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Shameless season seven is officially in the books, with the season finale, titled “Requiem for a Slut”, aired on Sunday night, December 18th, 2016. The episode was centered around Monica’s death, and how Gallagher family dealt with its aftermath. There was some serious tension at times between several family members, most notably Fiona and Frank (no surprise there), but also some serious bonding moments as well. The episode also saw the highly anticipated return of Carl Gallagher!

While the finale did not really end on a cliffhanger, as the finale real scene had Carl and Frank admiring a spray painted “Monica” that Carl put up on a graffiti covered wall, there are still plenty of questions as fans await Shameless season eight. One of those questions would be, will there be a season eight of one of Showtime’s biggest series? The answer appears to be yes, as Emmy Rossum has resolved her salary issues, and season eight does appear to be a go!

Now May seems to be long ways away. So as I mentioned above, there are still questions aplenty as Shameless season seven has come to a close. So let’s check out five questions that Shameless fans can think over in the coming months as we wait to see our favorite Gallaghers back on the small screen.

Did Fiona get played?

Well, Fiona has made another major purchase. Following the success she had financially from buying and then selling the laundromat, Fiona was given another opportunity in the real estate world. She has purchased some shabby apartments from a man named Ryan, in hopes of turning a profit once again. But I cannot help but think Ryan was anything more than a con-artist who Fiona is going to be cursing out by the time episode one of season eight comes rolling around.

Now while it was surely a happy scene to see Fiona running towards the building with the keys in her hands towards the end of the episode, we cannot forget, she is a Gallagher. And things never go smooth for a Gallagher. When Ryan first met Fiona, she essentially admitted to him she made her profit off beginners luck. He could have easily seen this as an opportunity to sell a crap piece of property for way more than it was worth. He seduced Fiona and laid on the charm to help sell the deal. When he went over all the reviews, he was moving extremely fast, and I cannot help but think he just wanted to make this deal as quick as possible. So will we return to learn Fiona made a terrible mistake, or will her luck in property purchases continue?

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Will Ian be able to resolve his issues with Trevor?

As we head into season eight of Shameless, it is clear what Ian’s story line will be. The story between Ian and Trevor seems far from over, and Ian will surely attempt to get him back. But how will Trevor respond to those attempts remains to be seen. Trevor did show up to Monica’s viewing, showing he is not totally pissed at Ian. But his absence from the post-viewing festivities paired with the conversation between Ian and Fiona does tell us he is certainly not ready to forgive Ian.

Having Ian cheat on Trevor with Mickey, only to have Mickey drive off into Mexico surely set things up for complications. Fans seemed to be quite receptive of Trevor, who was introduced this season, so keeping him around does appear likely. But with so many characters coming and going, it is by no means a lock that Trevor becomes a staple moving forward. Just look at Caleb (remember Caleb?). He was Ian’s boyfriend for the majority of season six, only to get tossed aside after one episode of season seven. With Mickey still out there, will Trevor suffer the same fate? Or will he become Ian’s main man moving forward?

Are we going to lose Carl to his military career?

While season seven was solid, it was missing one key part for roughly half the season: Carl. Carl was gone for way too long as he was off in military school, only to return in the season finale thanks to Monica’s death. But what comes next? Will he return to school and disappear once again? I sure hope not. There have been no reports of Ethan Cutkosky, who plays Carl, leaving the show, which is certainly a positive sign. With Carl appearing to have turned a corner in his life, how will they spin it to have him back in Chicago full-time?

Or will he return to school and we will follow him this time? That seems unlikely, as the show does not go out-of-town much. Plus that would mean he is not interacting with any other of our favorite characters, which means he is going to have to leave school if he is to remain on the show one would imagine. Carl’s story is surely one of those that is the most up in the air, and we can only hope that does not mean his screen time gets cut since we missed him way too much this past season.

Will Debbie leave Neil for someone at welding school?

Speaking of a Gallagher going to school, Debs appears to be following up on her desire to go to welding school. Late in the episode, she was seen with a welding mask on, and as she lifted her mask, she certainly made some serious eye contact with a gentleman who could very well be her teacher. The two exchanged a look that the cameras certainly focused on, and this guy will certainly be a part of season eight.

But what does that mean for Neil? Debbie appeared to be happy with Neil, but will she grow tired of being with someone who cannot fulfill all of her needs? Neil was certainly an entertaining character that was added this season, but his time could certainly be in jeopardy if Debbie hits it off with Mr. Welding. Will this guy be turned off upon learning the fact that Debs has a baby? And on a slight side note, will Debbie really follow through on this whole welding school dream? Plenty of questions are in the air right now thanks to the small clip we got of Debbie at welding school.

Has Lip finally gotten himself on the right path?

Season seven was a rough one for Lip. There were so many missed opportunities as Lip appeared poised to become Frank 2.0. But the season finale appeared to put Lip back on the path to a potentially happy future. First off, he finally appears to be taking AA seriously, mostly thanks to his new friend, Brad. In addition, Sierra also appears to be giving him another chance, meaning Lip could have someone to lean on if the going gets tough again. Finally, Lip appears to be giving some serious thought to returning to college, which is something everyone else has tried to get him to do ever since he got kicked out.

But as I mentioned with Fiona earlier, Lip is still a Gallagher, and things never go smoothly for a Gallagher. Lip has gone through plenty of ups and downs over the course of the series, so a stretch of good fortune would certainly be nice to see. But his return to school will certainly come with challenges. And those challenges will surely make him want to take a drink or two. So season eight will likely see him attempt his comeback while fighting the demons within in an effort to not relapse. But we can never rule out the possibility of the show throwing us, and Lip, a curveball. But here is to hope that Lip finally has his drinking under control for good.

This is just the tip of the iceberg too. The coming Sundays will have an unfortunate void, as there will be no Shameless to entertain us. This time will be spent pondering what is to come in 2017. We will surely be pondering plenty after the ups and downs the Gallaghers went through in season seven.

What questions do you have after the Shameless season seven finale? Tell us in the comments!