6. Killer Carl

The Gallaghers are left with no electricity, but Fiona promises to get money soon. However, she is approached by two thugs, Rod and Vlad, who state that Frank owes them $6,000 for a car, and threaten violence if Frank does not pay them back. Fiona scolds Frank for his actions, and asks him to attend a parents-teachers meeting for Carl, who is facing potential expulsion for his violent behavior. Frank is not interested, and is also forced to run through the city to evade the thugs. Karen ultimately agrees to distract the thugs, in exchange for Frank showing up as her father for a parent-teacher meeting. Meanwhile, Sheila gets a VR headset, in hopes that it could cure her agoraphobia, but experiences a mental breakdown when her nurse tries to deviate from the instructions.

Without Frank on board, Fiona is forced to attend a meeting with Carl's principal, who explain Carl's actions have raised concerns among the committee. As Fiona is neither his mother nor legal guardian, the principal demands that a parent visits that same day or they will call Child Protective Services. Kash is scolded by his wife Linda for the amount of robberies in the store, and warns that she will use their savings to buy expensive cameras. Noticing Mickey leaving without paying, Ian asks Kash to step up and be strict with the customers. Afraid, Kash instead asks Ian to buy the stolen items from other stores. When Linda discovers the robbery, she makes Kash learn how to use a weapon; Linda is impressed when Ian, using his ROTC training, shows Kash how to target.

To earn money, Lip takes SAT exams for other students. However, he is caught by Professor Hearst, a representative of the Educational Evaluation Service. Hearst believes Lip is cheating due to the high scores, but is surprised by his intelligence. He offers Lip an opportunity to prove himself and asks him not to fall into cheating again.

During Karen's parent-teacher meeting, the thugs arrive and brutally beat Frank, warning him to get the money in a few days. During this, Fiona and Lip once again try to convince Carl's teacher and principal to allow him to stay. Steve suddenly arrives, and wins over the principal by giving him marijuana. As Frank and Karen leave, they run into Fiona, Steve, Lip and Carl leaving their meeting; Fiona shares a tearful glance with Steve, affected by her father's betrayal. At Sheila's house, Frank comforts Sheila, telling her she will eventually learn how to live without her agoraphobia. Lip is visited by a classmate, who attacks him as his SAT test marks are invalidated. When he threatens to throw Lip out a window, Carl hits him in the leg with a baseball bat, earning him an ovation from his family.