After a six week hiatus, Days of our Parliamentary Lives returns this week, with all new episodes.

With all the twists that went on before the holidays, you may need to refresh yourself on the current plot lines here. Last time we left our hero Steve, he was clinging to his political life due to his steadfast belief that a stimulus package was not needed.

Well it’s a very different Steve who returns tonight, ready to spend, spend spend! There has also been a casting change, with Stephane Dion leaving the show, being replaced by Michael Ignatieff. Will the government survive? Will Canada be plunged into a winter election? Will the coalition take power? (spoiler alert: yes. no. no.)

As much fun as the political insanity we saw in December was, I suspect this week will be rather anticlimactic. The central players have all learned their lessons (hopefully), and the Tories will manage to sneak out of this one bruised, but not defeated. That said, after what we saw before Christmas, making predictions of any sort is a recipe for looking foolish.

UPDATE: If you want to read the throne speech, it’s a quick read. Full text here.