Season 5 turned out to be a really solid 16 episodes. Things started off with a bang with the escape from Terminus and they managed to keep every episode important regardless of action and death content.

This show walks on a very precarious line every week. The gore hounds want carnage all the time, so a “slower” episode often gets derided as being boring or that “nothing happened.” Something always happens though, you have to pay attention. There’s great character insight and change. Going from a death trap to the brutal environment of wandering the land took it’s toll on everyone. There were major reveals, major internal strife in the group and some very big character losses.

Alexandria itself was like adding a new character. Reintegration into a fledgling, normal society is not easy. PTSD skews everything into darkness.  There’ s a lot there to be wary of, but a lot of that was from the baggage the group brought in with it. “Being out there too long” was the best way to put it. Big Bad Rick made serious waves and although his explosion was extreme, it was needed. I think Carol stole this season, she went through it all this year. Rambo Carol at the start, to my favorite, Incognito Carol at the end. Loved seeing Morgan! He’s like this old thread weaved into the show that may finally get his time. He’s changed a lot and might be the ground that Rick needs.

Through the madness, humanity was (mostly) held down in the end. Both Sasha and Glenn held it together when pushed. Gabriel, a ghost of a man, admitted his trauma and defeat out loud. Rick was proved right.

Major set ups for next season are well established and look to offer up some serious juice. The power at Alexandria is likely to shift, I’m looking forward to see how Morgan is used too. The Wolves are going to bring back the external group threat to the show. The later half of this season was really internal “We are the walking dead,” but this group should bring some serious external terror back. Nothing quite like really good antagonists to stir up the pot.

Drugs Actually

The season is coming in for a landing and some plot lines are coming to a conclusion, a lot of stuff happened that I didn’t foresee, really fun episode from start to finish. Some fantastic acting too.

First, I’ll talk about The Snitch as it was the biggest mindblower for me last week. I thought the revenge plot would kick things off, but it was a much slower burn. Everyone is mad as hell, but Sammi stuffed the first encounter easily. Guns can do that. Deb seemed to really relish in coming up with a revenge plan, but Mickey jumped ahead of her a bit. Pretty disturbing to see Mickey react so casually to killing someone, but he’s not exactly a good person. I think this was the first major event for Mickey and Deb to handle together, they usually don’t get much screen time together. Putting her in her moving stuff seems like a rather cross your fingers plan, but good news for Sammi as she woke up mid move. Will she rear up next week or just take it as the final shot from her half-family?

V and Kev duked it out for most of the episode, but it looks like our favorite neighbors are going to hold it together. It was great to see them happy together at the end for the first time in awhile.

Sean and Fiona have such on screen chemistry, it’s amazing. Their diner scene was great to see play out. It’s hard to believe Fiona and Gus have any future together as they just don’t match up any more. Sean and Fiona may be a bad together from having the exact same serious flaws, but that might be what actually keeps them together in the end. There’s no break in period for broken  people, it’s more like common ground. Are they strong enough to keep bailing out all the water that keeps filling their boat? Much like seeing V and Kev happy, it was nice to see Fiona smile and be happy with someone.

It’s a trip to see Frank uncomfortable about the debauchery that keeps him going. He really loves Bianca and didn’t see what was going between them. She’s been racing to the end of a bridge where he’s been mindful of when to jump out of the car to just get scraped up. He’s been near death before but always had the spark to fight back. Bianca being terminal, has been using Frank’s corruption as a farewell party. His conscious actually kicked in for once (crack is bad for the immune system). I thought for sure she was going to leave him in the dust, but you can’t keep a charmer down for long. It’s been a blast to see them interact and now I’m wondering if Frank will literally help her to the end. Could she convince him to help her commit suicide? I’m having a hard time read her, she’s so adamant not to get any treatment, but will she even wait until she feels really sick? She’s been living like there is no tomorrow. Hmmm…

As much encourgement Lip has gotten (and needs) to elevate his life by applying himself and “getting out,” he really got a glimpse of the other side of the fence. The relationship with Helene is weird enough as it is (the reaction from her husband about the tie was a real red flag. Oh and Norbert too if I’m reading that one right). Those roots to royalty are really being put to the test has he was in the thick of the gentrification. He punched back at it, but I don’t know how he’s going to react going forward. It’s going to get really weird.

That leaves us with Ian. That meeting at the Army base was brutal. He’s sitting at the head of the table while his brother and sisters are trying to help get him cleared of wrong doing by basically an insanity plea. He must have felt like he was being eaten alive. I felt so bad for him. Shocked to see Monica let alone the news that they’ve been talking. Who else could he talk to though? Like he said, she understands. Amazing scene with them talking through the glass. Chloe Webb is an incredible actress, just amazing stuff bringing that intense writing to life. It’s this kind of touchy and on the fringe material being done so well that elevates Shameless above all other shows.

Next week is the season finale, I’m both looking forward to and dreading it.