The series is set on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, and depicts the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a neglectful single father of six: Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Frank (William H. Macy) tells a documentarian about the Gallagher family's history with Chicago, which was involved in many events.
Lip (Jeremy Allen White) and Tami (Kate Miner) are now living at the rented house with Fred, but they continue working on the renovations.
Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) is training in the police academy to become an officer, earning the respect of his superiors as he nears his graduation day.
"[4] Daniel Kurland of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote "“This is Chicago!” starts the final season of Shameless on a busy note that's bogged down just by how much ground that it has to cover.
"[5] Mads Misasi of Telltale TV gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote "If I am being completely honest, the premiere of the final season gives me the same vibes I got when watching the pilot all those years ago.
Everything from a Frank voiceover down to the “kids” all pulling their own separate scams gives us that old school Shameless vibe that made us fall in love with the show to begin with.
"[6] Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 1.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote "After months of delays, Shameless is back and more uneven than ever.
"[7] Meaghan Darwish of TV Insider wrote "The episode ends with a big Gallagher family gathering at Lip's new house, offering just enough familiarity mixed with a reality of the show's evolution.