Why Is This Lady Leaving $200 Tips on 'Shameless'?

When I heard that actress Dichen Lachman was joining Shameless to make an appearance at Fiona's new place of work, I kind of assumed it would be at Jimmy's side — and after watching them cruise by Chez Gallagher in their fancy (stolen?) car in a shocking twist at the end of the finale for Shameless Season 4, I think it was a fair assumption to make. So when Lachman's character Angela showed up in the first five minutes of the episode solo at Patsy's Pies, I was more than a little taken aback. It's all so mysterious — she comes in regularly, acts quietly aloof, and leaves a $200 tip each time — what the heck is Dichen Lachman doing on Chicago's South side?

Fiona's co-workers have their own theories; they think Angela might be a potential suitor (and why wouldn't they think that, when Fiona's handily drawn the eye of both the boss and some of the regular patrons?), while Fiona herself laughs it off and pockets the cash. Of course, faithful viewers know it's something more than that. Jimmy has to be involved in this, and it's only a matter of time until we find out how. I mean, is she his girlfriend? His partner? His boss? His subordinate? What exactly is their relationship?

Girlfriend seems like the most obvious answer — they certainly acted like a couple in the brief glimpse of them we caught in the finale. Maybe she and Jimmy have the kind of relationship where he can send her to check on his ex-girlfriend without it being weird (super likely, eh?). Or, conversely, maybe she's scoping out the competition — though that doesn't quite explain the money... Speaking of which, the whole tip situation actually reminded me a bit of Beto, Jimmy's mob babysitter from Season 3 — which made me wonder if Angela has some kind of power over Jimmy. Those mysteriously large tips and their accompanying attitude were certainly very reminiscent of Beto and his mob ties.

Heck, maybe he could be her boss — after all, Jimmy's always been a power-hungry guy — maybe he actually obtained that power somehow over the past two years, and Angela is an assistant of sorts (or a mob underling!). Heck, maybe neither one is neither one's boss — perhaps they're partners of some sort on a project. But what kind of project? The questions are endless, but we'll no doubt learn the answers soon.

Image: Sonja Fleming/Shameless