I was so happy to get the call to fill in and cover this week's episode of Shameless, as "A Great Cause" was a great time full of the brand of dysfunctional behavior fans of the show have come to love.

Having been at each other's throats all season long it was refreshing to see Ian and Lip teamed up again, trying to take down Mandy's father together. What a bizarre but not all that shocking of a twist with the truth behind her baby's father. The aloofness Mandy showed when dismissing her dad's drunken attacks was as sad a scene, though, as we have witnessed.

For all the laughter their crazy lives produce, tonight we were reminded of just how dark a world the Gallaghers and their friends live in. 

While certain aspects of the show - such as the aforementioned incest or Monica driving around with Liam sitting on the back seat floor mats - can often take episodes dangerously close to the unbelievable, here it did well to depict just how important and vital a role Fiona plays in the lives of her siblings. The poor thing tried to take even the slightest bit of time to herself and the walls came crashing in all around her.

She deserves someone like Steve so very much. How adorable was it when he sniffed her hair?!? He is consumed with his love for her and is quite the persistent lap dog. If only he could have found Marco. Things may get sticky for young James if his wife's lover turns up smelling like a month old can of tuna when they finally get to his container. 

Steve knows he wants Fiona and he is going for it. Like Jody told Sheila, as noted in the best Shameless quotes of the week, "sometimes it's not worth holding out, life is too short, why not just give in?" Fiona finally gave in and allowed herself to take some time for things she wanted to do. I loved the scene of her running along the water, but sadly it blew back in her face as it seemed Monica's disorder was starting to get the best of her. 

Some random observations and favorite moments from this week to close out:

• Jody now makes art out of garbage like Nick from Family Ties did? 
• Kevin's excitement about making a baby and then the admission of how much his hand hurt after punching through the wall. 
• V & F drinking away their problems with a box of Franzia? Amazing! 
• Veronica's New Jack City reference when talking about adopting an army of kids and taking over the neighborhood like Wesley Snipes. 

With only a couple episodes left, there are still a lot of issues to resolve. It is going to be one exciting race to the finish from what I can tell.