Filmsane

All right now… The 8th season of Shameless is already underway on Showtime and the Gallagher family is at full peak of shenanigans. They already dag out their mother’s grave in order to retrieve the meth that Fiona Gallagher buried alongside the corpse in the last season.

But that’s not what I’m talking about really. Or that character for that matter. Yes Fiona is great and all, but I want to talk about more recent character. Brad (played by Scott Michael Campbell). Yes Brad was introduced at the end of the previous 7th season of Shameless and he’s really the best character in the entire show. For real! He’s a mechanic that repairs motors for a living, but in a spare time he makes it his business to repair broken souls.

Let me explain.

As a recovering alcoholic he took Lip Gallagher under his wing, made him his sponsor and guided him through his newfound sobriety in and outside of AA meetings. Brad became Lip’s confidant, friend, voice of reason and a moral compass not just in AA… but in his life too. Lip’s messy love life? Brad is here to help. Lips’s crazy family? Brad is there to offer wisdom and advice. Free of judgment. He even tried to help Lip’s professor Youens to beat the bottle and eventually to avoid jail time. Just when you thought some people are beyond help, characters like Brad are there to restore your faith in humanity.

You see… Brad doesn’t do this stuff to for any other reason other than to be helpful. Like he said in the latest (third) episode of the eight season:

Fixing a fellow human being is way better than fixing a bike. It’s how we stay sober. By being of service.

It’s a moral obligation that comes from a place full of empathy and understanding. Because he’s been there done that type of a character and in most chases he’s the Yoda of AA. He knows what the hell is talking about. As an ex alcoholic he’s now sober and wise enough to guide young lost souls (like Lip) through an unfamiliar territory for any newly sober person. How to function without booze on a daily basis. Whether it’s with a daily dose of rational thinking or his tales of his past debauchery, Brad is there not just to show you that he’s probably has done much worse shit than you but he’s there to tell you that you can become a better man. Once you stop drinking and start indulging in a slice of pie instead. You know… One day at a time.

Add to all this the great writing that is done about the character of Brad and the beautiful performance from Scott Michael Campbell in this role, and you have yourself the best supporting character on TV right now. Loyal, straightforward, honest and no BS of a man. I wish I had a similar guidance when I was dealing with my drug of chose, and especially after I quit the booze. I didn’t sadly, but if you’re not familiar with Shameless for that matter, do yourself a favor and binge on this TV show.

Immediately. You’ll thank me later.