I wanted to talk about a show I have watched called shameless. This show is a bit out of hand at times, but I believe it makes a point in “others” and I can compare them to what we have talked about in class. This family does not have a lot of money and their dad Frank falls off the deep end and gets into drugs, so the family has to survive without him with Fiona becoming in charge off the rest of the family.
This show shows lots of power by individuals as well as different identities among the characters. I will first start by talking about the later seasons where the creator focused on Carl and how he was released from jail a different person. Carl went into jail looking like a “normal guy” says Fiona, and then comes out of jail with dreads as hair and he talked like a gangster. Fiona was not letting Carl come back to live with them like that. She said he was trashy, and she was not allowing him to be like that. This was Carl’s identity now, and his brothers stood up for him and talked about how he did what he needed to do in jail and now he is out so just let him be. Fiona becomes in control very quick at being the older sister. She takes care of everyone in the house now. She starts going crazy, which is understandable as she has to deal with her 4 other siblings and says that everyone has to listen to her and that’s she’s in control and all of this. Fiona has to realize that her siblings are old enough to make decisions for themselves and if they want to make a bad decision, she is just going to have to let them go especially if they don’t listen to her. My point here is power and identity play a major role in this entire tv show. The characters get treated different because of the way they are or the way they act. You have to remember these kids never grew up with a father or mother figure. I would classify these kids as others because they are not like each other and they do not always fit in with people around them. They grew up in the city with no money and barley a house at times. I think the creator of this show wanted the viewers to realize that not all family life is perfect. There are going to be circumstances you have to deal with. But having an older sibling to show you what’s right and what’s wrong can always help. It can also help when an older adult has power and puts you in your place.