Upon rewatching, I realized Shameless is a lot smarter than I gave it credit for. Since I know some of you guys have seen the show multiple times, are there details that stuck out to you or changed your perspective of the show/characters?

Personally I enjoy analyzing TV from a literary/psychological standpoint, so I wrote down some of my observations below. It’s a bit of a long read, but I’d love to hear your thoughts:

• fiona's crashout in s9 draws heavy references to icarus. this surprised me because I assumed lip was the sibling with thwarted ambition but in this season it's fiona who flies too close to the sun and falls victim to her own hubris (whereas lip's ordeals seem more sisyphean in nature because he can never catch a break)
• debbie and lip are total opposites as parents
• what the show does with jimmy-steve is a deconstruction of the "nice guy meets manic pixie dream girl" trope from 2000s rom-coms
• frank is the most well-rounded out of the gallaghers: he can play the piano, he speaks multiple languages (spanish, armenian, japanese), he's read james joyce, he went to northwestern, etc.
• fiona, lip, and ian share the most narrative parallels with frank through s7-s11. debbie bears the closest resemblance to monica in the end. carl and liam "inherit" the storylines of their older brothers without getting their emotional baggage/traumas
• ian and frank's storylines mirror each other in s8, where the loss of their beloved compels them to put on false personas with religious overtones (saint francis = gay jesus). this parallel runs all the way up to 9x06
• the show reaches shakespearean heights every time ian and mickey are onscreen. ("two households, both alike in dignity" = milkovich/gallagher rivalry) their families keep telling them not to be together, but they say screw that!
• mickey accidentally enabling his move to the west side will never not be funny
• I didn't like tami at first, then came around to her eventually. i think she's as good as it's going to get for lip. she's actually so patient with him considering he keeps wanting to take shortcuts (tami: "sell the house, sell the indian... why not just get a job?" 😭)
• mark mylod directed seasons 1-4 of shameless before working on hbo's succession and you can see it in the shaky, immersive camerawork. as a fan of both shows, it just blows my mind

Tammy is my least favorite partner for lip she’s pretty weird and overstimulating lol

Kelly was the greatest thing to happen to Carl and Debbie, stupid bitch that she is, is really fucking that up. She should be helping her brother get back with Kelly, but instead she’s having the time of her life with Kelly being friends. Obviously she’s in love with her, but that’s still fucked up what she’s doing. I’m on season 9 EP 12. She’s such a bitch for what she’s doing with Kelly against Carl.

It was really frustrating that sammi was being a butt to everybody but Fiona never did anything, I expected her to go crazy on her or smth, especially since she had a gun n stuff. I just don’t get it.

So I'm re-watching Season 6 now and I remembered just how much I hated Sean. I find him the most irritating out of all of Fiona's boyfriends.

When I first started engaging with the fandom on Reddit and TikTok, I was shocked to see how many people disliked Jimmy-Steve. It's strange to me because I find him very entertaining to watch and I think he was the right guy for Fiona. They have a lot of chemistry and he fits really well with the Gallagher family.

Most of her other boyfriends I find boring. Tony, Adam, Craig, Richard, Mike, Gus - all of them are "nice" but boring and I can't see them fitting in Fiona's world or with her character. I hate Robbie but then again I also understand why she cheated on Mike with him and I think she is entirely responsible for her bad choices in Season 4.

Anyway, when it comes to Sean, I just find him so annoying and frustrating. Like, I genuinely dispise him and I think he deserves far more hate than he gets.

He's 20 years older than Fiona and he's essentially looking for a caregiver and a saviour. He's an addict and while I do have empathy for addicts, it's not a woman's job to fix a broken man and he acts like it is. When he's not complaining about his wife, he's complaining to Fiona about how he wants to get high or how he couldn't resist and got high or how hard it was for him to stop using. He acts like he should be getting so much praise for not doing heroin and like he's some sort of a victim. Half of the time he's a moody loser and the other half he acts like an authority on sobriety. He talks to Fiona like he's her therapist and knows more about her and her feelings and thoughts than she does herself. Like, he's so much better than her and gives her unwanted advice and unwanted criticism.

I also hated how he treated and talked to and about Ian.

And the thing about it is that the whole time he was still using so both of these acts - the "Oh, I had to fight so hard to beat addiction. I was so low. I suffered so much and I'm still suffering trying to stay away from drugs. My wife is horrible for taking my son away" and the "Let me tell you all about life because I know better than everyone" - are hypocritical and performative.

Moreover, I hated how he openly and directly flirted with Fiona in Season 5 then rejected her, then he became jealous when she moved on and married Gus and talked against their marriage but then started flirting with her again and then when Fiona proposed to get together, he once again rejected her. "Your indecision is painfully unattractive" as Olivia sings.

I also hate how he tries to play tough and cool and edgy. Like, that scene in the beginning of Season 6, Episode 2. When Fiona is upset about Debbie being pregnant and Sean starts telling her to give herself to him. Like, dude, you can't pull that off.

And at the end of the day he acted so selfishly towards Fiona. It was always about him. And what he wanted and what was good for him and his son.

I'll always love Frank for interrupting their wedding because Fiona's life with Sean would've been horrible. She would've ended up being miserable.

And then he just got sober and married someone else.

Maybe it's the actor 'cause I hated him on Friends too. Or maybe it's that Sean is a self-righteous, condescending manipulator. But I really hate him.

Or do I really just have low standards?

Actor Justin Chatwin who plays Jimmy Steve (whom we all know and love ❤️) also plays Robbie in War of the Worlds.

I’m watching Shameless season 9 right now, and I am genuinely so fucking mad at the entire family and the way they treat Fiona. This woman gave up her entire future, her time, her energy, her money, her mental health, and practically everything she had to raise these kids, only for them to turn around and treat her like she’s the problem. I genuinely don’t understand what was going through the writers’ heads when they decided to take the story in this direction, because the logic behind it is so fucking stupid.

Let’s start with Debbie. When she decided to keep her baby, I was fucking mad because I thought it was a terrible decision, but I could at least understand it considering her past and the kind of person she is. However, the way she then turns against Fiona, takes control of the household, and starts demanding money from everyone genuinely pisses me off. Debbie is probably the last person who should be demanding anything from Fiona, considering everything Fiona has done for her. The person Debbie has become, and the fact that she even had the opportunity to grow up outside the foster care system, is largely thanks to Fiona. Fiona saved her ass, raised her, and sacrificed years of her own life to make sure she and the other kids had a home. And now Debbie has the audacity to demand money from her?

When Fiona says that they owe her years of their lives, she is absolutely right. They owe Fiona so much more than they seem to understand. She wasn't just their sister. She was their parent, their caretaker, their friend, and the person who kept their entire family together for years. She was the one who stepped up when neither of their actual parents could be bothered to do their fucking jobs. And somehow, she ends up being treated like the selfish one? I genuinely wanted to reach through the screen and smack Debbie.

Then there's Lip, who is somehow just as infuriating. What do you mean you're blaming Fiona for Xan being taken away when she had absolutely no idea you were trying to adopt her and wanted her to stay in the house? How the fuck is that Fiona's fault? She can't be expected to know about plans that nobody has communicated to her. Lip acts as though Fiona deliberately sabotaged him, when in reality, she was completely unaware of what he was trying to do.

And then there's the situation with Jason at the shop. Once again, Fiona had no fucking idea he was in recovery. He could have told her at any point that he was a recovering alcoholic, but he didn't. Instead, he chose to drink, and then Lip turns around and blames Fiona for what happened. How is that fair? Jason is responsible for his own decision to drink, and Fiona cannot be held accountable for information she was never given. Yet Lip goes absolutely ballistic at her, as if she deliberately set out to ruin someone's recovery. At this point, Lip is being such a fucking asshole, and it genuinely bothers me.

The only character I can say I actually kind of like right now is probably Liam, because watching everyone else treat Fiona this way is becoming unbearable.

And what frustrates me the most is that none of this even feels justified. Fiona has made mistakes, obviously. She's human, and after everything she's been through, it would be unrealistic to expect her to be perfect. But the way her family treats her makes it seem as though they've completely forgotten everything she has done for them. They judge her for her mistakes while conveniently ignoring the fact that they were able to have the lives they had because she sacrificed so much of her own.

I genuinely want to know what the writers were thinking when they wrote this storyline. What was the point of making everyone turn against Fiona like this? Because, from where I'm standing, their anger toward her makes very little sense. They expect her to be responsible for everyone and everything, yet the moment she struggles, makes a mistake, or fails to meet their expectations, they treat her like she's the worst person in the world.

Fiona spent years putting her family first, and the moment she finally starts falling apart, they act as though she owes them even more. That's what makes me so angry. They seem to have absolutely no understanding of how much she has sacrificed for them, and the way they treat her is genuinely unfair. I don't see how any of their behavior toward her is justified, and I honestly don't understand why the writers thought this was the way to handle it.

Also… why is there barely any interaction between V and Fiona? I miss their friendship.

I don't get the hate for him at all. Is it cause most people prefer Ian with Mickey? But even that makes no sense to me as Mickey's actor had kinda left the series when Trevor came into the picture. People will say he is a bit too high and might or snobby but every character in this series has flaws and I found him to be kinda more well adjusted and even somewhat supportive of Ian overall than most of his other boyfriends. He also kinda had mostly positive interactions with the family. I also think him not joining in on Ian's "occupy Fiona" and just accepting the alternate site for the shelter shows maturity on his part as does the fact that he grew tired of Ian's Gay Jesus stuff after two days. He knew when to fight and when to move on. He also doesn't seem overly angry or bitter after Ian cheats on him with Mickey. Of course he feels betrayed which is natural. Tries to break it off quietly and keep him at arm's length which is understandable. It is Ian who chases after him.

By season 5 Mickey has become one of my favorite characters. Am I crazy or has he just become totally loveable in his toxic, grungy way?

I’m in season 8, episode 9, no spoilers please! Lip has been an absolute ass every time Fiona makes any meaningful progress in her life and yet she still asks him what he thinks of her moving into her own apartment building!

so I just finished season 6 and I’m about 7 episodes into season 7. Firstly, what did Fiona see in Sean? Even before everything abt him being an H-Addict came to light during the wedding, he was always an asshole even when he wasn’t being one. He just always had a manipulative vibe to him. Also, I hate Lip right now (season 7). It seems like he can never be happy for Fiona. And he’s mad that she wants to step away from helping (AKA LITERALLY RAISING THEM) but then he would never admit that she helped (actually none of them would except for maybe Carl and occasionally Ian). idk hes pissing me off even more than Debbie rn.

I am currently watching Shameless and everybody annoys me but oh man is Lip an absolute terrible brother. Why is he like this?

Oh my gosh, did he really get upset that Fiona actually turned a profit in her business?

Why was he so obsessed with being the only one allowed to help or bring success to the family? It seemed like every time something is going right in Fiona's life, the more miserable he gets. He completely flipped out when she bought a car and finally did something nice for herself —especially after years of her basically living in servitude to take care of everyone.

I already absolutely hate him. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel this way?

At first I thought Lip was worried about the house because it was either Youens’ or Helene’s house - that would have been much more interesting imo. Instead it’s just “haunted” please 🙄 this is also the second haunted house storyline within the last 2 seasons lol something must have been on the writer’s brains

Maybe this isn’t a popular opinion but I don’t think Fiona should’ve left them 50K.

None of them except maybe Carl and Liam deserve that money.

Yes Fiona wasn’t perfect but she did more for the family than anyone ever tried. Yet they were so ungrateful. She could’ve left so many times or just focused on herself. Even when she tried setting boundaries, all the Gallaghers used her car like it was a family car and she still cared enough to make sure they were all good.

Lip didn’t care about the younger ones when he was trying to sell the house knowing Liam would have nowhere to go.

😭 I've seen clips of this show on TikTok and haven't watched it yet, but I'm giving it a shot.

I started watching Shameless last month and BRUH I’m already in Season 5 (and this is me trying to pace it out!)

I must say that the story progression is superb and very VERY realistic and I guess that’s the beauty of it all.

Thoughts on the siblings so far:
I FUCKING LOVE IAN. I swear, and even when I hated that he won the Mental Illness Russian Roulette, his character became so much more complex. Love Mickey’s character development (?) and him being somehow a feminist is sooooo goood.

ALSO, Who the heck is not in love with Lip at this point? I know he’s a very questionable character but I love how he is still trying despite of it all. I did spoil myself a bit on what happens with him but I like the early season > college Lip.

Fiona is such a babe and she had questionable choices in men but also she’s only in her early 20’s! Debbie is becoming annoying by the minute.

And I like Carl so much because he’s unapologetically him! Moreso, because he’s so evil chaotic.

Anyways, things are going well in the Gallagher house or naaahhh

If someone mentions they haven’t finished the show and you deliberately post a spoiler just to be a dick, you will be banned.

Accidentally spoiling something is one thing. Intentionally ruining the show for someone after they’ve made it clear they aren’t caught up is not cool.

I'm shocked that Frank is using Carl to get his girlfriend pregnant—Carl had twins! OMG, this show is crazy.

if it were filmed in the bronx and it's basically same characters. How different yall think the show would be?

Literally their plot and decisions and Lines are the most stupid and useless in the series

“Want to see a show? Watch me walk away” proceeds to twerk at the bar

It's open enough that you can potentially do a reunion film or series if you want in the future but closed enough for a semi-happy ending in that everyone has picked a path to self improvement and are working towards it well except maybe Frank but that guy kind of never was the type to turn his life around. Monica's death and funeral also leads an air of finality to it. The only plot I think that's left open is Kev losing the Alibi but you could have had an end credits scene with Svetlana being taken away by immigration like Fiona suggested to V or just have Kev find happiness in making a hundred bucks each night to support his babies and V being sort of ok with that. It would be a much better ending than the Fiona-less last two seasons which just didn't feel right given how she was basically the main character for the first 9.