Dark days in the Gallagher household.
Three plot lines dominate the second season of your favorite dysfunctional South Side Chicago family.
Fiona and Jimmy-Steve
Season 1 ended with Fiona divided between a chance at true love with Jimmy-Steve and her role as the stabilizing force as the leader of the household. She choose her family. She begins the season partying hard with her new gal pal, Jasmine, but still holds a flame for Jimmy-Steve.
Once Jasmine fizzles out in a drug-induced, self-destructive implosion, Fiona moves on. She begins to focus on getting her GED and at the same time, Jimmy-Steve returns from Brazil. He is eager to pick up with Fiona where they left off. The main complication is that he is now married to a Brazilian drug-lord’s daughter named Estefania. The marriage is a sham and Jimmy-Steve works hard to regain Fiona’s love despite his double identify and wife baggage. She still has strong feeling for Jimmy-Steve and her defenses against his charm offensive finally give way as the season concludes.
Frank and Monica
After Frank’s mom gets released from prison and dominates a few early episodes with her outlandish behavior, she succumbs to cancer with an assist from Sheila. Bereaved, Frank seeks Monica for consolation. They reunite and for a brief period Monica and Frank are happy and actually provide a positive contribution to the Gallagher household. This bliss is short-lived as Monica and Frank discover the cash stash (so-called the squirrel fund) and burn through the hard earned savings Fiona, Lip and the rest of the kids earned in their various summer schemes.
Squirrel fund in hand, Monica and Frank go on a drug binge. The bipolar Monica soon falls from her high and goes into a deep, deep funk. During Thanksgiving dinner, she slashes her wrists and ends up institutionalized. Frank tries his best throughout the season to make it work with the love of his life, but Monica correctly realizes that she is no good for Frank or the family. As the season concludes, with the help of Frank, she busts out of the institution. She takes off in a car leaving Frank and Debbie behind with a husband-murdering lesbian she met at the institution. She is once again out of the Gallagher’s lives.
Lip and Karen
Lip is having a bad year. Karen marries a sex-addict-anonymous friend, Jody, despite Lip’s protests. He then finds that Karen is pregnant and it is assumed that Lip is the father. Karen immediately realizes her marriage to Jody is a huge mistake and kicks him out. In a twist, Jody and Sheila end up romantically involved. Karen, who now hates Jody for no apparent reason, could care less.
Karen is also antagonistic to her unborn baby and wants nothing to do with it. She misses her opportunity to abort and instead auctions the baby to the highest bidder using a slime ball lawyer as an intermediary. Lip drops out of school and couch surfs at Jimmy-Steve as he deals with his impending fatherhood and his frustration with Karen’s coldness. He finds solace with Mandy but is still in love with Karen and sad that his baby will be given up for adoption.
On Thanksgiving Day, as Monica is attempting suicide, Lip is in the hospital as well. He is there to see his baby born. Karen gives birth to a child, but there are two problems. The baby has down syndrome and the baby is Asian. Lip is crushed.
With his relationship with Karen is ruins, Lip decides to go back to school and finish his senior year, completing the promise he made to Fiona. The season ends on a rare positive note as Lip is happily returned to the Gallagher home.
Surprise Show Stealer
Frank’s mom wins the best cameo in Season 2. Her antisocial behavior and ruthlessness is intense and impressively performed. She pushes Frank around calling him a sissy. When Frank tries to keep a stash of money from her, she stabs him in the leg with a sharp instrument till he fesses up. Her verbal battles with Sheila blow over to the point where Frank’s mom pulls a gun and shots at her. Frank’s mom was only around for 2–3 episodes, but she made the most of her time.
Little Ones Growing Up
Debbie is still a good girl who cares for her mother and father no matter their debase behavior. In this season, Debbie is beginning to mature and becomes interested in boys, especially Carl’s ultra-delinquent friend Little Hank. Carl’s boyhood destruction has accelerated into hard core criminal behavior, especially with the influence of Little Hank. Carl happens upon an AK discarded by a drug dealer during a police chase and proceeds to gun down a bald eagle. He also smashes up Frank’s car with Monica riding shotgun.
Questions for the Upcoming Season
Will Fiona and Jimmy-Steve build and maintain a successful relationship?
Will Lip get back on track and move on from Karen?
Will Monica stay gone or will she continue to pop back into Frank’s life?
Season 2 was solid, but a slight decline from a debut season 1. The destruction of Monica and Lip’s funk made for a darker and less enjoyable ride. Ian’s character had less screen time this season, but his accidental hookup with Jimmy-Steve’s father is left as a cliff hanger that looks to carry forward to the next season. On to season 3.
