Shameless: What to expect in Season 7

Well Shameless fans, it is just over a month away until season seven on the hit Showtime series returns to the small screen. And with it will come plenty more Gallagher hi-jinks no doubt. Last season ran our favorite Chicago family through the typical ups and downs, leading to plenty of intrigue going forward.

Fiona had her wedding day ruined. Ian fought for an EMT position. Carl went from thug to trying to impress a police officer. Lip may or may not have gone to alcohol rehab. Debbie had a baby. Frank ended up in a freezing river. And Kevin, Veronica, and Svetlana formed one big relationship.

So with all of that now behind us, season seven is set to feature more exciting, hilarious and downright entertaining storylines. So what exactly does this season have in store for the Gallaghers and their friends? Let’s find out.

Fiona

Fiona does not exactly have the best record with men in her life. Jimmy-Steve was a criminal and a liar, but he was also the best thing Fiona has ever really had. Mike, aka the cup guy, simply was not a good personality fit for Fiona. Gus and Fiona rushed a marriage that ended with a Jimmy-Steve re-emerging only to sleep with Fiona then ride off on his motorcycle. And then came Sean.

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Things looked to be going in the right direction for Sean and Fiona. But then Frank had to ruin it all and reveal Sean’s big secret: He had been using drugs again, behind Fiona’s back. This led to him walking away on their wedding day, leaving Fiona a complete mess. That added on top of the failed marriage with Gus is sure to weigh down on the head of the Gallagher household.

This season, I would expect to see a more independent Fiona. She is going to need some time to herself following her collapsed relationship with Sean. With her family growing older, they do not need her as much. So she cannot simply try to inject herself into any of their lives. So look for Fiona to find a new hobby and not a new man.

This could very well turn out to be in the form of her job. Fiona could find herself working long days, every day just to keep herself occupied and not thinking about Sean. But will stay at Patsy’s Pies help her forget Sean, or simply remind her of him? That remains to be seen.

If she were to inject herself into another family members life, it could very well be Debbies. Deb is not going to be able to handle little Franny on her own. So even if it is a one or two episode arc, I would not be surprised to see Fiona on baby sitting duty. But one thing is a safe bet, and that is Fiona is not likely to be attached to any man this season. At least not in any significant, long-term way.

Frank

As has been the case at many points over the course of the first six seasons, Frank is set to be at odds with his family this season. First off, he ruined Fiona’s wedding, causing nearly the entire family to be downright furious with him. This resulted in them dumping him off a bridge into a freezing river.

It sounds like the season will have Frank waking up from a coma following that event, and he is not going to be a happy camper. Expect to see him try and get revenge on every single person who dropped him off of that bridge. And I have to say, that leads to some pretty entertaining possibilities.

Frank is a schemer and a drinker, and this season should feature plenty of both. Kev may very well cut him off from the Alibi Room. But we know Frank will find a way to get his booze. The thought of seeing Frank sneak into the Alibi in the middle of the night to drink as much of Kev’s alcohol is just too priceless to pass up.

And since the majority of the family was on the bridge, I expect a seen between Frank and every one of them throughout this season. Whenever Frank is on screen it is usually crude, and also highly entertaining. Having him going after his own children is good possibility, and one with plenty of potential.

Ian

Poor Ian may be the most messed up Gallagher, but he is also the one moving in the right direction. It appears he has his EMT job back, as well as a steady relationship with Caleb. But there are plenty of signs that things could go south, and fast. And considering he is a Gallagher, I would venture to guess that is a safe bet.

Ian and Caleb seem to be extremely happy. But Caleb is HIV positive, and they did not throw that out there last season for no reason. Expect some point this season to learn Ian has also become HIV positive. And that could very well put his job as an EMT at risk. If Ian lost his job because of that, after fighting to get it back after the whole bipolar ordeal, expect him to lose it.

Next let’s factor in one of the skeletons in Ian’s closet, since past skeletons were referenced in season six. The skeleton I am referring to, is the porno Ian made a few seasons back. Now there is no guarantee this comes back up, but if it did, I would imagine it could put a serious hurting on the relationship between Ian and Caleb. Their relationship is going to take a turn for the worse, because it would not be Shameless if it did not.

I also want to add in the potential for a Mickey return. Noel Fisher is no lock to be returning, but let’s say he makes a special guest appearance late in the season to show he is out of prison. This would throw a major monkey wrench into Ian’s life. Ian is happy right now, but season seven is going to bring him more speed bumps. And the majority of those will likely come in relation to his relationship with Caleb.

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Lip

Lip had things moving in the right direction. But then he let the Frank inside of him take over, and the abuse of alcohol took over. We last saw him standing outside of an alcohol rehab facility, left to question if he decided to go in or not. I would like to imagine he did, and the answer will certainly be addressed in the beginning of season seven.

Now I cannot imagine him not going through with it. If Lip did not go in, then he starts season seven right were we left him. He has been kicked out of college and has a serious drinking problem. If he went in, then at least he is making an effort to improve his life. Now even if that is the case, he is sure to face his fair share of Gallagher problems in season seven.

Throughout the season he is sure to be tempted by alcohol. Plus he is going to need to find something to do with his life without college. Could we see him attempt to get back into school? Or maybe Lip goes out and attempts to find a job, possibly with Fiona? There are plenty of ways to go with Lip’s story this season. But the one thing I would expect is to see is how rehab has effected him, if at all. Things could get interesting for Lip this season as he tries to figure out what to do with his life moving forward.

Debbie

Debbie is going to have one main focus this season, and that is her newborn daughter, Franny. Debbie gave birth last season, and showed she was not ready to be a mother. So look for her to try to make improvements on that this season. I could certainly see her turning to Kev and V for help, as she is not likely to turn to Fiona on her own.

The stresses of motherhood will likely wear on Deb as the season goes on and on. By the end of the season, we should have a clear idea if Deb is going to continue on caring for Franny, or if she will decide it is in the best interest of her baby to give her up for adoption. A potential curve-ball I could see in this arc is the reintroduction of Sheila.

Sheila always had a thing for babies and children, especially after her daughter Karen proved she wanted nothing to do with her mother. All Sheila wants is to care for someone, and this could be the perfect way to free Debbie up from the motherhood arc.

So I am expected to see Deb struggle throughout the season in caring for Franny. She will turn to Kev and V for some support, and they will ultimately tell her she needs to talk with Fiona. Fiona will give Deb a night off to go have fun, and then they will decide what their next course of action will be. The sisters will decide on adoption being the best for all involved. And then Sheila shows up out of nowhere!

That whole scenario is by no means a guarantee to happen, but it is a logical step forward for Deb, as well as a way to bring Sheila back, even if it is just for an episode or two (Shameless is good at bringing characters back from the past).

Carl

Carl is trying to turn his life around. He is out of Juvie, and trying to have a serious relationship with a girl named Dominique. The problem for Carl, Dom’s father is a police officer who does not like him very much. He spend the latter part of last season trying to impress Dom’s father, making some serious efforts to turn his life around.

So look for this season to progress the Carl and Dom story-line. Carl mentioned last season to her father he would like to become a police officer, so I could certainly see them going that direction as well. Carl is going to do anything he can to impress, but at the end of the day, I do not see it working out. Carl is a Gallagher, and like I mentioned with Ian, that does not bode well.

Carl may try the police idea, but he is bound to realize it is not for him, right? Or he will do something unintentionally to make Dom’s father mad, that he is going to have to break things off with her. This season will start with my favorite Gallagher doing some good, but when the season ends, I would venture to say he will be back to his old ways, in some fashion.

I do not expect him to go back to drug dealing, but he is a psychopath deep down from what we have seen. And that means any relationship is bound to fail. So him and Dom will get a run this season, but do not expect it to last all season. Carl is at his best when he is getting into trouble, so I am hoping to see the bad boy return by seasons end.

Kev, V and Svetlana

Things got interesting between these three last season. When Svetlana said immigration would be coming for her with Mickey in jail, Kev offered to marry her to keep her in town. But that was not possible because he was still technically married (I thought they were able to get his ex-wife to sign the divorce papers a few seasons back but I guess something did not pan out). So Lana and Veronica got married instead.

By seasons end the three had formed one large relationship with one another. Once again, everything seems to be all happy and cheery. But this is Shameless, and that cannot last long. Look for Kev and V to start to become jealous of the others time alone with Svetlana. When all is said and done, Svetlana is likely to be on the outside looking in. Kev and V have been one of the strongest couples on the show, and that is not going to change.

So the question is, will this be the end of Svetlana? I expect her to be out of this relationship by seasons end, leaving her status up in the air. Outside of her relationship with Kevin and Veronica, it is not clear if she would have an arc. So this could be the last season we have of her, although I hope not, as she is always good for a one-liner.

Their children could also come into play this season, as the kids were not really a major factor last season. Season five saw a heavy emphasis on the children of everyone involved, while season six really did not. So parenthood could also play a key role in the arcs for all three characters this year.

Liam

Also let’s not forget about Liam! Liam has not really had much of a story-line over the course of the first six seasons. Is season seven the time we finally get to see him join in on the fun a little more? I would say it is certainly possible he gets a bit more screen time now that he is another year older. My best guess says he will end up in the story-line with Debbie some how.

So what do you expect to see in season seven of Shameless? Are the Gallaghers going to turn things finally around and put their lives in the right direction? My guess is that will be held off one more season, with a potential season eight very possibly being the last. Or maybe this is the end of the line, and we finally see some happy endings for the Gallagher family!

Tell us in the comments what you want and what you expect from season seven! Shameless season seven will premiere October 2nd, 2017.