Shameless continues to be one of the best shows on television. 

On Shameless Season 7 Episode 3 the Gallagher family were all at important stages in their lives and had to deal with what it means to be growing up. 

We'll start with Fiona, who continues to be one of the best written characters on television. For much of her life, she has been looking after Frank and Monica's offspring without so much as a thank you. 

It's time for her to finally move on with her life and do what she wants to. Gone are the days of sleepless nights, wondering where the kids are and if they are going to have enough money in the squirrel fund to survive the winter. 

Now Fiona has tasked her siblings with bringing in money to keep the family afloat. Why should it be down to her to keep bailing everyone out? I get that she went off the rails for a period during Shameless Season 4, but that was always going to happen. 

She went so long putting everyone else before her that she had a brief period where she just needed a break, and that ultimately landed her in prison. As much as I don't agree with her going on all the Tinder dates, at least she's having a good time. 

Lip implying that she was a deadbeat pretty much set the tone for Fiona's journey through the hour. She seemed to think that because she didn't have an education, she couldn't go anywhere in life. 

Actually, that was far from the case, and she realized that she could actually make something of her life and looked at the woman who owns the company that owns Patsy's Pies. 

I am just as likely as anyone of this family to make something of myself.

Fiona

• Permalink: I am just as likely as anyone of this family to make something of myself.

I have a feeling she's going to seek tips from her in the coming weeks to try and carve out her own career. As much as I like Tate Ellington as Chad, I hope the writers don't throw Fiona into a relationship with him, or anyone for that matter. 

Fiona functions so much better as an independent woman. I can't wait to see how the rest of her journey plays out this season. I just hope that Fiona's storyline coming full circle is not paving the way for an exit for Emmy Rossum. 

The show just would not be the same without her. That said, the UK version of Shameless lasted for nine seasons after Fiona departed. The writers really could come up with a plausible exit for the character. 

Elsewhere, Ian's storyline took a dark turn and it put the life of a patient at risk. It was a horrific turn of events, but it proved that maybe being a paramedic is not the best career path for him. 

It must be really difficult to watch someone in pain, but he almost got a patient killed by unstrapping her. It was a nice touch that his boss had a recording of himself telling him to go home. 

His boss is taking a huge risk if she lets Ian return to work, but it's clear she really cares about his welfare and knows, without the job, he'd be miserable. 

One person who was not miserable was Frank Gallagher. The dude continues to find new ways to piss off his family, but his tactics are not as cumbersome this time round. 

Getting himself a whole new family to replace the current crop of "degenerates" was a great way to bring some new characters into the fold. The storyline is simply hilarious. 

The police officer refusing to move Frank from the house the realtor was trying to sell was a great twist. She didn't want to cause any trouble by moving dozens of homeless people, so she let them stay put. 

Frank: God is handing me a do-over. New Ian, new Lip, new Debbie.
New Debbie: I'm a boy.
Frank: You need a haircut, Debs.

• Permalink: You need a haircut, Debs.

Say what you want about Frank, but he can easily sway people who are not his family on to his side. It's a good trait to get what he wants. 

"Home Sweet Homeless Shelter" was up there as one of the best episodes of the entire series. The show can flawlessly switch between serious subjects and humor. No other show on TV is quite like it. 

Other tidbits from the episode:

• Did anyone else see Dom being a cheat coming a mile off? As soon as her father showed up at Casa De Gallagher, I knew there was going to be way more to that story. 
• Lip clearly thought being an intern would be a good job. Working for free is never fun. However, I don't believe what his supervisor said about the previous person being there 8 months and getting $100,000 salary job after it. 
• The scene with Svetlana's father being introduced made me laugh out loud. 
• Kevin seems to have taken some money making tips from Svetlana. He always seems to find a way these days to make some extra money. 
• Debbie should have quit stealing while she was ahead. I was surprised when the store assistant turned on her as soon as the security guard appeared. 

What did you think of the episode?

Hit the comments below!

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Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.