The Bt-Wrten Gay Couple on Televisn Is Hidg on a Guilty-Pleasure Show
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THE BT-WRTEN GAY COUPLE ON TELEVISN IS HIDG ON A GUILTY-PLEASURE SHOWBY JOANNA ROBSONMARCH 31, 2014CLIFF LIPSON/SHOWTIMESAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVESHAMELS OFTEN GETS LOST SOMEWHERE THE GLUT OF PRTIGE SUNDAY-NIGHT TELEVISN. IT LACKS THE POLISH OF MAD MEN AND THE OUT-AND-OUT SANY OF GAME OF THRON. SHAMELS OFTEN GETS WRTEN OFF AS A GUILTY PLEASURE—GLANCE OVER AT THE TELEVISN WHILE SOMEONE ELSE IS WATCHG AND YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE A BCH OF SOME KD OR ANOTHER. SEX, VLENCE, ADDICTN, AND PRAVY ARE THE SHOW’S RALLYG CRY. BUT SOMEWHERE THE CRACKS, SHAMELS HAS BUILT A ST OF BELIEVABLE, SYMPATHETIC, DIRT-POOR CHARACTERS STGGLG TO PE CIRCUMSTANCE, GEICS, AND SELF-STCTIVE BEHAVR.ARMED WH A STEADILY GROWG FAN BASE, SHAMELS IS NOW WRAPPG UP S FOURTH AND STRONGT SEASON. WH SPOTLIGHT STEALERS LIKE PATRIARCH FRANK GALLAGHER (WILLIAM H. MACY) LARGELY OUT OF MISSN, AND FNA GALLAGHER (EMMY ROSSUM) HTG ROCK BOTTOM, THE SHOW HAS REALLY ALLOWED SOME OF THE RT OF THE GALLAGHER CLAN TO SHE. EARLIER THE SEASON, LIP GALLAGHER (JEREMY ALLEN WHE), THE FAY GENI, PULLED FOC WH HIS HEART-WRENCHG STGGL TO MAKE THROUGH LLEGE. BUT THE LAST FEW EPISOS, IAN GALLAGHER (CAMERON MONAGHAN) AND HIS ON-AGA, OFF-AGA BOYIEND, MICKEY MILKOVICH (NOEL FISHER), HAVE BEEN THROWG THE HEAVYWEIGHT ACTG PUNCH. STARTG WH MICKEY’S RCUE OF A DG-ADDLED IAN AND CULMATG WH LAST NIGHT’S BRAWL-DUCG G-OUT SCENE, THE TWO ARE FALLY MAKG GOOD ON FOUR SEASONS OF SIMMERG BACKSTORY.FROM THE START, MONAGHAN’S IAN GALLAGHER WAS TOUTED AS A “UNIQUE” GAY CHARACTER ON TELEVISN. THE ANTI-KURT HUMMEL. AND WHILE ’S TE THAT IAN IS A B MORE ROUGH AND TUMBLE THAN YOUR UAL GAY STEREOTYPE, HE’S STILL A FAIRLY SENSIVE BOY. BUT THERE’S NOTHG SENSIVE ABOUT THE MICKEY CHARACTER, A HORRIFYGLY VLENT YOUNG THUG WHO WAS AS LIKELY TO PUNCH IAN AS HE WAS TO KISS HIM. JT LAST SEASON, MICKEY LIVERED THIS HEART-BREAKG BEAT DOWN.THE ARE SRED, OPPRSED BOYS WHO OFTEN KISS THROUGH BROKEN FAC. BUT THE PAST FEW EPISOS, MICKEY HAS STARTED TO THAW. PART OF THIS IS DUE TO THE PA OF LOSG IAN TO A SHORT-LIVED (AND ILLEGAL) STT THE ARMY. ANOTHER PART IS IAN’S VOLVEMENT THE GAY-CLUB AND PROSTUTN SCENE. WE’RE NOT NECSARILY SUPPOSED TO SEE THIS AS A HEALTHY CISN FOR IAN. BUT THE EEDOM AND RELIEF MICKEY FEELS KISSG IAN PUBLIC WHOUT REPRISAL, OR BEG TOLD HE’S “LUCKY” TO HAVE IAN AT AN AFFLUENT GAY MIXER, IS EYE-OPENG AND EMBOLNG FOR THE POOR KID. IT WAS ALL LEADG UP TO LAST NIGHT’S G-OUT MOMENT.WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PRSG AND DISTURBG SCENE OF A FATHER BEATG THE LIFE OUT OF HIS SON WAS, ULTIMATELY, UPLIFTG. THE BOYS AGA KISSG THROUGH BROKEN FAC.MOST POPULARINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDAND JT LIKE THAT… HERE’S WHAT WE NEED SEASON 3BY HILLARY BISOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALL(VIA)BUT THIS TIME WH GRS.(VIA)TO PRAISE THE BLOODY, GHT RELATNSHIP OF MICKEY AND IAN IS NOT TO DIMISH OTHER, LS DRAMATIC PICTNS. THERE ARE A LN WAYS TO BE GAY AMERI AND NONE OF THEM ARE WRONG. MICKEY’S THUGGISH, STREET TOUGH IS A NATURAL PROGRSN OM CHARACTERS LIKE OMAR ON THE WIRE, AND LIKE EVERY CHARACTER ON SHAMELS, HE AND IAN ARE ALLOWED TO BE BETIFUL DISASTERS WHO ARE BOTH HARD TO LOVE AND IMPOSSIBLE TO RIST. THIS IS DUE, NO SMALL PART, TO THE AMAZG PERFORMANC OM NOEL FISHER AND CAMERON MONAGHAN WHO HAVE GROWN BETIFULLY TO THEIR ROL.AND, LIKE HAS WH MANY OTHER STGGL, SHAMELS HAS FOUND A UNIVERSAL TTH THIS EXTREME. BEG GAY N BE HARD EVERYWHERE AND IS CERTALY HARR ON THE WRONG SIS OF THE CHIGO TRACKS. EVERY PUNCH MICKEY THREW AT IAN WAS REALLY A BLOW AIMED WARD. THAT’S NOT TO EXCE THE ABE (AND MAKE NO MISTAKE, IAN N GIVE AS GOOD AS HE GETS). BUT SOMEHOW, AGAST ALL ODDS, MICKEY AND IAN ME OUT THE OTHER SI CLEAN. IT DON’T MEAN HAPPILY EVER AFTER FOR THEM. IT RARELY DO ON THIS SHOW. BUT DO MEAN THAT AT LEAST NOW, WH ALL THE OTHER MONS VANQUISHED, THEY’RE ONLY THEIR OWN WORST ENEMI. AND ISN’T THAT THE VERY LEAST WE ALL SERVE?(VIA)JOANNA ROBSON
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