"Frank the Plank" is the second episode in the first season of the US version of Shameless.
Synopsis[]
A manhunt ensues after Frank turns up missing, and Fiona suspects Steve may have something to do with it; Frank wakes up in Toronto, with no memory of how he arrived there.
Plot[]
The episode begins with Frank waking up, and immediately leaving to walk to the Alibi Room. While drinking at the Alibi, Frank is headbutted in the nose by Eddie Jackson, who is still angry over the incident with Lip, Ian, and Karen. Eddie angrily tells Frank to inform Ian to stay away from his daughter. Frank returns to the Gallagher house, where Steve and the family are watching TV. Frank attacks Ian, headbutting him in the nose. Enraged by Frank's abuse, Steve shoves Frank and the two men get into an altercation; Fiona kicks Steve out of the house in an attempt to deescalate the fight. Frank leaves again to return to the Alibi; Steve is seen following Frank in his car.
The next morning, Ian and Veronica steal products from the back of a dairy truck, and Debbie is seen stealing newspapers off peoples' front porches for the coupons. While checking the mail, Fiona notices that Frank hasn’t picked up his disability check. She grows even more suspicious upon realizing the day is Friday, as Frank never fails to cash his disability check on Fridays. Kevin, who was working at the Alibi the previous night, remembers that Frank was extremely drunk throughout the night, but can’t recall if Frank was at last call.
Suspecting Frank is missing, the Gallaghers call around to see if anyone has seen Frank. Kevin and Veronica get into an argument over Veronica giving Lip his cell phone to look for Frank; Kevin believes the Gallaghers keep taking advantage of their stuff. The Gallaghers eventually walk through the Chicago streets to find Frank; they check dumpsters, laundromats, stores, and funeral homes. Tony is initially reluctant to open a missing persons report, as Frank is always missing, but he immediately files the report upon realizing it is Friday. After speaking with Kevin, Lip and Karen learn that Frank was speaking with Steve at the Alibi the previous night. Fiona confronts Steve, who reveals that he merely apologized to Frank, bought him a drink, then went home. When a dead body is discovered at Halsted Station, the Gallaghers worries that it is Frank, but they quickly discover that the dead body is of a random man.
Frank wakes up on a park bench in Toronto, and he gets arrested for sleeping on public property. Tony reveals that the Canadian embassy wants Frank off Canadian ground as soon as possible, but Frank cannot cross the border without a passport. Veronica suggests Kevin drive across the border because he has a passport, but Kevin is unable to because his car isn't insured. After noticing Canadian health warnings on the back of Steve’s cigarette package, Fiona realizes Steve was the one who smuggled Frank into Canada. Steve admits to smuggling Frank, but defends himself, stating that he did so because Frank punched Ian and "doesn't give a shit" about his family. Fiona punches Steve and orders him to get Frank back.
With the help of a friend, Steve acquires an RV with a secret smuggling compartment. Meanwhile, Tony chats with Fiona; he reveals that he is being honored with a Coach of the Year award, and invites Fiona to join him at the award’s banquet. Fiona realizes that he is asking her out on a date, and asks if she can think about it. Steve, Kevin and Veronica drive to Toronto and successfully manage to smuggle Frank across the border. They leave Frank in the smuggling compartment while driving back to Chicago.
The next morning, Frank, Steve, Kevin, and Veronica return to the Gallagher house and find the whole neighborhood swarmed in the front yard; they mock Frank with Canadian flags. Fiona gives Frank his disability check, but warns him to never hit one of her kids ever again. Frank angrily reveals that he knows Steve was the one who smuggled him into Canada, as he recognized Steve’s Drakkar Noir cologne on the drive back. He orders that Steve never be allowed in the house.
Feeling unwanted by his family, Frank packs his bags and begins searching for another place to stay; he is rejected by two different neighbors. Lip follows Frank and confronts him over how much he spends at the Alibi; Lip also tells of how his siblings have to pay for groceries and the bills. Frank dismisses Lip and again walks to the Alibi Room. Frank runs into Eddie, who buys Frank a drink as a way of apology. Eddie reveals that he has left his family, expressing his dismay of Karen’s sexually active behavior and Sheila’s agoraphobia, which he believes is a made-up disease. Eddie also reveals that Sheila receives disability benefits from the welfare state for her agoraphobia, which intrigues Frank.
Frank later visits Sheila and attempts to manipulate her into letting him stay at her house. Sheila seems to enjoy Frank's company and lets him take a bath upstairs. Meanwhile, Steve visits the Gallagher house to talk to Fiona, but runs into Lip instead. Steve asks if Lip has any advice on how to get into Fiona's good graces; Lip responds that he doesn't, and that Steve is "fucked." At the Jackson house, Sheila walks in on Frank naked; the two flirt with each other, and Sheila eventually leads Frank into her bedroom. Frank is horrified when Sheila handcuffs him to the bed and pulls out a big box of sex toys; she orders Frank to relax, and that "the more you beg, the more you're in for." Frank is later heard, off-screen, yelling "Stop!" After the incident in the bedroom, Frank returns downstairs and sees Sheila cooking dinner. Frank ultimately decides to stay with Sheila despite her kinkiness, as she happily provides him with free cooking and bedroom hospitality.
Back at the Gallagher home, Steve visits Fiona and reveals that, as a way of apology, he has stolen a delivery van for Fiona, so she can easily drive the kids to school. Fiona sternly tells him: “We don’t need your charity.” She gives Steve cash, paying him back for the washing machine, and breaks up with him. The next morning, Karen and Sheila are eating breakfast when Frank joins them at the dining table. Karen looks on, horrified that Frank and her mother are in a relationship.
Post Credit Scene
A TV in Sheila's bedroom is tuned to a shopping channel. The female host warns that there is a product recall on a pair of fluffy handcuffs they have sold due to a faulty locking mechanism; the camera moves away from the TV to reveal firemen in Sheila's bedroom, preparing to free a tutu-wearing Frank from those same handcuffs locking him to the bed. This scene is a direct adaption of the post credit scene from Episode 102 of Shameless UK.
Cast[]
Regular Cast[]
- William H. Macy - Frank Gallagher
- Emmy Rossum - Fiona Gallagher
- Justin Chatwin - Steve Wilton
- Ethan Cutkosky - Carl Gallagher
- Shanola Hampton - Veronica Fisher
- Steve Howey - Kevin Ball
- Emma Kenney - Debbie Gallagher
- Cameron Monaghan - Ian Gallagher
- Jeremy Allen White - Phillip "Lip" Gallagher
- Laura Slade Wiggins - Karen Jackson
Special Guest Star[]
Guest Cast[]
- Tyler Jacob Moore - Tony Markovich
- Joel Murray - Eddie Jackson
- Missy Doty - Jess
- Michael Patrick McGill - Tommy
Notes[]
- This episode is a direct adaptation of Episode 102 of the UK version.
- "Previously on Shameless" - Frank Gallagher
- Frank and Sheila begin their relationship and Frank moves into the Jackson house.
- There is a deleted scene from this episode on the Season 1 box DVD; it features the family waiting for Steve's ride to arrive.
- Episode Runtime - 00:55:58