A Beautiful Mess

"A Beautiful Mess" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name.

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.

In the episode, Frank realizes his days at the Jackson household are numbered, while Debbie hosts a slumber party for her friends.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.37 million household viewers and gained a 0.7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.

A woman named Lucy (Brit Morgan) arrives at the Gallagher house with a baby, wanting to talk to Fiona (Emmy Rossum).

Lip (Jeremy Allen White) has sex with Mandy (Emma Greenwell), and upon realizing she will sleep with anyone, gets her to try to seduce Jody (Zach McGowan).

Alston disliked the "overly broad" conflict between Fiona and Craig's wife, calling it "the most disappointing element of the episode.

"[4] Tim Basham of Paste gave the episode a 8.1 out of 10 and wrote, "Comedy thrives on the unexpected, those times when every day life collides with sudden change.

"[5] Kevin Fitzpatrick of TV Overmind wrote, "'A Beautiful Mess' does a strong job in highlighting the ways in which the Gallagher children fall into behavorial habits of their father, Fiona most visibly, but it'll be interesting to see going forward what Lip does with Karen's revelation and ultimatum to stay away.

"[6] Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Just when you think Karen can't shock you anymore, she goes and drops that bomb!