It’s officially the end of an era with Shameless.
Viewers watched the Gallagher kids grow up, mess up, and move on during the past 11 years. Even when witnessing Frank’s deplorable and reckless behavior, his other side managed to shine through too. And it did in this curtain call.
For 11 seasons, there have been moments of joy, laughter, resilience, and genuine love mixed in with the unbelievable, gross, and outrageous. With Emmy Rossum’s Fiona as the mother figure, she was often seen as the heart of the family, and her presence has been missed.
She — along with Liam, Debs, Carl, Lip, and Frank — was on everyone’s minds as fans tuned in for the series finale. Though the ending drew tears and smiles, some fans sounded off on social media about feeling disappointed with this last episode. Here’s why.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for the Shameless series finale]
Fans really wanted to see Fiona in Frank’s final moments
Day one Shameless fans held out hope for some version of a cameo from Fiona when Frank was in the hospital. As hospital staff attempted to sort through his paper — not digital — medical files to find an emergency contact, some secretly wished that Fiona would answer the phone.
A final father-daughter farewell moment would have provided closure for these two parental figures and for fans. And the tears would have fallen. Alas, it did not happen.
As Frank’s dementia progressed throughout the season, he looked for his eldest daughter in familiar places in the South Side. Patsy’s Pies was a shuttered shell of itself, and the only traces of Fiona were in flashbacks. She wasn’t mentioned in his letter either, which bothered some viewers.
But Frank died alone and no one in his family even knew. Twitter users and Redditors chimed in.
One person wrote, “Such a underwhelming finale. And in the end, how does Frank not even mention his oldest daughter who basically raised all of his kids? Like are you kidding me? They couldn’t even have the family visit him in the hospital?”
Another added, “and frank dying of covid is so dumb. the man has survived cancer, a dangerous transplant, multiple od’s and literally lives on alcohol. you’re telling me he died of covid (which he showed no signs of having the whole season through) at the last minute?”
What about the storylines for Lip, Debbie, and the rest of the family?
Leading up to the series finale, all the Gallagher siblings (thanks to Lip’s decision), and Kev and V were all adjusting to a new future. In this last episode, there were plenty of loose ends.
No one knows if anyone read Frank’s letter or if the hospital notified the family about his death. Liam would have definitely wanted that confirmation, even after he felt something in the bar.
Furthermore, Kev and V sold their home and were packed up for Louisville, but the bar was holding things up. Fans want to know the status of the Alibi.
Did they sell it to Carl and Officer Tipping? Will the tanning salon take over?
With Lip, what’s the status of the Gallagher house? There are questions about whether he decided to undersell it for $75,000 or if he hired an actual real estate agent to handle the transaction. Also, he seemed interested in the day trader’s activities. Is it possible he tries his hand at investing?
And what about Debbie’s plans? Heidi is bad news, and Debs seemed a little apprehensive about moving to Texas.
Of course, some people want to know if Ian and Mickey are going to go through with the baby thing. Plus, what will they do for work when Kevin and V leave?
Many fans praised Frank’s exit scene and his final monologue, and noted how it was a beautiful callback to episode 1. There was even one last laugh when his alcohol-filled body causing the cremation chamber to explode.
But some fans felt let down and think there wasn’t any closure with certain storylines. At this stage, it’s up to one’s imagination how the Gallaghers and all the others in this world will go on. Hopefully, at least that future version of Liam will come to fruition.
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