r/shameless

is it just me or some of y'all feel it too

This scene speaks to me on a personal level, and I've watched it probably fifty times since I finished my second go with this show last week. The way it's filmed, the song choice from Joji, the meanings behind it, it's fucking perfect in so many ways. I think it gets to me the most because I've always said that if I were to ever be told I'm on my deathbed and only have so long to live, I'd do the exact same goddamn thing. I know that's depressing, but I couldn't go with anybody surrounding me. Realistically, the only kid that would've stayed with Frank through that shit if we was caught earlier was Liam, but still. He didn't want to suffer or make anybody deal with his ailments any longer, and you could tell early on in the season how done Frank was when he was diagnosed with dementia. Again, I'd do the same damn thing if I was told I'm being torn away from my mind and my body is shutting down everywhere below my chest. That's fucking rough.

All in all, Shameless isn't my favorite show in the world. It has many ups and downs, just like Frank did. Them choosing to have him go this way just works so well for him as a character. They could've damn well not even made a final episode after this scene, and I'm honestly surprised they didn't, being there was so much that was unclear at the end anyway. Regardless, this shit was beautiful. I cry like a bitch when certain movies hit me on the right spot, but this scene in particular does something ridiculous to me soul. 😭😭

Anyone else feel like the female characters get judged way harsher than the male characters?

Sammi: She was abandoned by Frank as a kid and had to raise Chuckie all by herself. She spent years wanting a family and finally thought she had one, only to be manipulated by Frank and treated like an outsider by the Gallaghers. Carl got her son sent to juvie, and while what she did after (turning Ian in) was obviously messed up, people act like she was just born evil and completely ignore everything that led up to it.

Svetlana: She honestly had one of the saddest backstories in the show. She was trafficked from Eastern Europe, forced into sex work, raped by Terry, got pregnant because of it, and basically spent her whole life doing whatever she had to just to survive. Yeah, what she did with the Alibi and Kev and V's finances was wrong, but manipulation was literally how she'd survived for years. People are way quicker to call her a villain than acknowledge where she came from.

Fiona: She became the parent when she was still a kid herself. Frank and Monica were useless, so she spent years raising six siblings, working multiple jobs, dropping out of school, sacrificing relationships, and even becoming their legal guardian just so they wouldn't end up in foster care. She made some huge mistakes, especially with Liam, but people act like those mistakes erase over a decade of her basically giving up her own life to raise kids that weren't even hers.

Debbie: Debbie gets so much hate, and don't get me wrong, she definitely made some terrible choices later on. But people forget she was literally a child who grew up being parentified. She was always helping with Liam, cleaning, cooking, taking care of the house, and looking after everyone. She wanted love and stability because she'd never really had it. I'd honestly argue she looked out for the family more than Lip did when they were younger.

Veronica: People are so quick to call V selfish whenever she put herself first, especially after having the twins. She struggled with motherhood, felt like she'd lost her identity, and was trying to balance being a mom, running the Alibi, and keeping her relationship together. She wasn't perfect, but it's weird how she's criticized so much for wanting a life outside of taking care of everyone else.

Meanwhile...

Lip: Everyone always falls back on the "wasted potential" argument. Yeah, he was smart, but he was also constantly judging Fiona while expecting her to keep taking care of him and everyone else forever. He had no problem relying on her, but the second she slipped up, he acted like she was the worst person alive.

Ian: I know he's bipolar, and that explains a lot of his actions, but it doesn't excuse everything. He still put Fiona through so much, from enlisting under Lip's identity to the whole Gay Jesus thing. Most of the time Fiona was just trying to help him, yet she ended up getting blamed anyway.

Mickey: I love Mickey, but let's be real for a second. He was literally a violent criminal for a good chunk of the show. He beat people up, threatened people, stole, and solved almost every problem with violence. His upbringing explains why he was like that, but somehow people are way more willing to forgive him than they are women who also had horrific childhoods.

Kev: This one always gets me. People will drag V for dancing with another guy or going on a date during a rough patch, but Kev literally slept with multiple college girls. Somehow that's brushed off way easier.

I'm not saying the women were innocent because they definitely weren't. They all did awful things at different points. I just think it's interesting that whenever a guy does something terrible, people are quick to bring up his trauma, mental illness, or difficult childhood. But when it's a woman, all that nuance suddenly disappears and she's just "the worst character in the show."

I don’t think he has a relevant role in it but it was so random to see him there. I was like the Leo DiCaprio meme when I saw him lol.

Hated his character in Shameless, mostly because he was boring AF. Also, the actor’s name is Richard Flood. I learned something today.

Some times I think she’s only as hated to the family because she joined late ,she might of been a lot more tolerable to them if she was always there but still has her weird Frank obsession and acted like a mom to everyone (+Chuckys existence)

Now you can argue they would start to dislike her from her actions as the show goes on but even before she even did anything they just didn’t like her. Every Gallagher does bad things and choices but they all still stick together and love eachother so would the same be said for Sam and Mabey chuck?

I find myself using Shazam a lot watching this show for the first time. I would say mine is ‘Sugar and Wine’ when Fiona is cleaning out her apartment and leaving. What’s yours?

Carl and Kelly had awesome chemistry. Much like Jimmy/Steve despite coming from a privileged background actually enjoyed and adapted well to the Gallaghers' dysfunctionality. She also helped push Carl to his full potential. While they did breakup due to cheating and long-distance relationship not working out, they still broke up on good terms. Unlike most Gallagher significant others who bitterly sever all ties after a traumatic breakup, she and Carl still managed to stay good friends in the end.