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"Aunt Ginger" is the third episode in the first season of the US version of Shameless. It originally aired on January 23, 2011.

Synopsis[]

Ian is targeted by the brothers of a girl he spurned; Fiona turns her attention to Tony, but Steve isn't willing to give up without a fight; the whole family searches for their elderly Aunt Ginger, who owns the family house.

Plot[]

Having broken up with Steve, Fiona decides to attend the banquet with Tony. The two end up having sex outside the church, and they are caught by a churchgoer. At the Kash and Grab, Ian gets a surprise visit from a classmate Mandy Milkovich, who has a crush on Ian. Mandy tries to flirt with Ian, though he clearly does not reciprocate.

Lip arrives at Sheila's house to pick up Karen, running into Frank in the process. Frank states that he's finally living in a place where he feels he belongs, although Lip retorts that he's staying at Sheila's house for free. At the Kash and Grab, Mandy follows Ian after his shift and invites herself into the Gallagher house. She tries to initiate a sexual encounter with Ian and pulls out a condom, but he pushes her off and rejects her. Outside the Gallagher house, Fiona and Tony arrive; Tony asks Fiona about Steve, though Fiona does not respond to his questions. They are interrupted by a distraught and heartbroken Mandy, who storms out of the house crying.

The next morning, Kevin wakes up and finds that their toaster is missing; Veronica explains that she lent their toaster to the Gallaghers because Carl broke theirs. Kevin arrives at the Gallagher house to confront them about the toaster; Steve also invites himself over, though he tells Fiona that he's there to give Ian sports tickets after losing a bet. Fiona is worried about the gas bill, which she has not paid yet. Steve discovers that Fiona had sex with Tony, much to Kevin's amusement. At the Jackson house, Sheila announces that she's planning to leave the house to go groceries, but she has a panic attack upon stepping on the front porch. While Karen comforts Sheila and gives her pills, Frank offers to get the groceries for them. Back at the Gallagher house, Frank arrives and begins taking food from the fridge as Sheila's "groceries", much to Fiona's dismay. Tony also arrives, wanting to talk to Fiona about the previous night. Tony tells Fiona that he had a good time, and reveals that he was a virgin before their sexual encounter; Fiona is horrified to learn that she had taken Tony’s virginity.

While talking to Veronica about Tony, Fiona receives a visit from Abby Ruggiero, a federal investigator looking for Virginia Gallagher, the person who owns the family house. Fiona tells Abby that Aunt Ginger lives in a nursing home in Wisconsin. Abby reveals they are opening an investigation, as they believe someone is cashing Ginger’s checks without her consent; Abby also states that she wants to meet Ginger in-person by the next morning. At the Kash and Grab, Ian gets chased down by Mandy’s brothers, including the eldest, Mickey Milkovich. It is revealed that Mandy, devastated by Ian’s rejection, had told her brothers that Ian assaulted her. Ian hides in the back room, while Kash lies to the brothers, telling them that Ian has escaped through the back door. Fiona confronts Frank at the Alibi Room, and she and Kevin discover that Frank is the one who’s been cashing the checks. Fiona orders Frank to get Ginger to Chicago by tomorrow morning.

Frank goes to a local homeless shelter and asks to "borrow an old lady for a few hours"; he is instantly rejected. Ian runs into Mandy and tries convincing her to call off her brothers, to no avail. Meanwhile, Steve confronts Fiona at her work and tries to apologize for kidnapping Frank. After Mickey and his brothers fail to find Ian, they end up cornering Lip and Karen, explaining “someone’s got to get a beatdown.” When Lip makes an insulting joke about Mandy, the Milkovich brothers violently beat him up. Back at the Gallagher house, Tony apologizes to Fiona for not informing her that he was a virgin beforehand. He also reveals that his mother had found out about their tryst, and has invited Fiona to dinner; Fiona contemplates the offer.

After failing to pass off an elderly bus driver as Ginger, Frank reveals that Ginger had passed away from a cocaine overdose twelve years ago. In order to save their house and keep Frank from getting arrested, Fiona and Veronica enlist a senile old woman from the nursing home Veronica works at to pose as their Aunt Ginger for a day. They take the old woman back to the Gallagher home; Debbie and the old woman do a number of activities to make it seem as if she has been living there all these years. The next morning, Ian shows up at the Milkovich house holding a baseball bat, planning to jump the Milkovich brothers and end their hunt. Lip discovers Ian hiding, and grabs a brick to help Ian. When Mandy unexpectedly walks out of the house, Ian changes his mind; he hands the baseball bat to Lip and approaches her. Mandy yells at Ian and starts to hurry away; Ian shouts that he’s gay, stopping Mandy in her tracks.

Abby arrives at the Gallagher home to meet with Aunt Ginger. After the interview, Abby seems unconvinced, but ultimately announces that she plans to return every six months to check up on the family. She also gives Fiona the latest social security check, which she uses to pay the gas bill. Mandy and Ian discuss his sexuality; Ian reassures Mandy that he is telling the truth about being gay and that he thinks she’s beautiful, but he’s “just not wired that way.” Mandy agrees to call off her brothers, and also suggests that she be his beard to deflect any questions about his sexuality.

Fiona, Veronica and Frank return the old woman back to her nursing home. Debbie bursts into tears, as she had formed a close bond with the old woman during her brief stay. Despite Tony inviting her over for dinner, Fiona rejects his offer, and instead ventures off to visit Steve.

Cast[]

Regular Cast[]

Special Guest Star[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

  • Phil Abrams - Mr. Bancroft
  • Julia Carpenter - Audrey
  • Ellen Albertini Dow - The Real Aunt Ginger
  • Andrew Kaczmarek - Santa Claus
  • Tony Longo - Russel
  • Barbara Mallory - Gina
  • Frank Pacheco - Joey Milkovich
  • Don Perry - Mr. Perry
  • Kevin Shacter - Jamie Milkovich
  • Jerry Stroka - Samuel
  • Cile Turner-Borman - Louise
  • Lang Yun - Hilda

Notes[]

  • "Previously on Shameless" - Frank Gallagher.
  • This episode reveals that Frank had an Aunt Ginger who died twelve years ago,
  • Episode Runtime - 00:52:28


Gallery[]

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