Fiona's Torn Between Two Lovers, One Of Whom's A Fool

Guy, I think I fell in love with Gus even faster than Fiona did, because I spent this whole episode tensed at the expectation that Fiona was going to make the predictably self-destructive Gallagherian decision to take her chances with the known unknowns Jimmy was offering as opposed to taking a bigger chance with the man she doesn't know as well. Thank you, basically functional Season 5 Fiona, for surprising me in the best way -- and thank you, also, to Lip and Deb and even Sammi for proving that you are able to brave awkwardness in the short term in order to force action that will be better for you in the long run. Let's hope Ian learns how to accept reality and joins you soon.

How's everyone living? Let's rank them from who's having the best week to who's having the worst.

1. Deb
   Worried that Derek has put her in the friend zone based on some actually pretty decent advice from Carl about touches vs. arm punches, Deb tries out the move recommended by one of her already-vanquished foes and touches him on the leg close to his crotch. When he doesn't respond the way she wants -- or at all, really -- she finally gets fed up, decides to quit dicking around trying to be cute, and yells that she likes him and would be a great girlfriend for him. And Derek agrees!
   

   Aw! This is really turning into The Year Of Deb.

2. Carl
   Honestly, doing the right thing (making a show of defending Chuckie at school so he won't get picked on) for the wrong reason (making Chuckie his slave) is a shocking display of altruism for this little punk. And considering that Chuckie's own mother sent him to school in light chinos when she knew he'd been battling diarrhea, one could argue that Carl's actually looking out for Chuckie better than she is.
3. Fiona
   I truly can't applaud Fiona enough for doing every single thing right in this episode. Okay, reasonable people can disagree on whether she needed to tell Gus that she'd slept with Jimmy, particularly if she'd already pretty much resolved not to start anything up with Jimmy again...you know, beyond having slept with him that time. But I guess all the emotional maturity Gus has been modeling for her has actually taught her a few things. She agrees to Gus's request that she set up a meeting among the three of them, and when that...ends (see below), she hears Jimmy's declaration that he's blowing off his big Dubai job for her, and still tells him she can't and won't get back together with him -- and Emmy Rossum really makes us feel Fiona's agony in the moment. Jimmy apparently agrees to her request that he let her go, and then, just in case we were in any doubt as to whether she made the right call (we weren't), Angela rolls up and lets her know Jimmy didn't blow off shit for Fiona: the client cancelled the job that morning.
   

   After this, no more hurting Gus.

4. Gus
   Yes, actually, I do think it's possible to praise Gus for his emotional maturity AND be okay with this.
   

   I wouldn't have stopped at just one punch -- and I don't mean if I were Gus; I mean I want to punch Jimmy, on my own behalf.

5. Kevin & Vee
   I think they're both equally dissatisfied with the compromise that is their trial separation: Kevin's bitterness at Vee's lack of maternal feeling is assuaged by his new roomie Svetlana's performance of "wifely duties" (blowies); and Vee's jealousy of the attention Kevin's been paying to the twins is apparently soon to be assuaged by her getting attention from other men. Say it with me: people who don't want kids shouldn't have kids, and VEE DID NOT AND DOES NOT WANT THOSE KIDS.
6. Lip
   As the daughter of a university registrar, I was very empathetic with Lip's struggle this week. So many lines; so many irritated, anxious kids; so much confused, impotent rage! In fairness to Lip, I really do feel like someone coming into a post-secondary institution should have had a more hands-on advisor to make sure he understood his responsibilities with regard to his grant, but then I guess Lip's transition back into school wouldn't have had any drama? Anyway, the bad news is that Lip has taken out $5000 in credit-card cash advances to keep the wolves from his academic door, and it still isn't enough, and he probably isn't really exaggerating when he says he's ruined his credit. The good news is that he does eventually find the paperwork, so he'll be able to remedy the situation in the long term. I just hope he realizes that his better option to make up the shortfall is to ask Amanda's rich dad to lend it to him instead of entering into some scheme with Mickey.
7. Mickey
   I can't fault him for kicking Svetlana out if for no other reason than that her hair colour-based Ian insults are not even clever. But I also fear that he hadn't exercised this option sooner because she's got something on him that she could still bust out to get back at him. He's also REALLY not doing well without Ian. Poor Mickey.
8. Frank
   Frank pushes his luck with Sammi, and she shoots him. Well, actually, she shoots at him, hitting a big of food bank flour but grazing Frank's arm in the process. But you know what? Good. He needs to learn to stop testing limits now, since he was evidently never made to as a child.
9. Sammi
   She almost won me over in this episode with the way she pushed back at Frank in pretty resourceful ways, like moving his near-comatose ass and the couch it was planted on to the middle of the street -- and, of course, for shooting (at) him. But then she had to let herself get manipulated into giving him a 500th chance and lost me again. Frank will never be the father you want, Sammi. Give up.
10. Ian
    Some of it is the drugs, of course, which have left Ian so confused that he doesn't understand why Yevgeny isn't in the psych ward with him. But his refusal to accept the most likely diagnosis -- that he's bipolar -- is causing pain not just to himself but to everyone around him and especially poor Mickey. I'm not sure a 72-hour hold and that meek psychiatrist are going to get him there. Get this boy a Sean Maguire already, damn!