Ep 3. Aunt Ginger

Frank Gallagher is a drunk and a deadbeat dad, but it seems like he may have finally hit rock bottom in Shameless season 1 episode 3, "Aunt Ginger." After their house is condemned, the Gallagher family is stuck living in a tent in their backyard, which is not only dangerous but also humiliating for the family. To make matters worse, child protective services has caught wind of their situation and is threatening to get involved.

Fortunately, Frank may have stumbled onto a solution. He remembers that his aunt Ginger (who the family believed to be dead) left him her house when she passed away. The only problem is that Ginger's house is still standing in the middle of the city, and the Gallaghers have been using her social security checks to fund their lifestyle for years. To claim the house and the money, the family will need to produce a notarized death certificate, which they do not have.

So, Frank enlists the help of his girlfriend Sheila and her agoraphobic mother Karen to create a fake death certificate for Ginger. Meanwhile, the rest of the family tries to clean up the house and make it habitable so they can move in. But as they begin to uncover some of Ginger's secrets (including a creepy stash of dolls), they realize that Aunt Ginger may not have been as she seemed.

As the family prepares to move into their new home, they must also keep up appearances for the social worker who is coming to check on them. Juggling the secrets surrounding Ginger's death and their own dysfunctional family life proves to be a challenge, but Frank is convinced that this is their chance to turn their lives around.

In addition to Frank's storyline, we also see some development for the other Gallagher siblings. Fiona struggles to balance taking care of her siblings with her job at a grocery store, and she also begins to develop feelings for a coworker. Lip joins forces with Karen (who has a vendetta against her abusive husband) to break into her house and wreck havoc. Meanwhile, Ian begins to explore his sexuality, as he feels drawn to a guy he meets at the gym.

Overall, "Aunt Ginger" is a quintessential episode of Shameless, as it showcases the Gallagher family's ability to come together and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, while still maintaining the show's trademark blend of humor and heart.