Ian's relationship with Caleb gets more serious. Lip is called to appear before a disciplinary committee.
The Gallagher family is severely fractured right now. Without the house to unite them, they have scattered across Chicago. The interactions that they do share are very brief compared to all the time they spent together in the house. They are largely off in their own worlds hoping for maturity and independence but instead being greeted by the harsh realities of life. This is a difficult time for all of them. They are realizing just how much they have depended on each other over the years. It's not enough for the family to rally and buy back the house and celebrate being a family again. They still each have their own struggles that have been complicated by this latest development. But "NSFW" also shows the value in having a family to lean on. This episode doesn't set out to change any of the big and somewhat troubling developments with the characters. But it does focus interestingly on the struggle that they are all facing during this difficult time.Fiona cares the most about losing the house. She's the only one who really seems bothered by no longer being able to live there as a family. Everyone else has been able to move on. She's still cherishing those memories. It's the place where she raised her siblings - for better and for worse. Sean is right to point out that it was also the placed where she was constantly abused by Frank and Monica. But it was still the Gallagher home. As messed up as their lives got, Fiona still believed she was providing for her family inside this house. She has come to realize just how complicated their lives and actions have been as of late. And frankly, some time apart could be a good thing. It takes being separated and living a life of luxury for Carl to realize just how good he had it with the family in the house. It takes being apart for Fiona to realize that she still feels the calling to parent her siblings even though she really wants to just be their sister.
Hope returns to the story when Fiona learns that the house failed every aspect of the inspection and is back on the market. She has a new chance to apply for a loan and win back the house for the family. It's a way for her to hold onto the past as well as her family. She desperately wants that. She has so many memories in this place. She literally has to break back in to steal the closet door where her siblings' heights were recorded. She doesn't want to be a mother right now. But she still wants to look after her siblings. It's foolish for her to think they could all live in this house for many more years. They all need to grow up and depart from one another. But right now, they still need each other. That's what leads Fiona to pursue the loan again in the hopes of securing the stability that comes from the house. If she loses it, it means she is truly an adult who is messing up the lives of her siblings just as much as Frank and Monica did. She has stability in her relationship with Sean. He is there for her in a really supportive of way. He's helping her through this tough time. But it's also a time where she needs a reality check. She needs to see how destructive she was in the time leading up to this eviction.
That presents itself in the return of Gus. Fiona still hasn't officially divorced him yet. So that means she needs to get him to sign a form saying that he has no legal claim to the loan or the house once Fiona gets them. Fiona desperately need him to do this for her. The house means so much to her. And yet, he has no reason to do this for her. She is still holding onto his grandmother's ring. She betrayed him in a very destructive and personal way. He can't just forgive her. He doesn't like her and she needs a favor. To Fiona, he may be a dick right now. But it's very understandable why he doesn't help her out of this situation. It's the kind of tough love that Fiona needs to experience in order to realize just how crazy and unpredictable this whole mess really is.
And yet, it doesn't seem like the show is planning on parting ways with the house for very long. It's all thanks to Carl too. His story in "NSFW" is certainly the most moving thing he has done on the show in a very long time. It shows just how broken Nick really is. He wasn't a bad influence on Carl. All of Carl's new behavior tendencies came from his criminal life leading up to and while in prison. That hardened him and made him into a character who really wasn't that easy to watch. And yet, when he realizes that his new best friend has killed a kid just to get his beloved bike back, it's devastating. Carl put so much love into this friendship. They were planning on getting a farm together and watching cows fuck. Despite his gangster attitude, Carl wasn't prepared to see what Nick had done. It rocks him to his core. It forces him to face emotions that he doesn't know how to handle. When he runs away, he doesn't retreat to the hotel where plenty of attractive woman are running around. Instead, he heads to Sean's place because he just wants to be around the comfort of family. It's there where he sees just how difficult this has been on Fiona as well. She still may not want to take his criminal money to get the house. But Carl shows Fiona that he needs family right now. Behind that rough exterior is still a kid scared of the world who just needs comfort that can only come from that house. That's a strong story that comes from a very unexpected place.
The rest of the hour is a mixed batch though. It continues to be frustrating to see Ian act so awkwardly in this new world of his. He struggles with going out on a real date. It shows that he could use some maturity and growth in his life. But the execution is very wonky and way too rushed to be all that effective. It's still more interesting to see him prove himself as a potential firefighter. Meanwhile, Lip is fighting for his relationship with Helene as both are forced to appear in front of a disciplinary committee. Lip isn't kicked out of school. But Helene forces their relationship to end. It's devastating to Lip. But it's really not that emotionally moving as he pleads with her not to do this and she just keeps walking away telling him never to come see her again. For all the time spent on them, this ending really isn't that big of a deal - even though it is to Lip. And lastly, Debbie is thriving with her new job. But it feels very weird to have Erica call herself a maternal figure to Debbie considering they've barely spent any time together. It's all a plot on Frank and Debbie's part to continue staying at this place. But it's only so amusing to hear Frank force his daughter into seducing Erica. It's very weird. And yet, she somewhat listens to it too. She encourages that dynamic later on. She's not emotionally equipped to handle that. Even though she thinks she's smart and mature even to be a mother, she's still just a teenager who is so unsure of her many emotions.
Some more thoughts:
- "NSFW" was written by Sheila Callaghan and directed by Jake Schreier.
- Frank moves on awfully quickly once he learns that Erica has gone into remission. He encourages Debbie to stay but he moves onto his next storyline. That includes the debut of Sammi's mother, Queenie, who comes to look after Chuckie. It's not long before the spark between Frank and Queenie reignites.
- The Alibi gets its groove back by actually embracing an identity. Kev offers free drinks to anyone on any form of government assistance. Plus, he's much more forceful with the hipsters - which actually draws more of them back.
- It's interesting watching as V bonds with the girl refugee. She's really become a maternal figure to this young girl. That shows just how far she has come since her struggle with the kids last season.
- So, Ian and Caleb only kissed for awhile, right? They were seen in bed together later on but they both still had their clothes on. So I don't think anything sexual happened between them.
- It's weird that Tyler is nowhere to be seen at all this week. He was so crucial to Debbie and Frank's original plan with this family. But now that it has shifted to Erica, Tyler has just disappeared.
- Fiona finally has her abortion. After talking about it for awhile, she finally goes through with her appointment. More importantly, Sean is there to be supportive of her - even though he may not argue with her decision.
- Debbie is so susceptible to Frank's suggestions right now because of the tension in her dynamic with Fiona. She wants to rely on that sisterly bond. But the pregnancy has gotten between the two of them. It has made them awkward when interacting. And yet, they both really need each other right now.
