Lazarus Recap: Shameless Season 4 Finale

The Season 4 finale of Shameless had a few surprises in store for some of the characters and a BIG one for some members of the viewing audience.

Frank came to in his hospital room, this time aware of his surroundings and who the people in the room really were. He also found out he was married to batshit crazy Sheila with 5 new kids fresh off the reservation. True to his nature, the first order of business was to demand drugs but the nurse said pain is a blessing, part of the good Lord’s healing process.

At the Gallagher homestead, Lip woke up freezing his butt off. Debbie explained that they turn the heat down at night but it will be cut off on Friday anyway. Waking Carl up, Lip discovered Bonnie in his bed, then stumbled over her many siblings on the way to the kitchen. He gave Debbie $1,900 to buy money orders for the bills and told Carl to get rid of Bonnie’s “Lost Boys.” Debbie and Carl want to visit Fiona in jail and Lip reluctantly agreed to take them on the weekend. “Jesus, guys, it 90 days in country club jail… it’s not Guantanamo… Lip suggests Fiona is learning a useful trade and brushing up on her Spanish.

Fiona has an encounter with a gay inmate who leaves her a pill as a “birthday present” to make the day go easier. On work detail, she is called off the floor by a guard after cursing and taken for a drug test. After her probation officer shows up and it turns out she is clean, Fiona is sprung from jail. Officer Johnson is waiting for her outside and Fiona thanks her. But she got out because of overcrowding. Johnson gets her something to eat and a job at a diner. She also gets a new ankle bracelet and a bill for $420 for the last one that went missing.

At the Milkovitch household, Mickey wakes up and takes a warm swig of beer. Wandering off in search of a smoke, he is appalled to find Svetlana with her hair dyed orange, trying to be as male as she can without an operation. Svetlana says maybe she likes girls. In America, McDonald’s and Burger King are on the same block and you can choose where to go, maybe go to both. Maybe go to Wendy’s. Mickey thinks she’s coming out but Svetlana doesn’t quite know. She knows Nika wants to take care of her and Baby Yevgeny has no choices, so Mickey has to help take care of him. If Mickey won’t, Nika is coming to live with them. Mickey goes off to the Alibi where Kev is wearing the twins’ umbilical cords around his neck. They kid over-sensitive Mickey about his coming out a little bit but eventually Kev buys him a beer and says no one really cares.

Supporting Cast of Lazarus

At the hospital, Frank meets the 5 children Sheila plans to get the final word on at the tribal council. Sheila tells Sammi that when she gets back, she wants her and Chuckie out of the house. Debbie orders a pizza, gives Matty a $3.50 tip and gets a ride to the check cashing place, while Bonnie and Carl share beers in the kitchen. Bonnie gets freaked out when Carl tries to give her a necklace he stole as a present. Not because he stole it, but she has issues with anyone trying to get close to her. Something about one of her mom’s ex-boyfriends and a biker gang, Carl informed Lip. The present spooks Bonnie so much she takes off with her sibs and when Carl goes to look for her later, the van is gone.

Amanda takes Lip shopping for an expensive suit so he can attend her sorority pin party. Lip is a bit bowled over by being her boy toy, and her free admission that she delights in humiiating her peers, but apparently he has no desire to kill the goose laying golden eggs yet. After the weird chanting party that reminded Lip of “Rosemary’s Baby”, they go to a diner where Mandy is waiting tables. Amanda notices that Lip seems to know the waitress. He denies it. Mandy is all business.

Mickey has tried to get Ian up unsuccessfully all day. At his wit’s end, he seeks help from the Gallaghers. Only Carl and Debbie are home but they go with Mickey. They don’t get anywhere either and go home, unaware that Fiona has returned. The next morning, Debbie bursts into tears when she finds Fiona making French toast in the kitchen. Fiona also goes to try to rouse Ian and explains to Mickey that she thinks he is having a bipolar episode. Mickey goes ballistic at the suggestion that Ian may need to be hospitalized and insists he can take care of Ian. Yeah, we know, the previews were misleading making folks think Mickey was going to take Yevgeny off Svetlana, but Ian is his true obsession.

Sheila struck out with the tribal council. It turned out that the children have a great-grandfather. Sheila asks the oldest boy Gary why he didn’t tell her he had a grandfather. “He doesn’t have wifi,” Gary replies. The little one, Sarah, bids farewell to a devastated Sheila with a handshake and a hug, while great grandpa yells at her from the door.

Sammi arrives at the hospital to see Frank only to learn that Sheila has told the nurse her presence is upsetting Frank. She is blocked from going in. Sammi threatens to do Sheila dirt as the nurse calls security. Sheila says she’s the one Frank has chosen to spend her life with and Sammi is “just one lucky sperm.” While the two women tussle, Carl sneaks past everyone and goes in Frank’s room and wheels him out. Chuckie waves goodbye. Later, Sammi has her trailer hauled to the vacant lot next to Sheila’s house. She’s homesteading. Sheila can call City Planning and they will come out eventually, maybe by next summer. Sheila invites them in for the pot roast she made for the missing Frank.

Carl wheels Frank along the icy shore of Lake Michigan. They stop and he asks Carl for the bottle of booze they bought on the way. He stands, opens it and despite all the doctor’s warnings, takes a swig. “That all you got?” he yells defiantly at the heavens above, “That’s it? I’m still here … I’m alive! You see me? You see me standing here?” He chuckles, “You lost … I’m alive… me! Frank Gallagher…” Still the same self-centered lush he always was. He offers Carl a drink: “A little nip won’t hurt you,” and the boy takes a swig. His shameless father puts his arm around him.

A car pulls up in front of the Gallagher’s. A blonde woman driver asks the male passenger if he is going in. “No, not tonight” he says as he turns and is revealed to be Jimmy or Steve, whatever you liked to call him before. Now he’s Jack. And there has to be an “I told you so” party on the IMDB message boards where the return of Justin Chatwin has been predicted for a while.