i'm sorry it's such a lousy story.

"Ian continued his doomed dance with Mickey. The Ian and Mickey relationship reminds me of a gender-tweaked Fiona and Jimmy, or for that matter, a Lip and Karen. Shameless is all about asking the audience to root for its characters as they work tirelessly to reel in partners who are clearly beneath them. But there’s an authenticity to the Ian and Mickey relationship that makes it one of the strongest in the show, and the easiest to root for, even if it doesn’t always seem like the best idea. Everything Mickey does makes perfect sense emotionally, even when it hurts Ian, something you can’t always say about Jimmy with Fiona. Mickey’s ability to compartmentalize is unparalleled, but perhaps his broad-daylight beating of Lloyd for sniffing around Ian will be enough to get Mickey to start talking straight, so to speak."

"So congratulations, North Carolina. Last night, you struck a decisive blow for loneliness. And tonight, as you go to sleep beside your heterosexual life mate, you can rest assured that all across your great state, a gay man or lesbian woman is crying themselves to sleep in solitude and making your relationship stronger with each tear."