The best part of January is here. My absolute favorite TV show is back on! Let’s go to Chicago to see how our Gallaghers are doing since we left them.

“I Only Miss Her When I’m Breathing”

Frank is like a lost puppy! He’s completely devastated from his lover’s death and no one wants to hear it. His obsessive mourning is rather enduring and the montage of him go from religion to religion is great. The Morman bit was hilarious. He’s actually following his strict allowed alcohol intake (6oz every 24 hours)! William H. Macy rules.

Carl is out already! Why not Chuckie? This is going to be a wild year for him. Introducing Nick as his friend is brilliant. There’s a sense of responsibility to it and it taps into his hidden patch of empathy that we rarely see (usually reserved only for Worst of Times Frank). Ethan’s acting game has gone way up recently and it looks like they’re giving him a lot this year. Looking forward to where they take him.

Looks like Fiona is in a good space to start with. We’ll see how long that lasts (looking at you Debbie).

Debbie is going to be the death of me. She’s made all of these massive, way-beyond-her-years decisions based on the logic of a child. She’s got all these plans and is so the pregnancy is going to fix all the holes in her life she doesn’t see the horror wash over Derek’s face at just the thought of being a parent. The Gallagher’s are never afraid to lie, but Debbie trapping Derek takes the cake. It blows up in her face before the end of the premiere, so this is going to get intense. Debbie is going to get a harsh reality check every single episode.

Lip a teacher? Maybe. Lip getting his head spun around by a woman? You betcha.

Ian on the balance beam of keeping it together. Hard to watch (I’m concerned for him the most), but his prison visit to see Mickey is arguably the best scene in the premiere. Equal parts crazy/funny (Svetlana getting Mickey “work”/his tattoo) and horribly sad (“Are you going to wait for me? You can lie to me. Eight years is a long time.”) Cameron and Noel are amazing actors, this scene being a testament to their abilities.

Kevin and Veronica’s kids are a little bit bigger and it looks like Kevin might be on Keeping The Neighborhood Peace duty for awhile. The gentrification plot line from last season ain’t going anywhere. It should be a fun battle to watch unfold.

Great start! I’m expecting another fantastic season.