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With the end of the series nearing, Shameless has given a lot of fans hope for some newfound closure to the Gallagher’s insane, continuous stories. Since airing in January of 2011, Shameless has been a rollercoaster of emotions, giving fans an insight into a chaotic, messy, lovable family who suffers from poverty and neglect and resides in the heart of South Side Chicago. Shameless follows the stories of six siblings who all live under one small roof who have to work more than twice as hard as the middle class to afford to live and stay together.
Their eldest sibling, Fiona Gallagher, is the caretaker and mother figure to her younger siblings Lip, Ian, Carl, Debbie, and Liam. Their father, Frank Gallagher, might not have completely abandoned them like their mother Monica, due to her own mental health issues and drug addiction, but he might as well have, being an ignorant, drunken nuisance to all of them. Because the end of Shameless is near, it’s important to highlight all of their accomplishments and character development since the beginning of the series.
Fiona Gallagher
Forced into being a parent to her younger siblings and picking up the slack of her deadbeat dad and mother who abandoned them, Fiona Gallagher is a force to be reckoned with. Fiona, portrayed by Emmy Rossum, had arguably the roughest childhood of the six of them, being the firstborn and remembering every single bad thing that happened to them before their mother left. Fiona has made many sacrifices for her siblings, including throwing away any chance at going back to school and having to work countless hours to keep up with rent, utilities, and provide her family with food and clothes.
During the first few seasons, Fiona starts a relationship with a man named Steve Wilton, whose later revealed as Jimmy Lishman. The two have an instant connection, but this love was never meant to last for Fiona. At one point, Steve confronts her about her unhealthy lifestyle, constantly putting herself on the back burner for her siblings. Fiona fights back, arguing that he doesn’t know what they’ve been through or how she feels.
Despite their relationship being up in the air over her ties to her siblings, Fiona Gallagher chooses to take full custody, leaving Frank and Monica permanently out of the picture. Because of this decision, Fiona abandons her shot at a fresh start with Steve as a free woman, and Steve leaves without a goodbye, only to appear later in the series as Jimmy. Fiona spent a lot of her life looking out for her siblings, only to slowly lose her own freedom. Fiona’s character has been known to be controversial, making unwise decisions at times that negatively reflect on her siblings and make her appear to be an unfit parent. But the harsh reality of the situation is that she was too young and not ready to take on the responsibility of raising five kids independently.
Fiona never got to have a normal childhood or have fun, easy-going memories throughout her twenties. Later in the season, after things start to fall apart from the use of drugs and drinking, she starts to get her life together. Then, after making a wise investment, Fiona is left with a significant amount of money which prompts her decision to leave and make a fresh start for herself. For her final goodbye, she leaves her siblings half of the money she was given to make sure they’re taken care of for a while. And just like that, Fiona is gone.
Lip Gallagher
Lip Gallagher, also known as Philip and played by Jeremy Allen White, is the second oldest of his six siblings. Lip spent a lot of his youth drinking, doing drugs, and getting into trouble. Early on in the series, he and his younger brother Ian even steal a car. Being a naïve, seventeen-year-old, Lip finds himself infatuated with a girl named Karen Jackson, who suffers from mental health issues and isn’t always honest with him. At one point, Karen confides in Lip that she’s pregnant, giving him the impression it was his child. But once she gave birth, it was clear from the child’s appearance it wasn’t his, leaving Lip heartbroken. Even though he tends to have bad luck with relationships, Lip doesn’t always learn from them.
Being incredibly gifted, Lip Gallagher ends up graduating from high school with a scholarship. After a short period of time, it becomes clear that college isn’t working out due to Lip’s persistence with a college professor who starts a relationship with him outside of school. Helene Runyon, the professor he starts dating, is already married, but her husband knows of their relationship and doesn’t seem to mind as long as it doesn’t interfere with his marriage. Once he and Helene’s relationship is exposed to the school by a girl he was dating named Amanda, things only worsen for Lip. He begins heavily drinking and screws up his scholarship, getting expelled for assaulting a security guard and wrecking a professor’s car.
Later, after admitting he has a bad drinking problem, Lip Gallagher attends AA, where he meets a new friend named Bradley Young. Brad gets him a job at a motorcycle garage and helps mentor Lip through his time of need. Lip, in return, has to help Brad when he later has a relapse due to the stress of his newborn child. He eventually meets his future son’s mother, Tami Tamietti, the sister of Brad’s wife, Cami. As the story goes, they slowly and unconventionally fall for one another and have a son. Tami and Lip are currently are in the making of a new life for themselves.
Ian Gallagher And Mickey Milkovich
From the beginning, Ian Gallagher, portrayed by Cameron Monaghan, was already questioning his sexuality. But it was clear he knew right from the start he was attracted to men. After coming out to Fiona, and the rest of his family, Ian slowly started really accepting himself and learning what he liked and didn’t like in relationships. It was no surprise he and Mickey Milkovich, the tough guy from an even worse living situation, would work out in the end, overcoming Mickey’s homophobic family and ruthless father.
Mickey stood up for himself and their relationship. By using his aggressive methods, Micky fought his father in The Alibi bar until the police showed up and sent his dad back to prison on prior charges, and Mickey was able to walk free. Later, Ian Gallagher is sent to prison for forming a riot for equality and blowing up a car. He finds himself in a shared cell with non-other than Mickey, who went to jail for attempted murder on Ian’s half-sister, Samantha. Once released, they decide to get married and now live together at the Gallagher home, where they continue to strengthen their relationship.
During the series, it is revealed that Ian is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, taking after his mother, Monica. He experienced a few episodes, running off with Mickey’s biological son and not realizing what was truly going on. Before that, Ian disappeared for a while, only to be found working at a gay bar and acting like a completely different person. Through it all, even when they weren’t together, Mickey stuck by Ian and loved him for him. Mickey might not have understood the situation initially, but he allowed himself to learn and grew with Ian through his pain and suffering. Fans consider their relationship to be one of the best in the series and making a huge impact on the LGBTQ+ community.
Carl Gallagher
As a kid, Carl Gallagher, portrayed by Ethan Cutkosky, was really into destruction and mayhem, doing anything he could to cause issues for himself and his family. According to his siblings, Carl isn’t considered book smart like his brother Lip or is even known to possess some common sense, but he tries his best despite his inability to catch on as quickly. Being the second youngest, Carl wasn’t old enough to resent his mother the way Ian, Lip, and Fiona did, which was confusing for him and his sister Debbie.
As he becomes a young teenager, Carl begins to form his own ideas and opinions of the world and really could care less about anything. He didn’t take anything seriously besides his reputation as a “bad-ass.” As a result, he begins to surround himself with drug dealers and sells hard drugs for dangerous people, creating a name for himself on the street and leading him down a dark path. After getting caught trying to smuggle drugs, with the help of his nephew Chuckie who initially took the fall for the crime, Carl is sentenced to a year in juvenile prison.
Once he returns to society, Carl Gallagher believes he’s even tougher and stronger than before, continuing his old ways on the streets with the help of a new friend he met in prison, Nick. But shortly after spending time together, Nick kills a young neighborhood boy for stealing his bike, leaving Carl to mourn the death of the boy. Carl slowly changes after this and later becomes infatuated with the military and becoming a stronger person. By the final season, Carl becomes a police officer and learns how corrupt the system truly is after sharing his shifts with lazy, power-hungry, and disloyal partners. Carl takes matters into his own hands to help those in need who resort to dealing and prostitution. Carl takes a little longer to understand how the world works compared to his siblings, but once he does, he usually makes the right decisions.
Debbie Gallagher
Debbie Gallagher, played Emma Kenney, is the third-youngest sibling in her family. As a kid, she wasn’t as interested in playing house or doing things that regular kids had the privilege to do. Instead, Debbie had to work in order to help out her family. At the age of eleven, Debbie ran an illegal daycare, watching kids for money to support her family. It took time for Debbie’s development because she wasn’t quite a teenager yet. Once she got older and started hanging out with girls who didn’t have her best interest at heart, Debbie fell victim to the pressure of adolescent drinking and partying and wound up making bad decisions when it came to relationships.
After finding out she was pregnant, her boyfriend, Derek, decided not to be involved, claiming Debbie was trying to trap him into a relationship with the pregnancy. Despite her efforts, Derek ended up cutting ties with Debbie and the baby by going into the military. Debbie insisted she would still give birth, disregarding Fiona’s wishes for her to have an abortion. Fiona didn’t want Debbie to have to go through with a teenage pregnancy and struggle to provide for her child or end having to care for her when Debbie couldn’t. Years later, regardless of the highs and lows, Debbie has fought day in and day out to care for her daughter and provide her with everything she didn’t have as a child, even if her daughter, Franny, doesn’t care about those things. Debbie Gallagher manages to be a working, single parent with a happy, smart child who smiles even during their worst days.
V And Kev
Veronica Fisher and Kevin Ball are two of the most iconic couples in any sitcom. Their dynamic is playful and romantic but at its best makes us laugh with how ridiculous the situations are that these two get themselves into. Veronica, or V, is the voice of reason to Kevin and practically every other character in the series. She and Kevin are the neighbors and best friends of the Gallaghers. Veronica is arguably the most mature character in the show, being in touch with her own emotions and knowing and saying exactly how she feels. Kevin, on the other hand, isn’t considered one of the smartest people on their block. Kevin is a charming, muscular, lovable oaf with only the best intentions for him and Veronica. They’re also the proud owners of the Chicago, south-side dive-bar, The Alibi.
One of the biggest milestones Veronica and Kevin have ever faced is parenthood. After deciding to have kids and a long journey of trial and error, Veronica ends up pregnant with twin little girls named Amy and Jemma. Both Kev and V are ecstatic, and this brings them even closer together. Throughout their relationship, V and Kev face a lot of obstacles. One major hitch is taking on a third romantic partner who tries to drive a wedge between the two and even tries to steal their bar. Another is Kevin legally being married to another woman without Veronica’s knowledge. But in the end, our strong, capable duo conquer these barriers, and love truly does prevail for them and their family. In the last season, Kevin surprises Veronica and the girls with a wedding ceremony in their bar, giving Veronica something to feel better about when her mom announces she’s moving out of the South Side. Since the beginning of the series, V and Kev have changed a lot and grown together, each becoming better people because of the other.
Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher, portrayed by Christian Isaish, is the youngest of his siblings and least acknowledged at home. As a baby, he was a big priority in the family, constantly being cared for to the best of their limited abilities. But because of the significant age difference, Liam is constantly neglected by his siblings once Fiona leaves, having to fend for himself with no parental figure to guide him through life. Liam tends to go to Veronica for advice, feeling close to her, but he usually seems to suffer in silence. Once Liam is able to think and speak for himself, he explores his background and tries to engage himself in black culture.
Liam Gallagher doesn’t always feel like he belongs for several reasons: being the only black sibling in the family, being the youngest, and not being asked his opinion on anything. Unlike Debbie and Carl when they were his age, Liam becomes a lot more self-aware and wary of his situation. Liam, not even having a sibling-like Fiona around to take care of him, does well for himself despite the circumstances. With Veronica’s help at times and the care he previously received from Fiona, he turned out to be a smart, well-rounded person with strong opinions and a good heart.
Frank Gallagher
Frank Gallagher, portrayed by William H. Macy, is a narcissistic alcoholic and the negligent father of six kids who rather spend his days concocting schemes to make easy money than work for a living. Frank spends most of the series drunk, passed out, and waking up in random situations. Frank has unanimously gone down in history as one of television’s worst father figures. He doesn’t usually feel remorse about anything bad he says or does to the people around him, and he certainly doesn’t take any responsibility for his kid’s situations.
In fact, they’re considered lucky by his standards that they even have him around. The Gallagher children don’t hold back when it comes to their resentment for Frank or their mother, Monica. Frank may have his faults… in fact, it’s hard to justify redemption for a character like his, but in the last few seasons, we see sides to Frank we didn’t expect to see. After the death of his ex-wife Monica Gallagher and mother to his children, Frank mourns her despite years of resentment toward her absence. Frank tells his children how wonderful of a woman she truly was and doesn’t understand why they don’t feel the same as he does about her passing.
In season nine, when his daughter Fiona decides to leave Chicago, Frank is visibly sad by her decision. In a few short exchanges, Frank thanks Fiona for raising her siblings. Despite not allowing her the full credit she deserved, that was big for Frank to admit he wasn’t the bread-winning, great father he claims to be. And in the last season of Shameless, Frank shows some affection towards his granddaughter, Franny, taking her out for a day at the park and expressing his contentment for her existence.
At the end of the episode, fans even see Frank try to cheer an upset Debbie up with Franny; all dressed up for a beauty competition Franny previously refused to dress up for. Although Debbie didn’t know it was Frank’s idea, fans see Frank giving Franny a thumbs up from around the corner of the hallway, pushing her to make her mom smile. Fans might agree that Frank is a pretty awful person most times, but at his core, there seems to be a real, decent human still lurking within.
The End Of The Gallagher Saga
There may only be a few more episodes to air, but Shameless will continue to make its impact on fans, making us laugh and cheer for the Gallagher’s to do better or go down in a roar of comical flames. This series might have taken a lot of serious issues and given fans some important topics to think about, but it still has had some funny, charming spins to the horrors of everyday living in a situation. Shameless has given fans a family and friends who genuinely care for one another and don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. It’s not only a relief to watch them begin to climb their own ladders to success in the last season, but it’s also a great sentiment before we say goodbye.