“We’re all adults. We have to take responsibility for each other.”

Watch out, because Sammi Gallagher will shoot you in the arm if you don’t appreciate her enough. It’s one of the wildest moments of the series thus far, but it’s not completely unexpected for a show like Shameless; after all, it’s clear that the frustration’s been building up over the last few weeks, the tension in the Gallagher household rising with every passing minute. Here, it finally explodes when Sammi pulls the gun on Frank, and as a result, I suspect that the dynamic within the household will not be the same moving forward.

Sammi’s actions there stem from a desire for someone to acknowledge that he needs her, and if we look across the entire episode, we see that acknowledgment–that facing a situation head-on–is a theme that ties many storylines together. For example, Kevin and Veronica would rather not acknowledge that their relationship is coming to an end, and I’m sure that they both realize how much they need each other (personally, I’ve always looked at them as the quintessential Shameless relationship). Elsewhere, Ian has to confront the fact that he might have bipolar disorder and that he “[needs] to participate in [his] treatment”, and we know that this is something that he’s been trying to avoid for quite some time. In a storyline of lesser stakes, Debbie and Derek both finally admit their feelings for each other, and they kiss after Debbie goes on about how great they would be together.

And of course, we also have the Fiona-Gus-Jimmy/Jack/Steve/Charles/James/Ray/John/Mohammed/Demarcus/Thaddeus/etc. triangle going on. Although this episode makes Jimmy out to be a bit too much of a villain, it’s still a nice hour for Fiona’s character development. Regardless of your feelings about Jimmy, it’s still difficult not to be moved by Emmy Rossum and Justin Chatwin in that final scene outside the store; it’s a truly poignant moment for these two characters, and although we don’t know whether Fiona’s words will hold up–“I’m not who I used to be. I used to like the danger.”–it’s a significant moment for her regardless. She’s able to reject Jimmy here, and as he drives off into the night, her “unfinished business” is looking a little more finished.

GRADE: B+

OTHER THOUGHTS:

– “So oral manipulation of penis is okay.” When all is said and done, Svetlana will be the only one left standing.

-I didn’t mention Lip’s storyline in the main review, but I do find it very interesting. Throughout the season, he’s been moving away from the South Side lifestyle, but in the end, it all comes back around to his financial troubles, to his family. In addition, the feeling of being tied down to something is exacerbated when he ends up signing up for Visa cards; good luck with that credit, Lip. Quite a lot of unfinished business here.

-The scene in which Mickey and Fiona visit Ian is terrific. You can see how happy the two are to see Ian, but afterward, you start to see their faces fall as they realize that something is seriously wrong. In addition, the fuzzy ping pong table imagery is nicely done.

-Apparently, the folks at the hospital don’t really give a crap about where the bullet came from. Sammi should probably be in jail right now.

-That’s one way to get dating advice, Debbie. Right now, the Debbie and Carl plots aren’t nearly as compelling as the others, but they still both make for some fairly entertaining moments here and there. It’s also nice to see Debbie in a relationship with someone who is not Matty, although I’m not quite sure how old Derek is…

-A very powerful moment, and yet another great Noel Fisher scene: Mickey and the army jacket.

-Will Jimmy be back?

Photo credit: Showtime, Shameless