Lip and Fiona pick Ian up from the psych ward, although he is still in denial about his diagnosis. Gus announces he is leaving to go on tour. Frank recovers from his wound and silently plots his revenge on Sammi. Lip convinces Kev to come to the dorms to sell drugs.
The Gallaghers have always done their best to look out for each other. They are the only family they have. Without a strong set of parents to guide them in life, they had to. Everyone in this family has made mistakes but it has always been comforting to know that they each have this family that will protect and fight for them. That quality has gotten slightly more difficult to do because as each Gallagher matures their problems get more complicated and more life-changing. In some cases, it's easy knowing what to do. When the police are looking for Carl, they help him run. Once he gets caught, they all rally together at the police station yelling for him to get a lawyer and not say anything. This family cares about each other and wants to protect each other.But there are other times where being there for the family is a more abstract concept. Ian's bipolar diagnosis is hard on the family. They can only do so much for him while he is denying that he's the same as Monica. They don't know what to do. Debbie can attempt to get new pills for him after he flushes the ones he is released with. Even if she is successful (which she's not), he'll still refuse to take them. Lip is there for his brother when he is released from the psych ward and makes sure that he gets home okay. But he still has to keep living his own life. Going to college is the best thing he can do for the family. If he succeeds there, then it could be proper motivation for the rest of the family. He is trying to make something of himself and get out of the old neighborhood. When he returned over the summer, he wasn't the same person who left it and it terrified him being back there. He could have lost everything because of it. He needs to be at college for himself. Even though he's starting up the "ice cream truck" with Kevin again, it's a very different atmosphere with a different purpose. He needs to raise the money in order to stay in school. He is fighting for not only himself but for his whole family. He's angry at them for not giving him the grant paperwork. But he still recognizes where he needs to be for the family. It sucks that Ian is bipolar and Carl's been arrested. And yet, he can't give up his purpose right now because without it this family is always destined to the life they have been living.
The Gallagher way of life is a disease of sorts as the family so mildly puts it. They are all proud to be Gallaghers but it also comes with the cost of chaos. This family has put up with so much stuff because of Frank and Monica throughout their childhood that they really don't know what happiness and love really is. For the first time, Fiona is with a guy who is genuinely a good guy and she doesn't want to mess it up solely because she's bored with him. She made a huge mistake by sleeping with JimmySteveJack. She is expecting a big fight, passionate sex and then have it all be over with. That is what she is used to. So she doesn't know how to react when Gus - who is a good guy and comes from a normal world - doesn't do that and just wants space to think about himself and this marriage. She wants to give it to him because that's what she thinks he needs. She continues to get in her own way. She needs to fight for this marriage if she wants it to work. She has no clue what this upcoming tour means for the two of them. Does it mean he'll sleep with every groupie that follows them? Will he keep in contact with her? She needs answers and runs to him to get them. But things are still murky between them. It's in a grey area that she simply doesn't know what to do with. It's easy for her to decide to move back home in order to be the guardian and protector of the Gallagher family again after all the turmoil with Ian and Carl. It's difficult for her to decide if she wants a future with Gus or not.
Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl and Liam are fighting to keep their family unit together. They are growing up and growing apart. But they are a family that will always be together. By now, they are used to Frank or Monica suddenly coming back into their lives, promising change and then destroying their lives all over again. It's a vicious cycle that doesn't seem like it will ever end. But now, the newest complication is Sammi - who is getting more deranged as this season progresses. She is so desperate for family love that she shot Frank just to get him to admit that he loves and needs her. Sammi was able to look over the Gallagher house while Fiona was spending all of her time with Gus. But Sammi could not replace Fiona as the head of this household no matter how much she tried. Simply put, Sammi is not a part of the Gallagher family. She's realized what it means to bear that name this season and how unreliable Frank is with every promise he makes. However, she doesn't know what it means to be a good sister to her half-siblings. All Sammi cares about is herself and Chuckie. That bond isn't dissimilar to the rest of the Gallagher family. But it does come at the expense of everyone else. Sammi really doesn't care what happens to Carl. After Carl and Frank use Chuckie to get back at Sammi, she is happy to give up Carl to the police. She has no loyalty to this family. To her, they are just an extra complication to deal with while trying to forge a bond with Frank.
Frank has always been the instigator of chaos within this family. His drinking has been dangerous to the minds of his children. By now, they have all turned against him. Sammi chose to act out and force him to care about her and her son. It wasn't a real declaration of love. The only person Frank cares about is himself. He has a willingness to play along but only until he can force this situation with Carl and Chuckie into a much bigger deal. It's a despicable act for Frank to do. Carl helps because he wants to be in the good graces of his new drug dealer boss. But Frank doesn't care about the trouble that Carl may get in. He just wants something to happen to Chuckie that will force Sammi's attention and affection away from him. Her love is dangerous to him. He just wants to celebrate his new lease on life by working his new liver just as hard as his last one. The rest of the Gallaghers are at the police station fighting and worrying about Carl. Frank is at the Alibi getting hammered like the rest of the patrons. He doesn't care about the family. It's nothing new for the character. And yet, it remains just as devastating every time one of his actions forces Fiona and the rest of the family to react with such severity.
Some more thoughts:
- "Uncle Carl" was written by Krista Vernoff and directed by Wendey Stanzler.
- For the bulk of the episode, Mickey doesn't know how to be there for Ian. After seeing him heavily medicated in the psych ward, he's at a loss for how to deal with this situation. So instead, he's angrily drinking and lying around the house - which Debbie very accurately points out is the exact same thing Frank would always do. Fortunately for Ian and the Gallaghers, Mickey is not Frank and finally does see Ian again. The only thing he can do is be there for Ian and that's exactly what he does.
- Vee and Svetlana have a fantastic heart-to-heart about the change that happens following the birth of a baby. Vee has been upset all season long that Kev has changed so much since Amy and Gemma were born. She's felt neglected but Svetlana points out that it's a good thing that one of them changed for the sake of the babies. They just have to learn how to accept their new reality.
- Fiona needs Vee and Kev to work out because they are her symbol of a happy and strong couple. Sure, she's projecting a lot of her issues onto Vee. But Vee is also foolishly going out on a date with her high school boyfriend who basically only wants to have sex with her.
- Carl has a twisted take on what mental illness really is. It's easy to see why Ian would believe Carl would be the one diagnosed with all these problems. He's always shown these violent and disturbed tendencies. But there's much more to this disease than the major extremes that Carl recognizes.
- The show hasn't really focused on the gentrification storyline so much in recent weeks. So, it felt odd when one of the Lisas popped up as she was forming a community garden next to the Gallagher house and wanted them to take down their pool.
- After seeing what Kermit and the rest of the bar regulars did, how in the world is the Alibi still in business?
- Carl: "Don't shoot I'm white!" This line felt somewhat out of place and yet I also get a sense that it's something Carl would totally say.
