Both of these points are valid.

Anyone else notice the name of the bank teller who talks to Ian and Mickey was Fiona? I wonder if that's part of what spurred his decision to go back.

I know! Apart from embracing his relationship with Ian out in the open, Mickey eventually coming to terms with his role as Yevgeny's father after showing no interest whatsoever in his birth was one of his best character arcs.

That's fair, I guess I was mostly thinking back to season 2 when she mentions visiting him in "juvie" (which, lol—Noel Fisher was definitely like 30). I'd love another Mandy cameo in any case!

Right?!?! heh

I find Frank's storylines unwatchable most of the time—I skipped pretty much all of his scenes in season 5 and 6—but damn he and Monica are fantastic to watch together. Not only is there the sense of Gallagher mythos there, which we're automatically invested in because of its continuing effect on their kids, but…

Wow, I consider myself a pretty hardcore Shameless fan and even I'm struggling to remember who Danielle is. So many exes! And I'd definitely add Dominique to your list, too, btw.

When Mickey said he had nothing to go back for, his family never gave a fuck about him, I couldn't help thinking WHAT ABOUT MANDY??? Their relationship was adversarial at times, sure, but they always seemed close. Wouldn't she have visited him in prison like she did in previous seasons? And there was at least one…

YES YES THIS

Same! Scam artists spidey senses going off big time. Be careful, Fi!

I think the writers introduced Trevor more as a concept (Ian learns about trans issues!) than an actual character. They've had some okay scenes together, but I've never felt remotely invested in that relationship. Same with Caleb, Kash, etc.

Etta was a surprisingly strong addition to the season for such a seemingly tertiary character. Her purpose was obviously to give the audience insight into Fiona's head space and decision making process, and I thought it worked better than expected. That dance scene with the two of them last week laid bare such raw…

Ugh, now I'm remembering just how much I hated the Estefania storyline.

Agreed. I just hope this latest investment doesn't lead to her economic downfall.

Yeah, that actually didn't really surprise me too much. Of all the crazy shit this show has pulled, Mickey driving across that particular border undetected is pretty plausible. I've driven through both the Mexican and Canadian borders and Canada has much tighter security on the U.S. side. Mexico more or less waves you…

Well, I laughed quite a bit tonight, at least, especially at the scene with the spiked drinks. That's something.

Frank's survival past season 4 is (frankly) ridiculous on every level. Obviously it's the show's choice to keep his character around indefinitely, but it's also not hard to just avoid absurd storylines like last minute transplants, etc. In the British version, Frank stays on for comic relief and occasional…

As much as I often enjoy other characters (Kev, Carl, Debbie until relatively recently) Fiona and Lip are the show for me, more or less, with the rest of the cast playing off them. Their acting is consistently top notch and as the two oldest siblings, they have the most complicated history with their parents, and it…

Agreed. Especially considering Ian's past experiences with law enforcement during his manic episodes.

That's a good way of putting it, actually, but I don't mind Monica. She *is* a good emotional accelerant for the other characters, as Myles pointed out, especially for Fiona (and to a lesser extent Lip, her "favorite" who has called Frank the good parent in comparison but also has a history of falling for girls who…