# O Captain, My Captain (Shameless)

"O Captain, My Captain" is the ninth episode of the tenth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 119th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Philip Buiser, and directed by Anthony Hardwick. It originally aired on Showtime on January 5, 2020.
The series is set on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, and depicts the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a neglectful single father of six: Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam. He spends his days drunk, high, or in search of money, while his children need to learn to take care of themselves. The family's status is shaken after Fiona chooses to leave. In the episode, Frank uncovers a tragic revelation to his connection to Faye. Meanwhile, Ian tries to reconnect with Mickey following their break up, while Debbie struggles in taking care of Claudia's daughter.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.77 million household viewers and gained a 0.23 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received mixed reviews from critics, with many criticizing the incomplete nature of the subplots.

## Plot

As Ian (Cameron Monaghan) recovers from his leg wound, he sees that Mickey (Noel Fisher) has already found a new boyfriend; a man named Byron (Adam Farabee). Mickey then decides to move out of the Gallagher household, despite Ian's attempts to fix their relationship.
Faye (Elizabeth Rodriguez) continues keeping Frank (William H. Macy) as a hostage in the house. She offers him drugs and alcohol if he correctly guesses the answers to questions from his past with Kyle, her convicted boyfriend. When Frank finally declares that he is responsible for Kyle's conviction, Faye makes him consume large quantities of opioid and drops him off at a car. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) and Tami (Kate Miner) find that they are indebted to the hospital, but Lip prefers to just not pay the bills. Later, Lip tries to return a woman's money at an ATM, but a thief steals the money. To pay the bills, Lip gets a big job at the shop. Aunt Oopie (Mary Kay Place) goes missing, leaving Fred without a babysitter.
After a sexual encounter, Claudia (Constance Zimmer) asks Debbie (Emma Kenney) if she can pick up her daughter Julia (Alison Jaye) from school. Julia has no respect for Debbie, even calling her a prostitute, and accuses her of polluting the planet. While Debbie grows frustrated with her, she realizes that Claudia often makes bad comments about her body. She takes her to eat burgers, but is shocked when Julia kisses her. Veronica (Shanola Hampton) establishes a medical aid service for people at the bar, hoping she can make a difference. She and Kevin (Steve Howey) are astounded when a woman brings her daughter to get an abortion, so she supplies her with an abortion pill. To get more pills, they write the subscriptions to her elderly patients, but are shocked when they are visited that night by more women asking for the abortion pill.
Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) trains his new cadets at home, teaching them how to attack and react under stress. While Carl is proud of his cadets' improvements, his boss reveals that many of the trainees ended up at the hospital, and asks him to take it easier on them. Ian and Liam (Christian Isaiah) steal Oopie's credit card to buy a ring, hoping to win Mickey back by finally marrying him. He shows up at his new apartment, but he just gives him the ring, claiming this will be a promise for a better future. Ian leaves, and the proposal is unresolved.

## Production
### Development

The episode was written by supervising producer Philip Buiser, and directed by Anthony Hardwick. It was Buiser's fourth writing credit, and Hardwick's first directing credit.

## Reception
### Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "O Captain, My Captain" was seen by an estimated 0.77 million household viewers with a 0.23 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.23 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a 11% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 0.86 million household viewers with a 0.26 in the 18–49 demographics.

### Critical reviews

"O Captain, My Captain" received mixed reviews from critics. Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "While the show's decline can be attributed to a variety of factors, the truth is that the choice to divide the show's focus is what pulled us away from the parts of the show that worked best, and their reappearance in a section of this episode is unlikely to be a sign of a larger trend."
Daniel Kurland of Den of Geek gave the episode a 2.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote "“O Captain, My Captain” isn't necessarily a bad episode of Shameless, but it just feels like a fraction of an episode. All of the decisions made are appropriate, but the progress is so incidental (other than Debbie's storyline) that there's nothing to really get excited over here. Shameless isn't a series that all about its plot progression, but this episode in particular feels like it spins its wheels with old ideas when it should be trying to look forward." Meaghan Darwish of TV Insider wrote "Trouble seems to follow the Gallaghers wherever they go and this week's episode is no exception."