Xan re-enters Lip’s world in tonight’s Shameless episode, and Tami’s reaction may shock some viewers.
As the Inquisitr reported back in September, the role of Alexandra Galvez — better known as Xan — was originally given to actress Scarlet Spencer in Season 8, before being re-cast to Amirah Johnson in Season 9.
While Xan did exit the show during the first half of Season 9 to be with her mother, fans knew it was only a matter of time before she returned, as Johnson had already been signed on as a regular cast member for Season 10.
Warning: The remainder contains spoilers from tonight’s episode of Shameless.
After returning from volunteering – by washing the hair of elderly women – Lip and Tami head back to the Gallagher home, where they discover Xan sitting on the steps by herself. The young girl explained that she had nowhere else to go, before being quickly welcomed inside.
Fans of the Showtime series have had pretty mixed feelings about Lip’s latest fling, and have taken to social media to express their opinions. Most don’t think she’s a good fit for the eldest male Gallagher sibling. When the promo of tonight’s episode revealed that Xan would be returning, many predicted Tami would have a bad reaction to her return, as Xan often comes off as a bit selfish.
Tami, however, had a surprising reaction to the return of the young girl, as her maternal instincts seemed to quickly emerge. The blonde beauty responded by making the girl something to eat and wrapping her up in something warm, before scolding Lip to be careful about how he approached her.
Tami then agreed to give Xan a bath while talking to her about anything that may have happened while she was wandering the streets.
After cleaning the young girl up, Tami had a deep and meaningful conversation with the young girl after she and Lip learned that Xan had been on the street for days. Xan had spent days looking for her mother after being abandoned at a hotel. It seems her mom left for pizza and never returned.
The girl admitted to venturing to a truck stop that she knew her mother frequented before eventually making her way to the Gallagher home to find Lip – who has been the only person to show the child any love and affection.
The brief promo at the end of the episode shows Lip making an attempt to secure guardianship over Xan. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be as easy of a process as he would have hoped.
