S06.E12: Familia Supra Gallegorious Omnia!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

 

Season 6 ends with the arrival of Fiona's wedding day. Debbie shows up at the church with Franny, and Frank arrives uninvited and high, and reveals that Sean is still a practicing junkie. Meanwhile, Ian brings Caleb to meet the family; and Sean tries to do everything he can to keep his son in his life.

 

Promo:

 

Clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5LQRZTFq

 

[heatherchandler]

Do we know that Sean is still getting high?

I feel like "Sean trying to keep his son in his life" has a hidden meaning - maybe the hit man tries to kill Will?

Edited March 29, 2016 by heatherchandler

[WhosThatGirl]

The first couple minutes already told me I everything I needed to know about this episode: Frank with Sean's toothbrush. And then the peeing in the shoes and then all the other stuff.. I know Frank's a loser and pretty much has the mental capacity of a child, but SERIOUSLY? Oh Shameless, you can and have done better things on this show. But having witnessed what Frank did and then have to watch Sean use said toothbrush. Ugh. I'm sorry, but seriously?  disgusting and kind of lazy, much like this show has become with their humor. 

 

The Kevin/Vee/Svetlana plotline is just boring to me and also feels like a lazy attempt at humor. I just don't like it. It makes me kind of sad that after finally having their babies and getting back to being the happy couple I adored in the first couple seasons, they added this. I don't mind Svetlana but I don't like this storyline. Its trying so hard to be funny and it doesn't work for me.

 

Carl is the best part of this show. I hope he keeps ironing his shirts and wearing aftershave and hanging out with his girlfriend and his girlfriends dad and becomes a cop and gets the hell away from The Gallaghers and becomes a decent human being. I  have liked his stories this season, more than any of his siblings. I really like his girlfriends dad. 

 

I can't feel bad for Lip. He made his bed. I understand he has his father issues and all, but seriously, he needs to take a seat on telling his professor off. That's all on Lip.  Also, Lip, the pot/kettle thing doesn't work because like his professor pointed out, he can still function as a human being and according to him he didn't become a drunk until later in life. I don't know how I feel about the Lip drinking storyline.  The only thing I liked was the scene with the bar with Kevin, Vee, and the others giving him crap for screwing up college and Kevin calling him out for being Frank jr pretty much. I also enjoyed his scene with Debbie, which is the only scene I enjoyed with Debbie all season, I think. Eh, I guess he is going to rehab. Maybe I'll him once he stops drinking. His professor is way too nice to Lip. Lip who called him a lot of names and smashed up his car. 

 

I can't with Caleb and Ian. Sorry. If I didn't watch live, I'd fast forward their scenes if I was not watching it live. I was over them by the wedding episode. BTW, the show did this themselves. They wrote them horribly and have handled it wrong. Sorry I am actually not sorry.But I don't pay attention to their scenes very much.And also, maybe I should feel bad that Ian can't get his job back being a janitor for the college, but you can't just up and leave jobs like that. Sorry, that's how the real world works. I'm also sure Ian could have asked Fiona and Sean to work at the diner again but instead we get a montage of him not getting a job. I wish I felt happy about his big speech at the EMT place and the other two people wanting to go on the run with him but I don't, maybe because he has annoyed me so much this season. And he did lie. I wish it wasn't so much as him having a mental condition but him lying about it being the problem and that that was stressed and why he wasn't getting the job. Not his Bipolar but the fact that he lied. That's a big deal. Less job applications would be mad if you lied about information too.

 

So {not} Hitman Train Guy's name is Bruno and he might be my favorite character for driving away from Frank in their cart thing and stealing his money. Bruno rules!  I only wish he had run Frank over and killed him. Bruno! You could have done so much!

 

The thing with the Sean character is that.. I just don't like him. He's just kind of there and he has never really fit into this show for me or with the other characters. I always found it odd that he's marrying Fiona and hardly knows her siblings. Oh god.. watching everyone find out about him being high and still getting high was awful. His poor kid.  I'm not surprised. He used in episode 1 or 2 of this season. I sort of had a feeling something like this would come out, I just didn't expect it to be on the wedding day. Bye Sean. Maybe. The only time I ever enjoyed you was last week when you were the voice of reason re Frank but at this point, I guess you were probably doing drugs then too. 

 

ER looked really pretty at the wedding and did anyone not think that Debbie wasn't going to show up at the end with Frannie as the flower girl? I felt bad Fiona asking Frank to not screw up her wedding day, even despite him doing so already with his terrible speech. That was awful. Seriously, WHM does well in this role, I hate him so much and yet..I think WHM should try and get on a better show. Because Frank is a despicable human being. He so enjoyed ruining the wedding.  I

 

Are we supposed to think Frank may not survive? I doubt that very much. But who knows. Otherwise, no one was killed and that's a fake out. Thanks again, Promos!

 

I am so glad to be done with this season. 

[kathe5133]

Bye Sean! Honestly, Fiona has the worst taste in men.

[Muffyn]

I actually enjoyed the last 10 minites or so, Frank's outing everyone's issues, Fiona's scene with Sean, and Lip being dropped off a rehab.  The rest was a waste to me.

 

Carl wanting to be a cop because it is an overused premise - out of control kid wants to become a cop to be able to have power over others.  Great.  Give the sociopath a gun.  JJust because he is straightening up for his girlfriend doesn't mean all of his problems have gone away.  Carl has been a pretty disturbed character from the  get go.

 

Ian and Caleb are dull.  Ian's little speech about disability was missing something important. You can be rejected from a job if your disability prevents you from being able to perform the job duties without reasonable accommodation.  There are physical requirements for EMTs.  His argument regarding controlled mental illness could stand, but he did lie on the application.  Yes, it is a catch 22.  He still fell right into it.  And I don't feel sorry for him for spending one day looking for work without finding something.  Poor baby. Now, just like the other Gallaghers, grow up. 

 

When will it hit Fiona that she is probably out of a job now too?   Does she want to work with junky Sean?  Sean is the most boring junky ever.   

[sazzat]

 

So {not} Hitman Train Guy's name is Bruno and he might be my favorite character for driving away from Frank in their cart thing and stealing his money. Bruno rules!  I only wish he had run Frank over and killed him. Bruno! You could have done so much!

 

Ha! I was irritated at the hitman bit, though. It's the kind of thing that would have been funny in the space of one episode instead of set up like a serious dramatic cliffhanger. I would be so excited at no more Frank and it makes even more sense, story-wise, for them to be done with him now that he's yet again proven his awfulness AND Fiona no longer has Sean around to distract her from keeping a household together for the minor kids. Alas, I'm sure the writers are already pitching ideas about how to keep Frank present, obnoxious, and naked next season. By the way...who was paying for the church/flowers/tux rentals and all since Frank was clearly not going to do it any more?

 

I'm hoping this is the last of Sean and that we see a single Fiona for the next while. It's been a long time since we saw Fiona pursue any dreams that weren't tied to a man. What will happen to her job, since Sean is still her boss? I'm presuming Dermot Mulroney isn't coming back next season and wonder how they'll wrap that up - maybe he'll quit offscreen.

 

I liked seeing Lip get told at the Alibi Room and really hope he actually enters that rehab program. Was also happy to see Ian take a stand on his own behalf. Liking the pacing of Carl's gradual change to a halfway decent kid who sometimes forgets he's supposed to be decent.

 

I don't know what I want them to do with Deb and the baby. The difficulty with infant actors means that either Deb won't be around much next season, or they have to find some reason to keep the baby as out of the picture as possible. I don't think there's anywhere they can take it that I'd want to see, though.

 

Please let the Kev/Vee/Svet triad fizzle so that I can forget all the leering jokes about how good Kev has it.

[stagmania]

About the only good thing I have to say about that finale is that I'm very glad nothing particularly surprising or compelling happened. I feel no desire to return next season for more of the same.

[Empress1]

Is Sean leaving for good? I can't remember where his son lives, but he lives flying distance away. It wasn't clear to me what Sean's plans were beyond beg his son's mom to let him see her - which ... I mean, that's got to be a no, right? Or at LEAST he's got to go to rehab first? His son knows he's actively using.

If I watch next season, PLEASE no love interests for Fiona. She needs at least a year getting her shit together, raising her siblings (really raising them, because she wasn't doing shit before) and focusing on getting her own life together.

Speaking of, I want Lip (he's 22? I thought he was a sophomore. How old is Fiona?) to get his together too. I wonder if he could apply elsewhere once he gets out of rehab?

[dangwoodchucks]

 

Was also happy to see Ian take a stand on his own behalf.

The time for Ian to take that stand would have been if he was turned down because of his illness, not after he was found to have lied about it.  And now we know, all you have to do to get a job back is march in and give the "I'm handicapped" speech and say you wouldn't have hired me if I told the truth, but you should be ok that I lied on my application. No way. And the others refusing to go on a call without him? All of them would have been in trouble.

 

Debbie needs to either let people help her or let someone more capable raise Franny. That poor baby deserves better. And Debbie can GTFO with her "I'm doing it on my own" mess. She's living somewhere rent free and I assume she's paying for diapers and whatnot with welfare money. I just keep remembering that she wanted this and lied to make it happen.

 

I seriously doubt a white father on a TV show saying, "Dom, your black boy is here" would be met with anything other than criticism. But we're supposed to laugh at , "Dom, your white boy is here", delivered by an AA man. The line doesn't offend me either way, the double standard does.

 

The dance lesson was a nice reminder of Dermot Mulroney in "The Wedding Date".

 

I can't say I blame Sean for using, after all, we've seen the Gallaghers in action and I can understand some people not being able to deal with it. Why was it such a big deal to Fiona? When Sean told her earlier that he had used, she wasn't all that bothered by it. She was totally ok with having more unprotected sex with him.

 

There was absolutely nothing in this season or finale that makes me look forward to next season. Thank goodness Game of Thrones is coming back on soon.

[Empress1]

I think Fiona thought Sean had one slip and no more, not that he was shooting up every day for months. They're both big deals; the latter is a huge deal.

[WhosThatGirl]

The time for Ian to take that stand would have been if he was turned down because of his illness, not after he was found to have lied about it.  And now we know, all you have to do to get a job back is march in and give the "I'm handicapped" speech and say you wouldn't have hired me if I told the truth, but you should be ok that I lied on my application. No way. And the others refusing to go on a call without him? All of them would have been in trouble.

 

This is how I feel. I feel like the issue should be more that he lied. 

 

I'm happy that the season is over. Who knows if I will be back next year. I don't think so.

[Dee]

That was fantastic.

 

The scene where everyone learns that Lip was expelled was truly heartbreaking. Their disbelief and disappointment in the Back Of The Yards 'One Great Hope' failing to make it out of the ghetto was awesome. Great work from all involved, especially Shanola and Michael McGill.

 

I have always loved the ultra closeness of the Vee/Kev/Fiona trio, and tonight it was on full display. I love that three of them love and protect each other so fiercely, and I love how easily Svetlana integrated into their friendship/relationship. Svet is a ridiculously blunt opportunist, but underneath it all she's got a big heart, and I'm glad to see how genuinely warmhearted she is now that she's in a loving relationship.

 

I continue to unabashedly adore Caleb and Ian's relationship. I loved that Caleb urged Ian to fight for his job, in spite of Ian's own misgivings, because he genuinely wanted better for him, and that he had absolutely no judgment about the Gallaghers usual dysfunction even after experiencing it up close & personal. And with Caleb proving totally willing to participate in typical Gallagher family shenanigans, via the episode's stinger, he's proving to definitely be a keeper.

 

I also adored Debbie and Lip. Like Lip, Debbie is hardheaded and determined to do things her way, but the quiet fear she had at her big brother becoming Frank broke my heart. The two of them have long had a special bond once he accepted she was growing up, and I'm glad that he opened up to her despite not wanting to burden the rest of the family with his problems.

 

Carl and Dominique were ridiculously sweet. That said, I still love that Officer Winslow remains a hard ass but that it doesn't bother Carl because he's committed to earning his respect. Fiona's bemused expression at him learning to iron his own clothes was GOLD.

 

William H. Macy is outstanding. The sheer range of emotions he went through in this episode was amazing and his semi-breakdown at the wedding was Classic Frank. Frank is complete trash as a human being but he almost made me sympathize with his pathetic pleas to be included in the day's festivities only for him to squander any goodwill he'd just earned by turning on a dime and totally eviscerating every member of his family. Truly great work.

 

All of that said, tonight truly belonged to Emmy Rossum and Jeremy Allen White.

 

From Fiona's hopeful wedding planning with Sean and her happiness at Debs and Franny participating in the wedding to the abject horror that slowly registered over Fiona's face when she learned Sean was still using proved that even after six years that Emmy Rossum remains the backbone of this show and is able to effortlessly pull on viewers heartstrings.

 

Jeremy Allen White, though, was the real revelation. If this season belonged to any Gallagher it was Lip and a huge part of that was because of JAW's commitment to fiercely deconstructing Lip's defense mechanisms. I thought it was a bit of a cheat to have Youens pay for both Lip's bail AND rehab, but I also liked that the episode ended without Lip entering rehab. If the bar scene exhibited anything, it's that Lip's real issue is that in spite of all his flaws, he genuinely feels he is better than everyone else in his life. Until he confronts just why that is, all the rehab in the world won't help him work through his issues.

 

Most of all, I love that after six years the Gallaghers, Vee & Kev, are the exact same little makeshift family from the Pilot. They're a little more weary and a lot more worn these days, but each one of them is still clearly recognizable.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Dee

[whiporee]

I'm with you, Dee. I thought it was fantastic all the way around. Both Lip and Ian have a way out, and I applaud the show for offering it to them. And I liked that they both had to decide to do it -- I hope they have Lip walk in the building. It would be too much of a cop out for him not to. His speech on the barstool sounded exactly like Frank, and delivered exactly like Frank. And then the looks -- the total silence in the bar and him going back to school to see what he'd lost. Also perfect that he's the one who took the first swing at Frank, because he's fighting so much more. Just good stuff. 

 

Likewise, I almost never care at all about Ian, but I thought he made good points, and if he hadn't lied, he would never know whether he could do the job or not. A bit too much solidarity there, but it was a neat choice to have him walk out of the club without knowing what exactly went on in there until he showed back up at the EMT center. I like him and Caleb -- good stuff as well.

 

And Emmy Rossum does a very good job. She just does. She showed Fiona's pure joy, her pleading withe Frank and then her realization about Sean. All in her face more than anything else. I get the feeling she really loves Fiona -- that's not always the case.

 

Kev and vee and Svetlana are just fun. I really enjoy how much fun they all seem to be having. 

 

Not a fantastic season, but not bad at all. I would have liked to see a bit more of the gentrification, and less of Sherelyn Finn's boobs, but I'm missing it already and looking forward to the next one. 

[heatherchandler]

Speaking of, I want Lip

SAME! I love him.

Oh, you said more after that...

[Pete Martell]

What a lovely message to send to people who lose jobs due to mental illness, or to the average viewer who assumes mentally ill people can't be trusted in a job like this - you can lie, and then you'll keep a job you got under false pretenses if you give a big speech.

 

The show only seems to use Ian's bipolar for cheap melodrama.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Pete Martell

[preeya]

So the only cliffhangers are:

• Does Lip actually enter the rehab building?
• Does Frank perish in the icy Chicago water?

[WhosThatGirl]

Well, I'm not sure of Lip and I'm like 98 % sure Frank is still going to be alive.  Like they would kill him.

 

And I still stand by my earlier posts about this season and this show, even if I'm part of a small party. 

Edited April 4, 2016 by WhosThatGirl

[Dee]

 

So the only cliffhangers are:

• Does Lip actually enter the rehab building?

 

Knowing this show, Lip will probably skip rehab and reunite with Mandy which will magically cure all his flaws, since all Milkoviches are saints.

[Armchair Critic]

I was never into Sean and I knew it was a mistake for Fiona to jump into another marriage, but I didn't think it would end because he was still shooting up. I hope Lip goes through with rehab, I can see him being another Nurse Jackie though. I was hoping Debs would wake up and see she is not prepared to be a mother but unfortunately like Frank I don't think the baby is going anywhere.

[Dee]

After the advice the pediatrician gave Debs, I wonder if she will try to mend fences with the Delgados next season.

 

She still doesn't seem eager to fully forgive Fiona or further burden her brothers, plus she knows that they're willing to help with Franny financially, even if it was by way of extortion.

[DiabLOL]

So this show wants me to cheer for Ian but Sean, who has a disease that heavily features lying and a crushingly high relapse rate, is someone who should be thrown away.

Maybe next season Deb's baby can go hang out with Kev and Vee's 15 babies so they don't have to deal with her anymore.

Edited April 4, 2016 by DiabLOL

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Frank has done a lot of despicable things, but paying someone to murder his daughter's fiance the day before the wedding? That might be the coldest thing he has done (especially considering that he was going to pay the balance of the guy's fee with Sean's stolen credit card). Don't get me wrong - he has a long list of other contenders, but that's pretty high on the list.

 

I just can't with Frank. He is a father in name only. He has not attempted to take care of his children, leaving Fiona to raise a a houseful of kids while he drink and drugs his life away. Being a sperm donor doesn't give you the right to walk your daughter down the aisle. Even though Fiona yelled at Sean for what she perceived as his ego, I was glad that someone finally told Frank what a shitty person and what a shitty father he has been. Sean isn't perfect, but I think that he had Fiona's best interests at heart when he yelled at Frank last week. When you love someone and you see how terribly someone else has treated them, it's hard to just stand idly by.

 

When Frank busted into the wedding, I was really hoping that someone would throw his ass out. I was fantasizing about Kev, Lip, Ian, and Caleb carrying Frank out and then locking the door until the wedding was over.My biggest regret is that Lip didn't punch Frank sooner. And Frank can crow all he wants about how he's honest but he is just as much a liar as Sean is. I can't count how many times he has lied in the past six seasons.

 

Part of me was laughing my ass off when Bruno told Frank that he'd already ripped him off (because that's almost exactly what I said last week during their scene on the El). The other part of me was sad because the $1000 in cash that he gave Bruno last week could have been put towards Fiona's wedding.

 

It was painful to watch Lip transfer his daddy issues to his professor last week. We get it. Frank is a terrible father. Lip resents him for that (as he should). Hopefully between Kevin pointing out that the well worn seat is where Frank usually sits and Debbie flat out telling Lip that she doesn't want him to turn into Frank will be enough to get him to get his shit together. It was so sad to see the disappointment of everyone at the bar when he said he got expelled. Despite whatever shit they gave him for being a college boy, they thought he was the one guy from the neighborhood who would get out and make it and they were rooting for him.

 

I have always loved Kev and V's friendship with Fiona so it was really nice to see it again in this episode, from Kev's appreciative "Wow!" when he saw Fiona in her wedding dress to their protectiveness of Fiona after the wedding fiasco (staying outside with her and then Kev giving Sean the evil eye before he left him alone with Fiona).

 

During the baby's wellness visit, I started thinking that the doctor was going to report Debbie to social services. While I am tired of Debbie's attitude, her stubborn attitude is pretty accurate for a 15 year old. I don't want Franny to suffer, but at the same time I am glad Debbie has been getting a major dose of reality. She thought it would be so easy to have the baby, keep going to school, and have a job so she could have her own apartment. She can barely handle one out of those three things.

 

 

 

Debbie can GTFO with her "I'm doing it on my own" mess. She's living somewhere rent free and I assume she's paying for diapers and whatnot with welfare money.

Don't forget that Carl bought her diapers last week too!

 

I really hope that Carl keeps up his quest to become a more responsible adult. Like he said, he needs to learn how to do things like iron his own shirts so good on him for learning some basic life skills. Heh, I had to laugh when Frank asked how Carl managed to get a hot girlfriend.

Edited April 4, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[FiveByFive]

 

So the only cliffhangers are:

• Does Lip actually enter the rehab building?
• Does Frank perish in the icy Chicago water?

 

 

One thing I've learned with this show, and the reason why I barely watch anymore, is that if there are two options: the "happy" one/ one that offers hope vs. a negative one that leads to the character learning nothing: always take the second. 

 

I was watching Lip outside of the rehab center, knowing a Professor that seems to care about him also paid for it ... and I knew when that not only would we not see him go in but likely next season he probably won't have bothered. He'll have skipped out and done something stupid, claiming he's cured and "he'll pay the Professor back." 

 

Just like when Fiona got that "nice" job and was doing well I knew she'd lose it.

Just like when Fiona married the first guy I knew it would end badly.

Just like when Fiona almost got married this time, I knew it wouldn't happen.

Just like when Lip was able to go to college and found the money to stay in, he'd get kicked out.

Just like Frank, every season, does something "unforgivable" and he always ends up right back in the Gallagher household walking around, ignoring their insults and living his life because nothing ever sticks on this show or turns out well.  (So no, Frank is very much alive and all will be well by episode 3 of next season.)

 

Sure, they have little "happy" moments but it amounts to nothing.

 

Also, I get Ian's speech. I was happy he decided to "stay and fight" rather than walk back into being a stripper. Yeah, you lied on the application. I think that scene was more about his boss admitting in some small way that yes, he lied -- but he does have a point. We wouldn't have hired him. Then again of course he lied so he shouldn't be here but it seems everyone else is okay with it so eh, he can stay.  Although I'm sure with this show next season he'll probably quit, have an episode and/or get fired because it's Shameless and nothing ever sticks. 

 

Finally, I'm glad the "impartial" Doctor called Debbie out on not taking care of herself and again stated that yeah, she needs help and people are offering it so TAKE IT.  Although I'm waiting for the father's family to jump in and want to have something to do with the kid because that would cause drama and this is Shameless and drama happens. 

Edited April 4, 2016 by FiveByFive

[kathe5133]

Is it even legal to ask someone on a job application if they have a mental illness?  And...... are medical records for psyche wards available when a background check is run?   

[Tooch]

WHY is the show trodding down this path and turning Deb into a less likable character than Frank? Frank is the worst human I think I have ever seen portrayed on TV but there's something at least a little entertaining about him occasionally. Deb has just turned into a sour, annoying, rag who I just want to shut up. 

 

Hey Professor Daddy, maybe walk your charge in to the rehab place? You're such an experienced drunk and you don't make sure he goes in before driving off? Good christ, I can't with this, and I actually like the story idea of having this guy become a father figure to Lip and help him right the ship.

 

Also, Lip is 22, while Debs is somehow still 15? How old is Ian? Last season finale, Carl was sentenced to a year in juvie and got out "a couple months early" due to good behavior at the start of this season, so that means 10ish months passed. But in the meantime, no time at all passed for the others in the family, because Fiona said either Gus Jimmy or Sean could have impregnated her. At the time she finally got her abortion Debby was like 5 months pregnant, even though they got pregnant at the same time. Meanwhile, Lip somehow turned 22. I know the show has never really stuck to a timeline but good lord.

[sazzat]

Is it even legal to ask someone on a job application if they have a mental illness?  And...... are medical records for psyche wards available when a background check is run?   

That's the thing: no, or at least only for certain kinds of jobs...and Ian would have known before he got to the point of applying whether bipolar would have put him out of the running. The show really, really screwed up the whole process of Ian getting a job in order to put him in a position to make that dramatic speech. He would have known what he would be asked to disclose; a typical background check (as opposed to a government security clearance or the like) would not reveal a voluntary hospital stay, only one that was associated with criminal charges; he would not have started a job and only then been disqualified due to a background check; jobs can have health requirements, but either you would have to sign a release for medical records or you would be subject to a medical exam or mental health exam from the company, not just a tick box of "do you have bipolar y/n." Medical records do require their own release. And of course, Ian would have to have a fucking GED, and his lack of such is something that a background check would turn up, but I digress. If I have to accept the show's poor setup of the situation, I would much rather have Ian persevere than Ian start on a manic spiral, which given that it's Shameless is really the likelier option--I was really expecting the "shock" reveal of Ian not managing his illness. We had so little time with Ian this season and I'm disappointed at how much happened offscreen (apparently).

 

I know to expect dramatic license on TV, but I feel like Shameless goes out of the way to create complicated legal angles only when they want to come up with a motivation for something that they otherwise can't--and they'll invoke only one aspect of the situation and ignore or twist everything else to the point of ridiculousness (see also: eviction/auction/sale of the house; Lip losing his RA job; Fiona's guardianship; Svetlana's immigration status...)

 

Sean never gelled for me. With a few exceptions he just seemed like a grumpy old guy who was grudgingly supportive...I guess we were supposed to understand that Fiona was projecting her desire for normalcy on him, or something? I never got the sense that he was madly in love with her or understood why he would stick around (at the risk of his custody) when he didn't show a lot of emotional connection to Fiona.

 

I would be fine with seeing the end of Caleb. He, too, has never gelled as a character or in relation to the rest of the cast, and after the build up of the last several shows where meeting Ian's family has been a point of tension, they didn't do much with that. His age and experience in comparison to Ian make his role come across as condescending even though his own decisions can be questionable.

 

ETA: Lip being 22 means Ian is 21 somehow, which would mean Ian aged three years since season five. And Deb would be 16 going on 17, since in the very first episode Ian was 15, Lip was 16, and Deb was 10 and three-quarters, but she just said she was 15 tonight.  WHY, show? Why bring up ages when you don't have to if you're going to fuck them up so badly?

Edited April 4, 2016 by sazzat

[dangwoodchucks]

I think Fiona thought Sean had one slip and no more, not that he was shooting up every day for months. They're both big deals; the latter is a huge deal.

They slept together, had sex, shouldn't Fiona have noticed needle marks? I know he was lying to her, but she knew he was an addict and relapsing is a very real danger. What happened to "we love each other, we'll get through your rehab together"? Sean's lying is punishable by banishment but Ian's should be rewarded? Oh, Gallagher lying = good, anybody else = bad. They originally said everyone at the diner was there because of addiction getting them in trouble. They even had a plotline about another employee ODing and Sean being tempted by/using her stuff he found. Did they drop that requirement? Is the snarky waitress a former addict? Ian and Carl worked there and weren't addicts. I need to stop trying to make sense out of this stuff if the writers don't even care. It's like other plot contrivances, they only pull them out when needed like the worker we saw getting nabbed at the diner.

 

Well, I'm not sure of Lip and I'm like 98 % sure Frank is still going to be alive.  Like they would kill him.

 

And I still stand by my earlier posts about this season and this show, even if I'm part of a small party. 

I'm in your small party. My husband watches with me sometimes and asks why I watch if I get angry at the show. Then he figured it out - I'm a Shameless addict. I hope there are meetings for this because at this point I'm hate watching.

 

 Part of me was laughing my ass off when Bruno told Frank that he'd already ripped him off (because that's almost exactly what I said last week during their scene on the El). The other part of me was sad because the $1000 in cash that he gave Bruno last week could have been put towards Fiona's wedding.

To hell with Fiona's wedding, that money should have been to pay for Franny's things. I can't believe Sean didn't immediately call to report his charge card stolen before Frank could use it.

 

The actions of some characters this season have just made no sense. At the end of last season Ian told Mickey he didn't need to be taken care of because there was nothing wrong with him. Beginning of this season Fiona is reminding Ian to take his meds, but I don't recall seeing him take them and his attitude gave me the impression that he wasn't. But all of a sudden he's fine and admitting he's bi-polar. I fully expect Lip not to enter the rehab because he'll say that there's nothing wrong with him.

 

Caleb pissed me off with his 'go fight for your job' shit, just like he did with his 'go ahead and lie on your application'. If Ian had told the truth he could have explained everything then. Saying yes to the question may not have been an automatic rejection. The lying and finding out was purely for drama so Ian could speak up for the mental illness he had been denying he had just months earlier (I'm not even sure if it had been months or weeks or what). Applications also ask about military service, Ian didn't say anything about that. Still wondering why identity theft and destruction of government property didn't show up on his background check.

 

Dominique looked much cuter in the dress she ended up wearing to the wedding than the one we saw her try on. I have to laugh everytime her dad says something to Carl about sex with his daughter. Wouldn't he be surprised to find out she was the one who initiated it!

[Primetimer]

At least one of the Gallaghers ends up in a river.

Read the story

[WhosThatGirl]

Caleb pissed me off with his 'go fight for your job' shit, just like he did with his 'go ahead and lie on your application'. If Ian had told the truth he could have explained everything then. Saying yes to the question may not have been an automatic rejection. The lying and finding out was purely for drama so Ian could speak up for the mental illness he had been denying he had just months earlier (I'm not even sure if it had been months or weeks or what). Applications also ask about military service, Ian didn't say anything about that. Still wondering why identity theft and destruction of government property didn't show up on his background check.

 

Yeah, I don't get how I should root for this. I used to like Ian, he was my favorite character out of the Gallaghers but now, not so much. And his speech did nothing for me. If anything, I don't think the bipolar should be a problem, it should be that he lied on his application. To me, that seems like a big deal. But whatever. Also, the show seems to have selective memory when it comes to the history, so my guess is they are forgetting about the military issue for now. Just like they have written his relationship with Mickey but I digress.  Also, the Caleb character really was the worst, I'm sorry but he bugged me and wasn't that great and the more the show tried to force me he was, the more it made me angry. The Ian stuff was terrible. Somehow he is better but last season he never  wanted to take his meds at the end of last season and the following first couple of episodes this season.

 

And everything about your post was right on with the characters this season. They seemed to change motives every episode.

 

Also, welcome to my very small party! We have support groups every sunday at 10 p.m from January to April! ;)

[heatherchandler]

So this show wants me to cheer for Ian but Sean, who has a disease that heavily features lying and a crushingly high relapse rate, is someone who should be thrown away.

 

 

That's a good point!  I was going to say, well Sean is lying about his disease, BUT so did Ian.  I am not sure why one disease deserves more compassion than the other.

[LuciaMia]

 

That said, seeing him get tossed off a bridge into the (presumably icy) Chicago River

When they showed that I practically yelled "THANK you, Jesus!"  And thanks for not showing a quick follow-up clip of him crawling up a pier out of the water or being rescued by a passing boat. I prefer to believe that his cockroach-like ability to survive had finally run out.

 

I didn't take umbrage at Ians storyline. I think what he was saying made some sense. The catch-22 of his situation. What was he supposed to do?  If he came clean about his bipolar condition, he would never have been hired in the first place.

[Tikichick]

I cannot believe this show has reached the point for me that the Gallagher I've most enjoyed this season has been Carl.  I finally understand him and can root for him. 

 

I'm struggling to keep rooting for Lip, Fiona, Ian and Debbie -- all of whom I have rooted for in the past.

 

The lows on this show have been getting too low the past couple seasons.  Yes, this family and those around them may behave Shamelessly, but overall I need things to be more farce, more lighthearted, lower stakes on the table -- and a family I can keep rooting for.  I thought the finale was going to right things upward again in the Gallagher house -- although I did have a fear the baby or someone else was actually going to die tragically.  I need to be able to root for my Shameless Gallaghers -- and not have Kev and Vee destroyed either, because they are part and parcel of the package for me.

[Chaos Theory]

Wouldn't it be the greatest irony of all if it is Carl who becomes a functional human being?

[Dee]

That's a good point!  I was going to say, well Sean is lying about his disease, BUT so did Ian.  I am not sure why one disease deserves more compassion than the other.

 

The same reason the show painted Nick as an irredeemable thug yet treats Mickey as infinitely sympathetic and redeemable.

 

From the very beginning, this show has always had a selective sense of morality in relation to its characters.

 

Eddie and Terry are horrible fathers who deserve their respective fates, yet Frank is given an even more horrific mother to engender sympathy for a character who feels so little for his children that he later sics CPS on them because they dare to set boundaries in terms of his behavior?

 

Monica is a bad mother for abandoning her family, jumping from one ill advised relationship to another, and refusing to deal with her bipolar disorder yet Sheila is a good mom despite refusing to deal with her mental health issues, jumping from one ill advised relationship to another and emotionally abandoning the daughter who always supported her because said daughter wants to give up her grandson for adoption?

 

Mandy is empathetic and sweet for putting the effort forth to get Lip into college, in spite of running Karen over, yet Karen is an irredeemable monster who deserved to be punished for not wanting to raise a child she never had any intention of keeping and briefly taunting Mandy?

Edited April 4, 2016 by Dee

[Gulftastic]

I was very relieved when Debbie and the baby appeared at the wedding. In the scene beforehand, when Fiona and Sean were dancing and the baby stopped crying, I was convinced that something terrible had happened.

 

I wanted to reach through the screen and give Lip a push in the back at the end.

[dangwoodchucks]

When they showed that I practically yelled "THANK you, Jesus!"  And thanks for not showing a quick follow-up clip of him crawling up a pier out of the water or being rescued by a passing boat. I prefer to believe that his cockroach-like ability to survive had finally run out.

 

I didn't take umbrage at Ians storyline. I think what he was saying made some sense. The catch-22 of his situation. What was he supposed to do?  If he came clean about his bipolar condition, he would never have been hired in the first place.

He was supposed to be honest. How did he know they wouldn't take him? They even allow waivers for some criminal offenses, perhaps they do as well for disorders if he can show he's being treated.  And if they don't take people with bi-polar at all they probably have a reason, such as insurability. In that case he would need to find something else to do. His integrity is more in question now than his mental capability.  At most companies, lying on an employment application is grounds for dismissal.

 

A quick glance at the Illinois Department of Public Health website tells me that "Upon verification of application, you will receive a confirmation letter from Continental Testing Services. The confirmation letter must be taken to the test site along with a government issued photo id such as a driver’s license or state identification card. Please arrive at the test site thirty (30) minutes prior to test time for check-in." The application is supposed to be submitted and accepted before the testing. Also, I didn't see anything on the application questioning mental illness.  The writers should clarify that this is an alternate Chicago which bears no resemblance to the real world and they make up things to suit their plots. That way we won't bother trying to make sense of it.

 

http://www.idph.state.il.us/ems/instruction_guide.htm

[tom87]

Love the Alibi scene where everyone was pissed and disappointed at stupid Lip

 

 

So does Ian's boss own the EMT company?  If not she just jeopardized her job for this kid she has known for a a week or two.

[stagmania]

 I know the show has never really stuck to a timeline but good lord.

 

Why bring up ages when you don't have to if you're going to fuck them up so badly?

 

This is what I don't get. Why do they keep bringing up the passage of time and the character ages if they're not going to make the tiniest effort to keep things consistent and within the realm of possibility? No one is forcing them to keep announcing this stuff; they should just avoid it if they're too lazy to bother with even the basics of continuity. The gaps in character stories and motivations are bad enough, why keep reminding the audience that the timeline is beyond ludicrous?

 

Side note: I wanted to give a shoutout to Angela Hamilton for her coverage of the latter part of the season, and especially the hilarious write-up of the finale. Very enjoyable lunchtime read. 

[WhosThatGirl]

I mean sadly there was nothing last night that I'm really looking forward to see next season. And I wish I could quit this show but I can't. I know I'll be back because showtime sucks me in With the marathons of past seasons.

Sean was really the most character ever. His only two episodes worth anything were last week and his disgust of frank and last nights episode. Also while I know I should bad for Fiona I also thought it was very telling when Sean said Will was more important than them and I don't know.. I would think Fiona would get that. She is a guardian. But whatever I guess the how hardly remembers that factor.

[Adusk81]

I love this show at it's best and at it's most ridiculous worst but something that bugged me to no end this season was how we almost never saw Kev and V's kids or Svetlana's kid. That's a lot of babies to never be around. Especially if they're all supposed to be just magically sleeping peacefully during 3 ways, weddings and throwing people from bridges.

Also was not a fan of Ian's smug "artist" boyfriend. Guy is a tool. Judgemental and basic as fuck. Only has gay friends, is hiv positive and plays in a gay softball league. Nice bubble you live in, bro. But you're a fire man so it allows you have a chip on your shoulder because being gay is so hard in a normally straight profession, plus your family is super religious so they don't get you. So you make a sculpture to give to a family member as a wedding gift saying they won't appreciate it like you're better than everyone. Why make it for them then? Simply so you can have that " it's art, you wouldn't understand" moment. Nobody cares about your pretentious blow torch sculptures. Then You parade around with your new boyfriend at the wedding acting like an ass and being totally disrespectful. So your family is religious and you don't agree with it. You're gay and they don't agree with it. To each their own, buddy. Nobody is required to like that you're gay. And showing up to a wedding and freak dancing a trashy looking kid is not helping your cause. Way to make your family hate gay people even more. People like that just make it harder for respectable gay people to be taken seriously in this world. It's beyond tired. All that said, Ian is the very best kind of gay man. A normal Person with every day issues who just happens to be gay. Real life is hard for him and liking dudes has nothing to do with the actual person he is. It's an aspect of the person he is. People who define themselves by their sexuality, gender, race or beliefs need to shut the hell up and realize the rest of the world does not care. Grow a personality. It's a big crazy world out there. Go see it. End rant.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Adusk81

[terrymct]

I really hope that Carl keeps up his quest to become a more responsible adult. Like he said, he needs to learn how to do things like iron his own shirts so good on him for learning some basic life skills. Heh, I had to laugh when Frank asked how Carl managed to get a hot girlfriend.

 

 

This is Carl's first chance at really having a decent father figure.  Maybe he'll end up like one of those stunted houseplants that thrives once you give it fertilizer and sunlight.

[Dee]

I wonder how much of Carl's commitment to being a cop is truly about him wanting to be better for Dominique or because he craves the power that comes with upholding the law.

 

I also thought Frank's speech about loving his kids unconditionally was trash, given he's an inveterate narcissist, and I find it beyond gross that he used Blackness as a Carl's major "flaw."

Edited April 4, 2016 by Dee

[junemeatcleaver]

 

From the very beginning, this show has always had a selective sense of morality in relation to its characters.

 

This show has always been inconsistent in just about every way to me, it's why I can't be mad that it's not as good as it was in previous seasons.  The show has always been fucking dumb, I'm not going to get mad at some of the inconsistencies as long as the show still entertains me, which it does.

[Cosmocrush]

I can't feel bad for Lip. He made his bed. I understand he has his father issues and all, but seriously, he needs to take a seat on telling his professor off. That's all on Lip.  Also, Lip, the pot/kettle thing doesn't work because like his professor pointed out, he can still function as a human being and according to him he didn't become a drunk until later in life. I don't know how I feel about the Lip drinking storyline.  The only thing I liked was the scene with the bar with Kevin, Vee, and the others giving him crap for screwing up college and Kevin calling him out for being Frank jr pretty much. I also enjoyed his scene with Debbie, which is the only scene I enjoyed with Debbie all season, I think. Eh, I guess he is going to rehab. Maybe I'll him once he stops drinking. His professor is way too nice to Lip. Lip who called him a lot of names and smashed up his car. 

Lip is the one I have the most compassion for, he had the potential for the brightest future as everyone in the Alibi knows.   Of course he's an alcoholic - he had his first drink at age 10!  That's not his fault.   He was/is a kid.  It's not the same as the professor who had a life before he became a drunk and by the way still has a job even though he lost his family.     I love the professor for acting like the father Lip should have had - everyone needs someone that won't give up on them, especially 22 year old alcoholics, even after they call them names and smash up their car.    The Prof is wise enough to see that Lip needs help and no one, absolutely no one else is going to help him.  He drove off because he knows Lip has to want to walk into the rehab.  Prof can't save him - but he can give him the opportunity to save himself which is more than anyone else can/will do.     If Lip doesn't take it (and I doubt he will) I'm not sure I want to stick around and watch what happens to him next.   I've found Lips story line this season to be heartbreaking - the way I felt about Ian last season. 

 

 

Wouldn't it be the greatest irony of all if it is Carl who becomes a functional human being?

I was thinking the same thing; that the kid who has shown violent psychopathic tendencies since the beginning turns out to be the most functional Gallegher?  On the other hand, I think he is just the kind of kid/guy that would turn to law enforcement to act those tendencies out.  

[Armchair Critic]

I'm glad I didn't read the episode summary in the first post before I watched, it is spoilery.

[whiporee]

As I've thought about it today, I have to appreciate what the much-maligned writers have done, because they've really worked a theme all the way through this season, and last night just culminated it. 

 

Frank's diatribe, at first, seems just like another Frank rant. But I rewatched it, and Frank had a point. it was an asshole's point, but it was a point nonetheless. He doesn't judge any of his kids -- he does indeed take them as they are, and in his mind, asking for the same from his family seems perfectly natural. But it's not what any of them give him -- they judge, they insult, they deride his decisions instead of giving him the unequivocal love he thinks he deserves. Don't get me wrong -- Frank is not entitled to any of the things he wants. But from his twisted, sad and narcissistic perception, he is entitled to them just for being their father. So he attacks Sean because he sees Sean getting what he always thinks should have been his -- the respect of his kids, the love of his oldest daughter. Of course it would send a narcissist like him over the edge.  Ever since Bianca, he's been looking for validation from those who are supposed to love him, and he's not getting it. Even worse, he's seeing it go to someone else, someone who is for all intents and purposes a peer. 

 

But beyond Frank, as crazy as some of the things appeared, in the big picture they all make sense. Ian always was driven before the bi polar took over -- once he's back in control of his head, it makes perfect sense that he'd turn that focus back into something that makes sense to him. And remember, Ian is not Frank's kid, and Ian knows that. So him lying on the application makes sense because he doesn't want to it to define him makes sense, and his speech and squatting makes sense, too. 

 

Kev and Vee have always been on the fringes of sexuality, so Svetlana makes a lot of sense. When we met them, Vee was doing webcam porn, after all. Ken slept with Vee's mom in order to have a baby, for goodness sakes, and kept sleeping with her for a while. Polyamory isn;t a stretch at all for them, and Svetlana has shown repeatedly she will do whatever she needs to do to survive. 

 

Carl has never had boundaries, and he's seen the horrifying consequence of that. So of course he gravitates to someone who has strict and severe boundaries. It's not the girl Carl is in love with, it's the father. 

 

Debbie never had a mom, and she's been desperate for one. So when it became clear to her she wasn't going to find one in Monica, she did the next best thing -- she became one. It may not have been a rational decision, but it makes a lot of sense for the character. She's never had a mom, so she's going to be one. It's a bad decision, but it follows well. 

 

Likewise, Lip's been looking for parents, too. He found both maternal and paternal surrogates, and both of them cast him aside, so he has a hard time believing any thing good can actually happen to him. And he's right -- whenever it does, it gets taken away from him. Of course he's going to do what he can to limit his disappointment. You can't be disappointed in results if you don't ever try. because when he tries -- when he puts himself out there -- he not only gets let down, he gets destroyed. Karen lied about the baby; Helene publicly said he was a mistake, a nothing, and then refused to give him any closure. We find it disappointing that he would decide that none of it makes sense and follow his father's footsteps, but it makes a lot of sense in the world of Lip. 

 

And then there's Fiona. She's not looking for a mommy, but she's damn sure looking for a daddy. She's been taking care of everyone for as long as she can remember, and she just wants someone to take care of her. And Sean seemed to do that for her. Unlike the others we've seen her with, Sean seemed to be a man, Jimmy was a boy, Mike was a boy, Gus was for all intents and purposes a boy. for all his faults, Sean was a grown up. He had grown up problems and issues and all that, and he seemed to be someone willing to take care of her. We may not have liked it -- we may have though she deserves better, but her falling for Sean totally makes sense, 

 

And while we don't know much about him, Sean's fall makes sense, too. Because he's a junkie under a lot of pressure, and that's what unkies under  lot of pressure do. 

 

So while I might not have loved the way all this played out, and I want better for characters I care about, what they did this year made sense, And for that, I have to give the writers a lot of credit, because they didn't choose the easiest answers for any of these characters. They might not have made the right choices, but they made the realistic ones. 

Edited April 5, 2016 by whiporee

[Isazouzi]

It's a bit easy to say you accept people as they are when you're never there or only when it suits you to take advantage of them. And if you're so accepting and non-judgemental, you don't sic social services on them as an act of revenge or try to have their fiancé murdered or whatever else Frank has done in his pathetic life. You don't get revenge at all. Revenge and acceptance cannot work together.

[Tatum]

Yeah, I'd say judging your kids for their poor decisions is a far less crime than abandoning them, stealing from them, orchestrating their involvement with foster care out of spite, but this is Frank and I suppose in his mind, he deserves credit for not lecturing Fiona for having a lot of sex partners or Lip for drinking all the time, or carl for committing crimes, Deb for being a teen mom, or Ian for being gay, I guess (in Frank's world being gay or mentally ill is akin to poor life choices, although in his defense, Ian will face a lot of judgment in both cases from people during his life, maybe more so than Lip being an alcoholic or Carl being in juvenile detention and a former gang member).

 

I thought it was strange that Fiona would ask Sean if making sure he still had visitation with his son was more important than making things right with her. That was a really unfair question to ask.

 

If the next season starts with Frank living at the house like nothing in this season even happened, that might just be enough for me to cancel showtime and quit this show for good. We mainly get Showtime for Shameless.

[dezi]

So this show wants me to cheer for Ian but Sean, who has a disease that heavily features lying and a crushingly high relapse rate, is someone who should be thrown away.

Maybe next season Deb's baby can go hang out with Kev and Vee's 15 babies so they don't have to deal with her anymore.

 

I don't know that the show was prescribing either of those things but bipolar disorder and heroin use are not comparable. Sean has the ability to stop using heroin. Ian does not have the ability to stop being bipolar, no matter how hard he tries. Barring some miraculous breakthrough he never will have that ability.

[Ohgeez]

Anyone else notice that Fiona kept saying wedding and not weddin like she usually does. She always drops the last g off words.