The Gallaghers have returned! All is right with the world. Well, maybe not in the Gallagher world. For the most part, the clan is doing its best at following the “rules” of society, but it doesn’t mean they’re blissfully happy. Something seems to be a bit off for each of them. It’s not all bad news though, Kevin and Veronica are expecting! And, it’s not just the baby from Veronica’s mom, but V has a little baby growing inside her as well.

The episode debuted a significantly less chaotic Gallagher family. Ian and Frank are missing. Lip is off to school. Financially, they’re a little better off. Fiona sarcastically comments that they’re “creepin’ up on the poverty line.” Mornings aren’t the usual chaotic, yet symbiotic, mess that they usually are. However, I’m quite sure that this is just the calm before the storm.

Mickey is worried about Ian, but can’t express it. Instead, he’s dealing with his pregnant wife, a lack of funds thanks to his wife’s low-paying prostituting, and hiding his true self. Debbie is worried about Ian, but is currently a little more intrigued by the older, opposite sex. The lovely little sequence of her and Fiona getting ready at the same time proved Debby is growing up. Her friends and her are selling their virginity to the highest bidder online. With a price tag of $1 million on her virginity, no one is bidding. This might not matter considering she’s caught the attention of a high school boy.

Lip, well, Lip’s dealing with being pretty much a little nobody on a big campus. His grades aren’t what he expected, his work-study job is less than appealing, and, overall, he’s an outsider. He’s still bending and breaking the rules here and there, but not to the same extent as before. It seems as though he’s actually trying to stay out of major trouble. I’m pretty positive this will be short-lived. He can only take so much before he retaliates Lip-style. Can’t wait for that!

Poor, Sheila. She’s so lonely that she cleans the Gallagher house on a daily basis. The scene of her preparing and eating dinner alone is quite heartbreaking. She is all alone. Pretty much everyone she gave her love to has abandoned her.

Fiona hasn’t heard from Jimmy. No word. No text. No call. Nothing. She’s trying to move on with Mike, who just so happens to be her boss. She’s even taking it slow with Mike, although it’s not really her choice. She’s been at her job for 3 months and is now available to use benefits, which is an experience she’s never had. Unfortunately, this too may be short-lived. Although, on paper, the Gallaghers seem to be doing better, I’m not quite sure they actually are doing better than before.

As Kev predicted, Frank returned. Well, Tony carried him back into the house after find him in an abandoned building. Either way, Kev was right, “No, he’ll be back. Frank’s a cockroach. You can stomp on him, spray him, try and drown him, but he always comes crawling back up out of the toilet bowl.” Thanks to Carl’s diligence, Frank is staying at the Gallagher’s, much to Fiona’s dismay. Unable to drink alcohol, Frank has found less conventional ways to get a bit of alcohol into his system.

Oddly enough, they put the Gallaghers function in dysfunctional. They make it work when they’re doing their own thing, but following the “rules” just isn’t working for them. Hopefully, I’m correct and this is short-lived. If so, it’s sure to be a crazy season with the Gallaghers.

image: Showtime