Now Leaving Illinois

Liam has a problem at school that requires Frank to get him out of it. He needs his father to prove that he lives in the district so he can attend and the consequences for not showing up could send Liam into foster care. Liam goes on the hunt but no one knows that Faye got him arrested so he can’t find him.

Faye’s plan has been one of vengeance to make up for her lover’s incarceration. It would be poetic justice for him to do time for drug possession but in their time together she didn’t surmise the heights of his persuasive talking skill level. In front of the judge, he worms his way out of years of prison into community service and court-appointed rehab. Faye watches this happen and manages not to create a scene but there is no way she is going to leave Frank alone. At rehab, Frank witnesses the great change in clientele since he’d last been in. A lot of young white people and a very nice facility. No drugs for detox though, just talk therapy. Frank is in his element here, getting a captive audience to tell his stories to. He finds a kindred spirit-a young man in withdrawal-and decides to become his mentor. For a cost of course. Frank wants his commissary account regularly topped off and his protege’s parents have money.

Carl’s assignment with the garbage collection guys turns out to be one of surveillance. Carl witnesses the odd and small (dumpster diving for breakfast) to full-on criminal (shakedowns for money owed). Now the question is, will they just use Carl as a mole or will they give him more active work to do to help eliminate corruption. Knowing local politics (all politics really) I’m sure it won’t be long before Carl could find something gross about the people he’s working for as well.

Deb is absorbed in her lady love world and it quickly becomes more than she bargained for. Karen thinks Deb hooking up with Claudia and Julia is a great thing but the dynamics spin out of control. Julia falls in love with Deb and asks her to Homecoming which Deb has to turn down. Then, Claudia wants Deb to be her personal assistant for great pay but with what’s going on with Julia, that whole environment has gotten dangerous. She’d be around them both all the time which is hard enough to manage the secret affair with Julia. Offended by Deb’s rejection, Julia blackmails her into going to the high school prom.

Ian becomes jealous and annoyed at Mickey so he hits the online dating scene when he gets caught up in trying to show Mickey that he has also moved on. Ian finds a guy who is the total opposite of his taste and the double date at a small concert goes predictably south. Ian fights for his true love, Mickey drops Ian’s poseur date and they come back together. The marriage may well be on for all the right reasons now.

Kev and V continue with their mobile healthcare van when they get word that their twins have reached the next step in the application process for a great kindergarten. The set up is weird though. Parents with kids at the school bid on the prospective couples “at auction” for sponsorship like roles. The idea is that the parents will get to know the new family and report back to the school to give a thumbs up or down on if they are a good fit for the school. Kev and V (after a hilarious introduction) get a crazy bid of $5,000 and in the following first meeting, get a sense that this rich couple are swingers looking for some fun and Kev and V match their tastes. In order to get their twins into this illustrious school, Kev and V prepare themselves for a new experience. Turns out, nope, that’s not what this couple were after. It’s something much grosser.

A Tamietti family meeting has been called and that means since Lip has a kid with Tami, he’s got to go. A death in the family has occurred and the decision comes to give a now vacant home to Lip and Tami. Aunt Oopie passive-aggressively throws shade at the couple in doing so but it’s a big deal. Lip is reluctant because he hates handouts and pity so his response is to more or less avoid talking about it. The house is out of state in Milwaukee and he doesn’t want to leave his family. Tami presses him on simply going to see the house and he agrees. It’s a two hour ride by car (manageable) and the home is in much better condition than either of them thought it would be. It’s small but perfect for a family of 3 and is a huge upgrade from the RV they are currently living in. It’s too good to turn down out of a goofy sense of pride and Lip tells his family he is moving out.

With Fiona leaving last year, Lip would be only the second Gallagher to move far away from home. The second oldest he’s usually been second in command so this is a major deal. With any kind of good news or opportunity that comes up in the Shameless world, there is a 50% chance of it falling apart and Lip stays put. But we are late into the season, there are only two episodes left. That means this could be the big event for the finale. It feels like this has been a possibility for a while now and it makes sense for Lip and Tami.

The other big news: today it’s been announced that Season 11 will be the final season of Shameless. It will start airing late this summer. That puts a lot into context. The seeds for the end are most likely being planted now. How they end this season is going to set up the story arcs for the series finale. Will Lip and Tami be part of it? Hard to tell. As of now, no cast members have said they aren’t returning (filming on this season ended some time ago). We also have the possibility of Mickey and Ian’s relationship making a major progression, that could be a big focus for season 11. Whether they make it to the altar could generate a lot of content and the show ending with them together would wrap up one of the longest and most fan-pleasing stories of the series. With a cast this big, I think the main goal will be to give us the plateau of each Gallagher. I want a clear view of what each one will be moving on to. Leave us knowing that their lives will keep changing, but we won’t be watching them do it any longer.

…and will Frank make it to the end? Should he? The guy has a million lives and organ failure wouldn’t be out of the question with how he’s treated his body since he got the transplant a few years ago. His death would be a major marker in the Gallagher family timeline. He’s been the nexus for the whole show and the reaction and consequences of his death would be interesting to see. There would be a sense of everyone “moving on” after that.