S07.E11: Happily Ever After

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Frank and Monica have an interesting proposal for the kids. Lip buckles under pressure from Debbie to get his sobriety under control. Meanwhile, Fiona sees a business opportunity as Kev and V attempt to start a new chapter.

Promo:

Clips:

[sazzat]

Shameless: a show I could enjoy so much more if I had selective amnesia strike me before every single episode.

[stagmania]

LOL @sazzat that pretty much sums it up. 

[kathe5133]

Yes!  Never has a TV death filled me with such joy!

[WhosThatGirl]

32 minutes ago, sazzat said:

Shameless: a show I could enjoy so much more if I had selective amnesia strike me before every single episode.

Best tag line for this show I have ever seen. I think I'm finished with this show. For sure after this season but I have no desire to watch any more episodes. Thanks for the time fellow watchers, those who get and understand where I'm coming from and even those who don't. I hope I see you around on other shows. I just don't think I can do this anymore.

[BunnyBlueBrown]

I enjoyed this episode. The dramedy concept worked in this episode. 

Funniest is when Frank handed Liam the glass of champagne. & the ending brought the emotions and acting skills. 

I hope they settle contract negotiations.

[Dee]

This episode was halfway decent.

Well, at least once you FF through the trash ass Ian and Mickey fanfic that took up way too much of the episode.

June Squibb is fantastic. Etta was a complete waste of time.

This was a nice, and very in character, sendoff for Monica. Chloe Webb will be missed.

Jeremy Allen White shines opposite Emmy Rossum and Emma Kenney. They truly bring out the best in him as an actor.

Shanola Hampton's expressions are golden. The look she shot Kev after he asked her about getting a handjob from a dude? Absolutely hilarious.

It took Fiona 11 episodes to finally play Hop On Pop. That's a record for her.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Best thing about this episode was seeing Ricky from My So-Called Life! I wasn't nearly as excited about Aiden from Revenge  

My biggest disappointment with this episode was that Frank didn't die too. Realistically I know they aren't getting rid of Macy but let me dream about a Shameless that isn't bogged down by his heinous behavior. Not at all surprised that he and Monica thought it was fine to give Liam a glass of champagne laced with Molly. 

I really hope the kids don't all get regretful about not having a better relationship with Monica now that she's dead. I hate when people get idealized just because they're dead. 

Fanfic was the perfect description of the entire Mickey broke out of prison and ran off to Mexico storyline. At least that's over now!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Okay, I remembered one more great moment in this episode: Debbie telling Lip to get his shit together. That is when I love the Gallaghers - some tough love honesty that's based in their love for each other.

[stagmania]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Fanfic was the perfect description of the entire Mickey broke out of prison and ran off to Mexico storyline. At least that's over now!

Particularly bad fanfic. That whole thing served essentially no purpose other than fan service, and the writing seesawed so much on the conception of the Ian/Mickey relationship that it didn't even have an emotional impact, at least not for me. Next week Ian will return to his life like it never happened. I guess I'm happy for the people who are still really invested in Mickey and can now imagine him having a nice life in Mexico.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Maybe Mickey can go find Red and Andy Dufresne and help them fix up boats.

[WhosThatGirl]

1 hour ago, stagmania said:

Particularly bad fanfic. That whole thing served essentially no purpose other than fan service, and the writing seesawed so much on the conception of the Ian/Mickey relationship that it didn't even have an emotional impact, at least not for me. Next week Ian will return to his life like it never happened. I guess I'm happy for the people who are still really invested in Mickey and can now imagine him having a nice life in Mexico.

Yup. They did the story for ratings and it was bad because they wrote themselves into a corner with a previous seasons storyline. I don't honestly know why I care because this moment is going to have no real lasting impact like you said. It was fan service and ratings. But it was lame and stupid. I guess if there are some people who needed this closure, they got it and if they didn't care enough that the story didn't really work and were just happy for this ending, okay. But me.. eh. It just proved more reasons for my theory.

[preeya]

Who is the actor who owns the apartment building and schupted Fiona?

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Best thing about this episode was seeing Ricky from My So-Called Life! I wasn't nearly as excited about Aiden from Revenge  

My biggest disappointment with this episode was that Frank didn't die too. Realistically I know they aren't getting rid of Macy but let me dream about a Shameless that isn't bogged down by his heinous behavior. Not at all surprised that he and Monica thought it was fine to give Liam a glass of champagne laced with Molly. 

I really hope the kids don't all get regretful about not having a better relationship with Monica now that she's dead. I hate when people get idealized just because they're dead. 

Fanfic was the perfect description of the entire Mickey broke out of prison and ran off to Mexico storyline. At least that's over now!

Yes, me too.

Edited December 12, 2016 by preeya

[scrb]

Looks like Fiona's got some momentum now though $425 a amonth for a Toyota seems high.

So we will have to see how they choose to derail her, just as they derailed Lip and any other Gallagher who was on the verge of getting their shit together.

Ian also grew up but really it shouldn't have gotten as far as the border for him to realize running away with Mickey was a dead end.  So he's going to be able to waltz back to the job and the trans friend after being AWOL?

[iMonrey]

I'm just glad Ian didn't go thru with it. Thought the ending was actually kind of sad. I feel sorry for Etta, but to be fair, someone else probably would have come along and taken worse advantage of her without even bothering to find her a place to live, so she could have wound up homeless on the streets. 

I hope Kevin makes enough money to hire that lawyer and sue Svetlana for fraud. Steve Howie sure has been showing off his body a lot this season.

I kept worrying they had drugged Liam with Molly too. Flashbacks to the whole cocaine incident.

[preeya]

3 hours ago, scrb said:

Looks like Fiona's got some momentum now though $425 a amonth for a Toyota seems high.

So we will have to see how they choose to derail her, just as they derailed Lip and any other Gallagher who was on the verge of getting their shit together.

Ian also grew up but really it shouldn't have gotten as far as the border for him to realize running away with Mickey was a dead end.  So he's going to be able to waltz back to the job and the trans friend after being AWOL?

 

1 - why didn't she just buy a car for cash. $425 is a big nut to carry. And we all know the money will soon be all gone.

2 - a huge trip from the Mexican border to Chicago with no car and no money. Good luck Ian. And what about his meds?

3 - Lip is a lost cause.

4 - Best lines of the night:

Frank: "Today we proclaim how we feel before God and the whole world."
WheelChair Guy: "Pretty sure the whole world doesn't care."
Debbie: "Pretty sure God doesn't either."
 

Edited December 12, 2016 by preeya

[Dee]

Fiona's "You deserve each other" toast to Monica and Frank cracked me up.

[stagmania]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

Ian also grew up but really it shouldn't have gotten as far as the border for him to realize running away with Mickey was a dead end.  

I'm not even sure if we're supposed to think he did realize it at the last minute. Getting Mickey there and then going home may have been his intention all along. No way to know since they didn't bother to let us in on his thoughts at any point. He was totally opaque through this whole episode.

[LuciaMia]

Lots of filler in this episode.  Ian and Mickeys road trip to Mexico and the wedding seemed to do little except use up some air time. The one bright spot was that it looked like we were gonna be free from Monica at last. Though from the upcoming scenes, are we even sure of that?

Curious too why Fiona didn't buy the car outright. Monthly payments?  Its not like she's trying to establish credit.  

[Gulftastic]

I was just pleased there was an episode. For some reason, I thought last week was the season finale.

[sazzat]

1 hour ago, stagmania said:

I'm not even sure if we're supposed to think he did realize it at the last minute. Getting Mickey there and then going home may have been his intention all along. No way to know since they didn't bother to let us in on his thoughts at any point. He was totally opaque through this whole episode.

They had a lot of sex for Ian to not have an interest in sticking around. Also, he really, really obviously aided an escaped convict and committed multiple crimes in addition to that in a way that was very stupid for someone planning on going back to Chicago the whole time. But I definitely agree with the opaque part, and with this show, who knows?  Next week he goes home, gets asked where he was, says "I just had something to take care of" while the camera lingers on his face, and that's all she wrote. 

I did not buy that the Ian who was impulsive enough to get in the car in the first place was reversing course in a matter of days. We just did not see enough exposition that Ian might have questions about his current life, or enough reflection on his past with Mickey, to understand the complications of why he would be so torn. I just don't think you can pack it all into scenes over two episodes. We should have seen that struggle between the desire for excitement and the desire for normalcy over time, but they don't seem to like giving Ian a lot to consider outside of who he's fucking.

These two episodes were fan service from a show that doesn't understand what motivates its fans. The contingent who wanted Mickey + Ian 4EVA is wailing; the contingent who felt Mickey was done wrong is wailing; people who enjoyed the roles but were flummoxed by the way the show dealt with the story are unsatisfied; but I think Shameless thinks it's done something remarkable with this episode. They're promoting their Gallavich video and sent Noel Fisher to do interviews coinciding with the episode's release, and you know they're submitting this one for awards consideration between Etta, Monica, and Mickey's goodbyes. Write a good show, Shameless showrunners, instead of expending your effort trying to curry awards and get social media notice via stunt plotlines and guest appearances.

[ChaChaSlide]

I hope they finally let Fiona win with the car and the laundromat; Shameless should learn from Good Times, no one wants to watch a family perennially struggle and self sabotage season after season. Somebody has to win and make it out eventually.

[preeya]

44 minutes ago, ChaChaSlide said:

I hope they finally let Fiona win with the car and the laundromat; Shameless should learn from Good Times, no one wants to watch a family perennially struggle and self sabotage season after season. Somebody has to win and make it out eventually.

 

I have suspicions that Fiona will be paying for Monica's post-mortem expenses. 

[stagmania]

1 hour ago, sazzat said:

Write a good show, Shameless showrunners, instead of expending your effort trying to curry awards and get social media notice via stunt plotlines and guest appearances.

I was singing this tune all through seasons 5 and 6. I've given it up as a lost cause. And I agree with your whole post-what a missed opportunity this was. 

[whiporee]

Great moments tonight: 

When asked if he wants to quit drinking, Lip's simple "Yes."

Fiona looking over the apartment with good ideas, and her willing ness to walk into the networking forum. And not getting shamed for being there. 

Frank's vows to Monica explained a lot. 

Debbie and Carl watching Monica and Frank fight without intervening. 

Back to Lip -- his and his sponsor's dislike of the sorority girl's repeated story. And the acknowledgement of his growing up with everyone drinking around him. It seems as though he's getting ready to actually get himself out of the spiral. 

And even though it was hokey, Monica trying to make amends with the two kids they destroyed the most and admitting her failures. Then, her and Frank, seeing them happy, thinking (maybe even partially correctly) that they did something sort of right. 

And Macy trying to save her, while Lip, Debbie and Liam have no idea what to do next. 

Kev and Vee actually romantically and sexually connecting. It has been a while. 

I even liked most of Gallavich, and I hate Gallavich. 

Hope Emmy and Showtime can get their stuff straightened out. She should get more than him, because she a) is the central figure of the show and b) often shows her boobs. 

[sazzat]

46 minutes ago, stagmania said:

I was singing this tune all through seasons 5 and 6. I've given it up as a lost cause. And I agree with your whole post-what a missed opportunity this was. 

There were ways that they set up the distance between the two of them: Ian offers to bottom, but Mickey's not into that. Ian asks for more upscale food from the mini mart. Ian is more concerned than Mickey about the plan. Mickey can't imagine that Ian means legally withdrawing money at a bank (the last one was such the writerly machination - Ian, needing to withdraw money while on the run with escaped convict Mickey, is going to let Mickey think they're robbing a bank and risk Mickey drawing attention to them - and they're now together on camera near the border so the police can press aiding and abetting charges? LEAVE MICKEY IN THE CAR. But noooo, we need to have this "misunderstanding" in the bank in front of the teller). Ian admits he thought about Mickey a lot, but doesn't respond in kind when Mickey says he missed him. My problem was that these were all character developments for Ian that have either come about in circuitous ways, or have been told to us rather than shown, or both. They really biffed Ian's role over the last few seasons, alas. As per usual, it's an issue with development and continuity from one episode to the next.

 

5 minutes ago, whiporee said:

Back to Lip -- his and his sponsor's dislike of the sorority girl's repeated story. And the acknowledgement of his growing up with everyone drinking around him. It seems as though he's getting ready to actually get himself out of the spiral. 
 

I liked Lip and the sponsor, too - it was a little hokey, but I liked his straightforwardness and willingness to admit he didn't have any magical answers, and the disdain for someone whose worst trial was the pressure of success. Plus I appreciated the detail of ordering four desserts because addicts gotta be addicted to something. I'm interested in seeing a slow and potentially bumpy road back for Lip, as long as it is a road back.

[stagmania]

Not only was the bank misunderstanding an obvious machination and nonsensical from Ian, but it didn't track with Mickey, either. Just a couple scenes prior he was pissed that his jailbreak buddy robbed the gas station and ditched him because he was going to get them caught. But now he's down to rob a bank with no knowledge or plan? Shameless is always willing to sell out continuity and character for the sake of a supremely dumb joke. 

[SoWindsor]

I was always a huge Ian and Mickey fan and that sucked

[WhosThatGirl]

5 hours ago, stagmania said:

Not only was the bank misunderstanding an obvious machination and nonsensical from Ian, but it didn't track with Mickey, either. Just a couple scenes prior he was pissed that his jailbreak buddy robbed the gas station and ditched him because he was going to get them caught. But now he's down to rob a bank with no knowledge or plan? Shameless is always willing to sell out continuity and character for the sake of a supremely dumb joke. 

I agree with everything you posted and then some. This was a ridiculous storyline. But the writers had nothing to do to make it better because of the corner they wrote themselves in at the end of season 5 and this is the half thought out of even plot they came up with. I'm officially finished with the show. Nothing else really sparks my interest in any of the characters anymore. And nothing really matters as far as character development because next season its something else.

[abstractstuff]

I'm still in. It still entertains me. 

[Bubbles1967]

I wish Frank would stop acting as if he was parent of the year. It makes me cringe how he goes on that the kids are ungrateful? For what? Screwing up there lives to say the least.

Hated Monica. She irks me.

Debbie seems to be redeeming herself in some ways. Her concern for Lip is real.   I did not like her last 2 seasons. But she's growing on me again.

Although I agree with Fiona's tough love with Debbie,  I like that their relationship is on the mend. 

Sooo glad Ian didn't go. I was yelling at the tv when he jumped into Mickys car last week. Hope he still has his job. Don't like his boyfriend though. 

I don't have a good feeling about Fiona buying the apartment building. She got real lucky with the laundromat 

This show drives me nuts though. At least one of them is fucking up. And enough of Frank!

Edited December 13, 2016 by Bubbles1967

[WhosThatGirl]

It's just hard for me to like something and be entertained that I personally feel isn't cohesive and for some shows I can let that slide but with this show I expect it to be able to tell a story of how we get to point A to point Z, because once upon time the show had stories that got there. I find that entertaining. I feel like now they just keep trying to raise their stakes, how far can they go with shock value. We need ratings, let's use one of our guest stars even if the story makes no sense and is thrown together.

It's a personal preference, not everyone has to agree with me or think the same way. I just find it hard to get back into it. I also left the show this season for a while, I believe the last episode I watched was episode 3? I just remember finding that episode really messed up and decided I was over the shock value for value but I came back because of last week and this week and I realized in these two episodes I don't like any of the characters really. I used to have a few favorites and even generally rooted for the characters but now I don't. So personally I have to be finished because why spend time on a show I don't enjoy anymore? But I get some people still enjoy it and some people probably don't agree with everything or maybe anything I've posted in these forums and that's fine but I did enjoy all of the discussions and I hope to see you guys in other show topics (I'm sure I already do).

[Dee]

4 hours ago, Bubbles1967 said:

I don't have a good feeling about Fiona buying the apartment building. She got real lucky with the laundromat

Now that Lip doesn't seem as jealous as he has been about Fiona's good fortune, hopefully he'll help her do due diligence about the building.

Because for all of her progression, and his regression, they still work better as a team.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Dee

[LuciaMia]

Quote

Now that Lip doesn't seem as jealous as he has been about Fiona's good fortune

At first it looked like Lip was finally gonna give her some credit for her work with the laundromat. But then it sounded like he was  just saying she got lucky. 

[LisaS848]

You guys have said so much and I agree with it all!  There's not much more I can add except that I am at peace if there is no Season 8.  I'm ready for this to be over.  Is Sunday the Season Finale?  (I think it is)

[islandgal140]

Not the best episode but something about it was reminiscent of the show's during its heyday. 

The only thing I got from the Ian/Mickey story is that if Noel Fisher ever decides to transition, he would make an attractive looking woman. 

Didn't realize how much I actively dislike Svetlana until she was no where near Kevin and 'V this episode. That thrupple shit had to go as it just made Kevin and V, but especially V, look stupid as hell. 

Also, realized that I have disliked to some extent all of Lip's and Fiona's (except her musician ex-husband who seemed like a good man, so of course she fucked it up) love interests. I did gain a modicum of respect for Lip's last girlfriend for not putting up with his shit and pretty much dumping him an immediately. 

Monica - I'm so glad the bitch is dead!

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, LuciaMia said:

At first it looked like Lip was finally gonna give her some credit for her work with the laundromat. But then it sounded like he was  just saying she got lucky. 

He's not wrong, is he? I'm not saying Fiona's not smart and capable of running a business (and that Lip's not being petty - he is), but the profit on the laundromat was a fluke. She didn't buy it planning to flip it.

On 12/12/2016 at 11:57 AM, preeya said:

1 - why didn't she just buy a car for cash. $425 is a big nut to carry. And we all know the money will soon be all gone.

I had the same thought. You have $75K cash and you have a car note? For what? Why fritter away the money and pay interest on something that depreciates? (I also had the thought that insurance rates in that neighborhood would be really high.) She could have given herself a $20K budget and been fine.

In high school I had a friend whose father had gotten sober, and he said that all the sob stories in AA made him want to drink so he stopped going early into his sobriety. I could see that with Lip, although he clearly needs some sort of structure outside his household, given that his parents gave his five-year-old brother a glass of champagne. That sponsor is a good fit for him though, so I hope he does Lip some good. They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step, so Lip's simple "Yes" when asked if he wanted to quit drinking is a good sign. Jeremy Allen White really does play "streetwise but vulnerable" very well.

I skipped over Ian and Mickey.

Kev in the gay bar with Ricky Vazquez was a treat.

So does every man Fiona meets want to fuck her, or what?

[abstractstuff]

Wilson Cruz is such a beautiful man. And yes, Fiona seems to have a magical vagina. 

[BunnyBlueBrown]

On 12/12/2016 at 1:28 PM, Gulftastic said:

I was just pleased there was an episode. For some reason, I thought last week was the season finale.

Bahahahaha.

[sazzat]

I wish Fiona hadn't gotten the huge offer - I still don't think she would have been stupid enough to buy without figuring out what, exactly, she was buying, but it would be more interesting to see her work as a small business owner than to get lucky and flip a property. It brushed over a lot of things (the help she got from the Alibi folks, the money she still owes to Patsy's, her treatment of Etta, who she took advantage of to the tune of not just the 5k she mentioned paying back, but also 20k that Etta could have gotten from the developers herself - if the justification for the lower offer was that Fiona was going to let her stay in her apartment, that's gone) that it could have built on further.

[abstractstuff]

I don't trust that guy Fiona hooked up with. He's up to something. And I think Fiona will pay that lawyer to get the bar back for Kev and Vee

[iMonrey]

Quote

The only thing I got from the Ian/Mickey story is that if Noel Fisher ever decides to transition, he would make an attractive looking woman. 

Have to disagree with you on that one. Hell I don't even think he's attractive for a man.

I did however think Monica's wedding dress was very pretty in spite of the haphazard alterations.

Quote

 I realized in these two episodes I don't like any of the characters really. I used to have a few favorites and even generally rooted for the characters but now I don't.

As much as they keep fucking up their lives, I still like Lip and Ian, and I still like Kev and Vee. Sometimes I like Fiona, sometimes not. I warmed up to Carl, if they ever bring him back. I have never liked Debbie and I'm stick to death of Frank. But I still root for the Gallagher kids, except Debbie.

[Chaos Theory]

As someone who was a BIG fan of the Ian/Mickey relationship I thought the way Mickey was sent off before was MAJOR unfinished business for Ian.  I think if anything else this episode finished it.  For better or worse Mickey was the closest thing Ian had to a real relationship and is what he measures all other relationships against so having Mickey rot in jail was not the best idea for the show but having Ian chose not to follow him as he road off into the Mexican sun was a good way for Ian to grow.  Yes the show threw Mickey under the bus a bit but it does that to every character that isn't a Gallagher and it does that to the Gallaghers on occasion.  Hell weren't the Gallaghers close at one point and now Lip is acting like an ass around Fiona.  When did that start?  Fiona is hardly perfect but Lip treats her like shit and she doesn't deserve that.    He could try helping her instead of treating her like the idiot sister that can't hold onto money.  She isn't Frank or Monica.    What I like about Fiona is that she still has dreams.  She is still trying.  Lip has given up.  I think that is what annoys me about him most.  He has given up on himself and he has no faith that anyone else (especially Fiona) has any chance of making life any better.  

Speaking of:  Monica will be missed.  I liked her appearances.  She was one of the few things that made Frank bearable.

Also Kev at the gay bar was hilarious.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Dee]

I don't think Lip has given up on himself so much as he's a perpetual cynic. That's why he and Fiona (the perpetual optimist) clash.

Their worldviews are polar opposites which is why they have so much friction.

Lip doesn't expect anything from the world, because he innately believes (like his father), that the system is rigged. In the rare times when Lip makes an effort, or genuinely attempts to make amends for his messes, he's usually rejected, harshly, for one reason or another. Even with all the breaks he's been given, he can't imagine a world where people elect to do things without serious strings attached, which is anathema to a commitment-phobe like him.

Whereas, Fiona believes, with a lot of hard work, (and a minimum of scamming), a person can move up in the world. Deep down she wants to believe the best about people even after they repeatedly show her they're toxic. and makes severely unhealthy sacrifices so everyone in her circle can win. In the rare moments good fortune happens to Fiona, she's prone to experience a crisis of conscience than capitalize on a lucky break like Lip.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Dee

[candall]

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 1:28 PM, Gulftastic said:

I was just pleased there was an episode. For some reason, I thought last week was the season finale.

Me, too.  And then Ian hopping into the car and driving off into the hiatus felt like a pretty standard season ender.

[MV713]

I'm late to the party after having just binge watching the entire 7 seasons over this summer.

But boy, for the amount of people hear discussing the show, most of you "are done" "won't watch" blah blah.

I for one found this show shocking, enlightening, touching, disgusting, confusing and amazing.  

Cannot wait for season 8!