SHAMELESS: Whoever said, “Mo money mo problems?”

Season 3 with the Gallagher clan has shaped up to be bigger, and more shocking than ever as the working-class Chicagoans find themselves caught in the midst of a number of twisted scenarios that are so wrong, they’re right. Just when you think that Fiona has a chance of making her and her family’s life better, things go wildly awry. In this season, we see the Gallagher’s perpetual struggle to scrape together enough money to stay afloat play out as success slips through Fiona’s fingertips after a botched up club promotion gig and a battle with child protective services.

To make matters worse, a city employee notifies Fiona that they will be doing sewer line work on the mane in their backyard. The trouble is; Frank buried their deceased Aunt Ginger on their property years ago so he could collect her monthly checks from the government to fuel his drug and alcohol dependency. Surprise! Surprise! Frank can’t remember where he drunkenly buried Ginger’s corpse.

In the midst of the Gallagher pandemonium, a Child Services employee unexpectedly stops by after receiving an anonymous call. She is horrified to see Debbie boasting about almost drowning girls at the pool, an illegal daycare, and Fiona holding her dead aunt’s foot. Much to nobody’s surprise, the brood is quickly snatched from Fiona’s care and sent off to different homes throughout Chicago.

Baby Mama Drama
Meanwhile, Jody and Sheila struggle to keep Baby Hymie from crying and being fussy 24/7. Their relationship is on the verge of disaster when Frank comes to the rescue. Desperate for a place to live, Frank sneaks Hymie a small dose of Valium to knock him out and give the false appearance that he has what it takes to watch an infant. Jody and Sheila eagerly open their home to him in exchange for his baby whispering skills.

Midway through the season, Timmy Wong and his mother come to take Baby Hymie home so that he can be with his true father. Shortly thereafter, a haggard and worn down Karen re-enters the scene. Ironic? I think not!  Karen’s selfish motives become clear when Sheila discovers that Karen told Timmy Wong to take in their Down Syndrome child so that she could continue on with life as if Hymie had never been born. It will be interesting to see how the Lip and Karen dynamic plays out. Will Lip kick Mandy Milkovich and get dragged down by Karen?

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.
Kevin and Veronica are in a world of their own this season. V finds out that the chances of her getting pregnant are somewhere in the range of one and a million. This is where things get saucy! The couple cannot afford IVF and their banging-like-bunnies technique isn’t exactly working out. In a last ditch effort, they convince Veronica’s mother to be a surrogate because they want a near perfect genetic match.

They start V’s mother off with the turkey baster approach, but fail misserably. It would appear that they are out of options when Veronica finally proposes that Kev and her mother do it “the old fashioned way.” Kevin is reluctant at first and his performance shows it, but Veronica is determined to have a child. After filling Kev up with performance enhancing food and loading V’s mom up with booze, the trio find themselves doing things that even I will not repeat. Let’s just say it’s one of those scenes that you don’t want to watch, but you can’t not watch.

Nobody Can “Out-Gallagher” the Gallagher’s
After painstakingly earning the trust of the Child Services case worker, Fiona convinces the employee to let her to listen to the anonymous tip that destroyed her family. She immediately recognizes the drunken caller to be none other than Frank. In that moment, we see Fiona reach her breaking point. Without hesitation, she decides that the only way that her five younger siblings will live normal life is if she gains sole custody of them. There’s only one problem; Fiona can’t gain custody without proof of home ownership.

Where There’s a Will
It doesn’t take long for the Gallagher’s to devise a brilliant plan to inherit Ginger’s house. It only involves stealing a dead body, cutting off a toe, and getting a fraudulent will notarized. No big deal, right? Wrong. After filing the death certificate, the clan finds out their cousin Patrick, and lousy son of Ginger has already filed a counterfeit will of his own to lay claim to her house. Out of ideas, it would appear that Fiona has reached the end of the road. Debbie saves the day right when everyone thinks that all hope is lost. When Patrick arrives at the Gallagher residence with the police and a 24-hour eviction notice; Debbie unexpectedly fabricates a story about Patrick molesting her. The family drops all charges on the spot when Patrick agrees to let them live in the house for $500 a month.

In what could possibly be the most chaotic season thus far, Fiona and Frank’s custody battle marks the culmination of disappointment, conflict and the struggle for a brighter future. After Fiona’s heartbreaking courtroom appeal, we are led to believe that the time has finally (Probably? Possibly) come for Frank to get what he deserves….a one way ticket to hell!

The Judge speaks with Fiona and the two decide that the best option for the children is for her to become their legal guardian because there is not enough evidence to determine Frank unfit.  In spite of what it means for Fiona’s future and relationship with Jimmy, Fiona agrees that this is the best and only option.

Season 3 is filled with Shameless behavior and jaw-dropping moments that leave you begging for more.  Fiona’s hunger for a better future juxtaposed with her unpredictable nature only makes us sympathize with her more as we see her struggle between balancing a “normal” life and assuming the role of mother and guardian to her five younger siblings. With only three episodes left, I am eager to see what the producers have in store. Please, please, please…no cliffhangers this time around!

Shameless airs Sunday 10/9c on SHO