Ep 1. Simple Pleasures

Frank Gallagher is back in the fourth season of the hit show Shameless, and he's bringing his signature style of chaos and debauchery with him. The season premiere, titled "Simple Pleasures," picks up where things left off in the third season finale, with the Gallagher family in disarray.

Frank is still struggling with his alcoholism and trying to reconcile with his estranged wife Monica, who has returned to town with a new girlfriend in tow. Meanwhile, Fiona is dealing with the fallout from her breakup with Jimmy and trying to keep the family afloat while Lip, Ian, and Carl navigate their own personal dramas.

As the episode opens, Frank is alone in his dingy apartment, surrounded by empty bottles and staring at a blank TV screen. He's hit rock bottom, and yet somehow he manages to summon the will to leave the apartment and seek out one of his favorite vices: gambling.

In true Frank fashion, he stumbles into a high-stakes poker game at a seedy underground club. But his luck quickly turns sour when he runs afoul of the house dealer and gets roughed up by some of the other players. In a desperate move, Frank tries to steal the dealer's stash of cash and is caught in the act. He's thrown out of the club and left battered and bruised on the street.

Meanwhile, Fiona is at her wit's end trying to keep the family afloat while juggling her job at the supermarket. She's trying to get the kids ready for school and dealing with a myriad of household crises, from a broken washing machine to a leaky roof. But just when it seems like things couldn't get any worse, Fiona receives a surprise visit from her ex-boyfriend Robbie, who offers her a tempting proposition.

Robbie is a successful businessman who's looking for a reliable and trustworthy partner for a new venture. He offers Fiona a chance to invest in a high-return real estate project, with the promise of a big payoff down the line. Fiona is initially skeptical, but she's desperate enough to consider the offer.

Meanwhile, Lip is dealing with a crisis of his own. He's struggling to balance his responsibilities as a father and a college student, and he's beginning to feel like he's in over his head. When he receives a call from his ex-girlfriend Mandy, who's back in town after a stint in juvie, he's tempted to fall back into his old patterns of behavior.

But before Lip can fully surrender to his vices, he's visited by a surprising source of inspiration: his little brother Liam. The young boy, who's been mostly silent throughout the episode, suddenly becomes the voice of reason. He reminds Lip that he's capable of doing better and that he needs to step up for his son's sake.

As all of these separate storylines come to a head, the Gallagher family is brought together by a simple pleasure: a meal around the dinner table. Despite all of their struggles and differences, they manage to come together for a moment of shared laughter and conversation, reminding us why we've come to love this ragtag group of misfits in the first place.

Overall, "Simple Pleasures" sets the stage for what promises to be another wild and unpredictable season of Shameless. The show continues to be a masterclass in blending humor and heartbreak, and this episode delivers plenty of both. We're left with plenty of questions and uncertainties, but one thing is for sure: we'll be tuning in every week to see where the Gallagher family goes next.