A decade of South Side chaos comes to a shut in the Shameless flavor 11 finale, which bids bye to Frank Gallagher and his boisterous progeny. Created past John Wells, the Showtime series debuted in 2011, following the Gallagher clan growing up (more than or less) into responsible adults with jobs, families, and extensive criminal records of their own. Past the end, the series had a tough task in tying up various subplots for the extensive ensemble cast.

That said, the Shameless serial xi finale avoids definitively wrapping upwardly the fates of the Gallaghers, aside from Frank, by instead choosing to offer up open-ended suggestions about what could be adjacent in their future. For example, Lip may or may not accept a second child, Ian and Mickey are because adopting a babe, Debbie plans to leave Chicago, and Carl might buy The Alibi from Kevin and Veronica. The episode opens with the family finding Frank hovering near death on the burrow after his attempted suicide by a heroin overdose, simply aside from Liam, no one particularly seems to intendance if he lives or dies.

Though many Shameless fans hoped Fiona would return for the series finale, she simply appears in flashbacks equally Frank looks dorsum on his life. Despite her absence, the ending of Shameless neatly bookends the series while paying homage to the very get-go episode. Hither's how Shameless ends for each of the Gallaghers and what it could hateful for their futures.

Frank Gallagher Dies From COVID-19

Of all the many, many ways one might expect Frank Gallagher to dice, few could accept predicted at the start of the series that he'd fall victim to a pandemic. In Shameless season 11, Frank is diagnosed with alcoholic dementia, and his mental faculties speedily brainstorm to deteriorate, leading to forgetfulness and confusion. Resigned to expiry and wanting to become out on his own terms, the ridiculous Frank Gallagher injects himself with a massive overdose of heroin in the penultimate episode of the series, leaving a alphabetic character for his family that goes unnoticed by everyone except Franny, who merely draws all over it with her crayons. The patriarch of the Gallagher clan even goes as far equally to become "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" tattooed in bold letters on his chest, leading to confusion among the hospital staff most whether or not the instructions are legally binding.

Despite surviving this overdose, Frank is shown to be conspicuously living on borrowed time, with his COVID-19 infection merely tipping the scales. In a sense, falling victim to the coronavirus is appropriate for a man who considered himself as much a part of Chicago city's high fidelity as its streets and buildings. The pandemic volition be remembered as a pivotal moment in Chicago's history, and now Frank Gallagher is a role of that history - admitting in a rather grim way.

Before being taken to the infirmary, Frank goes to the church where he was once an altar boy and looked upwardly at the statue of Jesus. The moment echoes a similar scene from the Shameless flavor 6 premiere, in which Frank goes to the aforementioned church to look for answers afterwards the death of Monica, the mother of his children and the beloved of his life. Although Fiona may not accept returned for the finale, Frank's last stumbling journey through Chicago was nevertheless a tribute to her memory. The first place Frank visits is Patsy'south Pies, the diner where Emmy Rossum's Fiona used to work, and, with his memory failing, his first instinct is to seek out Fiona. In his final hours, he believes the nurse at his bedside is Fiona, and the concluding words he speaks before falling into unconsciousness are addressed to his eldest daughter: "You cried a lot equally a baby. Yous're mad all the time... Just then cute."

What Happens To Lip, Tami & Freddie

Lip's story has been compelling, heartbreaking, and wholly frustrating. As Frank puts it in his final farewell spoken communication: "Lip, you're smart as a whip. Yous just tin can't seem to get out of your own style." From the outset of the bear witness, Lip Gallagher'south story sets him upward as the Gallagher child with the best shot at lifting himself out of poverty and finding a improve life. He presents as uncommonly intelligent with a gift for math, technology, and science, was accepted into MIT, and concluded up going to Chicago Polytechnic with a total-ride scholarship. As the second-oldest Gallagher child, Lip is non as burdened with parenting his siblings as Fiona was, and equally such, has more of a chance to pursue his ain dreams.

Shameless was never intended as an didactics manual on how to escape poverty, notwithstanding. To show Lip living the meritocratic American dream of being lifted out of the South Side past the strength of his intelligence would arguably accept been a betrayal of a evidence that'south more nearly struggling and hustling to survive within the trappings of poverty than well-nigh escaping it. At the cease of Shameless, Lip has decided to sell the Gallagher house for a mere $75,000 - a far weep from the $250,000 he was offered past a developer before he pushed besides difficult and lost that deal. He is yet stuck on the poverty line, working a nutrient delivery chore to support his girlfriend Tami and their son Freddie. What's more, Tami reveals that she may exist pregnant again, and she and Lip talk over the necessity of getting an abortion since they can barely support the child they already have.

From the outside, the ending of Lip's story in Shameless might not look like a success, simply his final chat with Ian pushes bated his relentless string of bad luck and bad decisions to assuredly point out everything good that Lip has washed. Dissimilar Frank, he'southward been a devoted father to his son and worked hard to put food on the table and a roof over Freddie's head. Ian also tells Lip that the rest of the Gallaghers see him as the closest affair they have to a dad and offers to let Lip take his cutting of the firm auction in order to get set up in his new life with Tami. Lip may have lost the dream of wealth and job security, just he'south kept hold of what's well-nigh of import to him throughout the series: his family, whether by blood or otherwise.

What Happens To Ian & Mickey

Ian'south rocky road to married life in Shameless has featured multiple felonies, significant prison fourth dimension, an escape beyond the Mexican border, and countless punches thrown. All the same, at the end of the series, Ian and Mickey seem to be closest to a secure and settled life. Shameless flavour 11 saw proud S Side "barbarian" Mickey confronting the realities of married life as he and Ian motion to a luxury Due west Side condo, outset running their own legitimate security business, and fifty-fifty consider the possibility of children.

In the Shameless series finale, Ian and Mickey go to Kev and Five's apartment to pick out some piece of furniture for their apartment, and Ian suggests that they take a crib, sparking a chat virtually the possibility of having kids. Mickey is averse to the idea, admitting that he's afraid he'll be a bad father. His fears are understandable, given what a horribly abusive father Terry Milkovich is shown to be. Terry's death-via-nun earlier in Shameless flavour 11 was part of the journey towards Mickey breaking complimentary psychologically from the worst parts of his Milkovich heritage. Despite being treated terribly by Terry, Mickey went out of his way to make sure his father was cared for after being paralyzed and mourned him after he was dead.

In the penultimate episode of Shameless, Ian and Mickey agree to a compromise between trying to have a better life and staying true to their South Side heritage, with a prime number example being that Mickey is allowed to pee in the pool only isn't allowed to steal from their neighbors. The question of fatherhood is a lot more hard in the context of their continuing story, though. Ian and Mickey both admittedly had terrible fathers, and their last effort at parenting - when they were living with Svetlana and Mickey's son, Yevgeny - concluded poorly. Mickey is still reluctant at the end of the series, but a couple of possibilities are floated: adopting one of the many neglected Milkovich babies or adopting Tami and Lip'southward 2nd kid.

What Happens To Debbie & Franny

In the opening of the Shameless pilot, Frank describes Debbie as beingness "sent by God" and a "total angel." By the end of the evidence, his interpretation of her has changed. "Y'all remind me of your mother, and not in a good way," he says ominously. Like Ian, Monica had bipolar low. Unlike Ian, she was unable to go on a consistent medication schedule, and as such, concluded up existence largely absent from her children'south lives as she flitted from one hazard to the next. In Shameless season 11, Debbie shows warning signs of being a similarly poor mother to Franny - leaving her alone without any confirmed childcare to become off on a potable and drugs binge, and starting a human relationship with Heidi, a violent ex-con who greeted Debbie by pointing a gun and threatening to shoot her daughter if she didn't cooperate.

Debbie's future seems near at run a risk of imminent disaster in the Shameless serial finale out of all the Gallagher children. She drives around with Heidi to aid her notice a car to steal and ends up having to make a quick getaway from a man wielding a shotgun with Franny in the car. Later Heidi announces that she's leaving to go and do some more crime downwardly in Texas and invites Debbie and Franny to come forth. The show ends with Debbie Gallagher questioning her conclusion, merely with the sale of the Gallagher house and her track record of impulsive decisions, she'll likely become looking for trouble. As Frank puts information technology in his farewell letter: "Expert luck in life. You're going to need it."

What Happens To Carl

In the nigh surprising turnaround from Shameless season 1, Carl ended up becoming a police officer and working the parking enforcement beat later on getting tossed out of several unlike departments. This is likely a good thing; if Carl Gallagher is going to be armed with a weapon, then handing out parking tickets is probably the safest place for the young Gallagher. In Shameless season 11, Carl was repeatedly frustrated by his task as a cop, which wasn't the action-packed justice-dealing part he'd hoped for. First, he was paired with Officer Tipping, who refused to take whatever call that sounded remotely risky. Then he was partnered with Officer Janes, who seemed like the tough mentor figure Carl was looking for until it became clear that she used her ability for acts of pointless cruelty. A stint with a pair of Vice detectives also ended badly when Carl realized they were corrupt to the bone and running a racket wherein they shut down legal cannabis dealers to prop upwards the black market.

Carl'south cop (and ironically best) storyline has been a continual journey of disillusionment. He realizes that the reality of being a police officer isn't anywhere about as absurd as Goggle box shows and movies made information technology out to be. So he pledges to utilize his position to help the poorest in his neighborhood and concur the wealthy to business relationship but is quickly slapped down for trying to rock the boat. As a commentary on real-life police abuse and brutality, Carl's story highlights the difficulty of trying to be a "adept cop" in a organization that'due south cleaved from the top down. In his lesser-rung role handing out parking tickets, he is able to enact some small protest against the gentrification of the Due south Side by handing out parking tickets to the wealthy, merely Officer Tipping warns him that soon even that will exist taken away from him.

Of all the Shameless Gallagher siblings, Carl's is the story that feels most unfinished - even in a finale designed to exit an open-ended story. This is largely due to a subplot in which he was raped past a girl called Tish, who had sex with him without a condom despite his protests. An unclear amount of fourth dimension later, he met Tish over again and discovered that she was meaning, but the question of whether or not Carl is the father is left unanswered by the series. Carl is actually already a father several times over, via an artificial insemination scheme from a couple of seasons agone, so there are now quite a few illegitimate children who could potentially pop up once more in his time to come.

What Happens To Liam

Liam Gallagher is very jaded for his young age, which is understandable given that he hasn't actually had anything resembling a parent since Fiona left the Gallagher household. When he heard about Lip's plans to sell the Gallagher firm, Liam'south first supposition was that he would be fabricated homeless and would get no aid from his siblings, so he began proactively preparing himself for life on the streets. Though darkly comedic, the episode is also a sad sign of how the youngest Gallagher has been left behind by the rest, however unintentionally, as they focus on their own lives. When asked by a social worker who his legal parent or guardian was, Liam seems to have no idea.

This vacuum may take been why Liam concluded up getting closer to Frank in the final season of Shameless. Frank is (despite appearances) Liam's biological father, and Liam defaulted to him in his search for a parent figure since Frank is technically his begetter even if he has no other qualifications. Of course, Frank being Frank, what actually happened is that Liam concluded upwardly acting more like the parent in their human relationship. Afterward finding out about Frank's dementia diagnosis, Liam took him out for a mean solar day trip to relive Frank's glory days and try to bring him back to himself. And when Frank wakes up from his overdose and wanders out of the house, Liam is the but Gallagher who goes looking for him.

There is hope for Liam, though. When Lip finds out that his piddling brother is afraid of being fabricated homeless, he reassures Liam that he tin can come and alive with him, Tami and Fred. Of course, this offer is somewhat complicated by the fact that Lip doesn't yet have a new identify to motion into by the end of the Shameless series finale and is worried that he tin't afford to support another baby on his and Tami's income. But while Liam's situation is worrying, it's also realistic. Household insecurity and instability is a primal problem for children living on the poverty line; a 2014 report (via The Washington Post) plant that ii.5 million children experienced homelessness annually in the US.

What Happens To Kevin & Veronica

The characters of Shameless accept been fighting a losing battle against the Due south Side'southward gentrification for years, and Kevin and Veronica are two such personas that concord out until the terminate. The coronavirus pandemic caused a year of uncertainty as The Alibi Room was subjected to a cycle of lockdowns and reopenings until its proprietors lost track of whether they were supposed to be closed or open up. To make up for slower foot traffic, Kev and Five pivoted the business organisation to go a legitimate cannabis vendor, which was enough to keep the S Side's favorite dive bar in a higher place water. Outside of work, 5 entered the earth of politics with hopes of motivating Blackness voters to fight confronting gentrification and rise rents at the polls - but to notice that many of the neighborhood's Black residents had already moved away.

When Veronica's mother, Carol, announced that she was going to join the exodus and relocate to Louisville, Kentucky, V at first vehemently opposed the plan. Just a trip to Louisville fabricated it clear that a ameliorate life was possible there: a political landscape where Veronica could really brand a difference; a bartending job where Kev could make more a lot more than money than The Alibi had been pulling in; and a growing Black community that includes Carol and many of the Fisher family'southward friends. Moreover, with Fiona gone and the remainder of the Gallaghers planning to move away, the ties that once anchored Kev and V to the Southward Side are proved to be increasingly weakened across Shameless' final two seasons.

In the Shameless series finale, Kevin and Veronica are trying to discover a buyer for The Alibi Room with contrasting attitudes. V is entirely unsentimental about what'south done with the bar, while Kev tries in vain to keep it intact. An offer comes in that, between the remaining mortgage and taxes, volition leave them with a modest sum of around $xxx,000. Veronica struggles with the determination of whether to have the bargain or hold out for a better offer that might never come. Officer Tipping, in omnipresence at Ian and Mickey's ceremony party, suggests to Carl that they could pool their coin, buy The Alibi, and turn it into a cop bar to salve it from its fate every bit a yoga studio or tanning salon. The series ends with the promise that The Alibi will survive this mode but does not guarantee information technology.

The Meaning of Shameless' Final Scene & Ending Song

The last scene of Shameless' series finale brings the show full circle. The very outset scene of the pilot episode had the Gallaghers, Kev and V, and their Due south Side neighbors throwing an impromptu gathering effectually a burning car, while Frank Gallagher introduced the members of his family in voiceover. As the finale winds downwardly, the patrons of The Alibi troop exterior to enjoy the sight of a Tesla on fire, in a final defiant heart finger to the gentrification of the neighborhood. They circular out the celebrations by singing Spoon's "The Mode We Get Past," which played at the end of the airplane pilot episode. The vocal's lyrics - which refer to getting high in the dorsum seats of cars, committing petty crime, partying, dancing, and having sex - describe a way of survival for a generation lacking hope or management.

The Final Shameless Mid-Credits Scene

It wouldn't exist an in-characterShameless finale without the traditional mid-credits stinger. Though Frank Gallagher imagines himself rising up over Chicago every bit he says farewell to his family, his actions over the past 11 seasons don't bode well for his chances of getting into Heaven. Frank gets a suitably undignified end as a pair of morgue attendants push his body into the cremation chamber while complaining about the smell. A moment afterward they close the doors on Frank Gallagher, an explosion blasts them beyond the room, and they look into the sleeping room to find information technology empty except for the flames. The incinerator so belches out an urn with Frank's name and date of nascency and expiry on information technology - the implication being that he's gone straight to Hell to close out Shameless ' season 11 finale.

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