I don't know about the writing, but I do know one of the actors had a full frontal scene that was more than just a glimpse. He, like, did it more than once. And for 30 seconds, no less. Thirty seconds of penis and balls--it was the most raw thing I've ever seen on a legitimate television show with real actors not associated with Cinimax Afterdark.

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  21. I haven't heard of this show (we don't have cable), but you always know the good stuff, so I'll be sure to watch it right away!

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  22. @T.D.: I'm already sold on the show T.D. Pointing out great things about it like that is best done for others who are on the fence. I already know and greatly appreciate the porn/nudity aspect. It needs to have more.

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  23. Yeah, I'd like this show. The video is powerful. Way cool.

    BTW: I finished Oculus; just haven't had time to write up my notes yet. Look for them in a couple days. No really, this time I'll keep that promise :)

    ......dhole

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  24. Man, this looks awesome! I'll definitely give it a shot.

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  25. I'll have to look for that one. Looks like a good show.

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  26. Awesome exchange between the two characters. I haven't heard of the show before. Then again, I don't get Showtime. It sounds good, though.

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  27. I don't have Showtime, but it looks interesting.

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  28. Boo, i can't watch the clip! BUT, comcast gave us like 2 years of showtime that we're, more or less, not using, so maybe i'll check this out

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  29. You know about EVERYTHING! I haven't even heard of this. Although, I've been working so much on my book that I haven't had much time for tv. It's lame. I miss my television shows. This does sound amazing though. I'm going to check it out.

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  30. Sounds like an interesting show. Showtime is also the one who shows 'The Big "C"' which is also wonderful. Good stuff happening there!

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  31. Great clip,looks like a good show - no TV here.also looks like they are in my home town.

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  32. Looks like a great show. I'm going to check it out.

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  33. You're right Michael, the writing is good--I just don't care to watch such a depressing family!

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  34. I've heard good things about this show! I love William H Macy. I don't get showtime, but I wonder if it's streaming on Netflix.

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  35. We don't have show time. This one reminds me of Roseann and even Married with Children or The Simpsons. Sometimes we do need to see these shows to help forget the harshness of life itself in spite of the presence of it.

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