Season 5 | Episode 6 | “Crazy Love” | Aired Feb 15, 2015

Oof. Anyone else need a minute to recover from this episode of Shameless? “Crazy Love” is the episode we’ve been building toward for a long time, and as far as payoffs go, this was a particularly satisfying one on several levels. Where to begin?

After blowing our minds with a Jimmy sighting as the credits rolled in the season four finale, he has finally reconnected with Fiona. She is, as expected, furious at him for disappearing, which she makes abundantly clear by beating the crap out of him. He explains to her—and us—where he’s been (tied up on a yacht, forced to work in a drug plant, suffering from malaria), and tells her that he wanted to call but couldn’t. Jimmy’s pursuing of Fiona is reminiscent of season one, when he unabashedly stalked her until she agreed to give him the attention he craved. She attempts to dismiss him here as well, but his persistence and charm are once again too much for her to deny.

Jimmy’s reappearance brings into stark contrast the lack of intimate knowledge between Gus and Fiona. Where Gus is struggling to identify which Gallagher brother is which, Jimmy pops back up knowing exactly who the key players are. At a time with Fiona is worried deeply about Ian, having Jimmy show up and understand precisely what is happening is especially appealing. Gus, on the other hand, despite his best attempts to be there for her, falls short. Ultimately Fiona falls into old habits and allows Jimmy to stay the night. She regrets it in the morning and abruptly throws him out, but when he shows up again later, she is again pulled in by his insistence that he loves her. There on the kitchen floor (another flashback to the pilot), Fiona stops him mid-thrust, crying in recognition of her pattern to once again make a decision that is going to wreck a good thing. Jimmy may not be Robbie—there is a history and real emotion that exists here—but she has still impulsively jeopardized a relationship she was excited about just days before.

There are many questions that remain regarding Fiona’s romantic future. There is likely no real future for Fiona and Jimmy, but his reappearance is important inasmuch as it can finally give Fiona the closure she’s needed for the last year and a half. Jimmy was the first person Fiona ever allowed herself to trust; then, as her parents before him, he abandoned her. So much of the wreck that Fiona has become can be traced back to the feelings of worthlessness that come with that kind of abandonment. Perhaps Jimmy’s return will help Fiona believe in herself again. Perhaps she can close the door on this chapter of sabotaging herself because she doesn’t deserve happiness. Perhaps Jimmy can at least give her that.

Let’s be honest, though. Even with the intensity of Jimmy’s return, that’s not why this episode left me feeling like I’d been run over by a Mack truck. Ian’s road trip with Yev was terrifying to witness. Ian always had the best intentions where Yev was concerned, but his break with reality made taking care of him impossible. After an onlooker watched him leave the baby locked in a car, she called the police, who recognized that Ian was ill. They took him into custody and got hold of Mickey. Together with Lip, Debbie, and Carl, Mickey went to retrieve the love of his life.

Last year, when Ian went off and joined the army, Mickey was left pining for him on the South Side. Eventually Ian returned, and Mickey stepped well outside his comfort zone in an effort to secure his relationship with Ian and ensure that he would never suffer again the way he had when Ian was gone. When Ian took off with Yev and his whereabouts were unknown, Mickey was thrown right back into that well of despair. Not only was Ian missing, but he was potentially putting himself and Yev in danger. The sheer powerlessness of the situation was enough to completely undo Mickey. We finally hear Mickey drop the “L” word as he pleads with Ian in a voice mail: “This is like the 200th time I’m calling and you not picking up. I’m starting to get homicidal … I’m worried about you … I love you.”

We see just how shaken Mickey is by this incident in the way he insists to the Gallaghers that Ian be checked into a hospital whether he wants to or not. Part of what is eating at Mickey is the idea that he failed to take care of Ian the way he swore he would. Mickey is not taking any more chances. Ian is getting the help he needs, Mickey is going to make sure of it. As Ian signs the paperwork at the hospital, he looks back at Mickey, who gently and supportively nods him on. It looks as though Ian may walk into the ward without really saying goodbye to Mickey, but Mickey isn’t having it. He grabs Ian and hugs him tightly. Mickey asks if he can walk him in. A lot remains uncertain where Ian and Mickey are concerned, but one thing is for sure: Mickey isn’t going anywhere.

Elsewhere on the South Side: