unscrupulous not quite the kind of show where you can relax in the evening. The antics of Gallaghers like FrankWilliam H. Macy), Jan (Cameron Monaghan) and Lip (Jeremy Allen White) and their environments on the south side can range from horrifying to tragic to downright hilarious.
For 11 seasons unscrupulous concocted several surprising, insidious and complex schemes, often spearheaded by Frank. Just when the storylines couldn’t be more “shameless” they become, even by the show’s standards.
The following article contains spoilers for Shameless.
10 Fake Great Aunt Ginger
What the Gallagher children didn’t know was that Frank had lied for years about Great Aunt Ginger, whose name was on the house’s name. Frank cashed her Social Security checks for years while she was buried in her backyard, but now the federal government has caught up with her. Fiona and the other Gallaghers had to come up with Aunt Ginger and quickly.
Instead of having someone they knew pretend, they “borrowed” an Alzheimer’s patient from Veronica’s nursing home to play the part. Even more incredible was that the government bought into this farce, and the Gallaghers managed to keep their home and family intact. They even managed to get the fake Aunt Ginger back to the nursing home unscathed!
9 Carl’s cancer lie
Who doesn’t love a little father-son bond? Discussing the charity that children with cancer receive, Frank stated that his son Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) fell ill with cancer in an attempt to take advantage of funds such as Make-A-Wish. He shaved Carl’s head and told him to keep the “diagnosis” a secret from the rest of the family so he wouldn’t be arrested.
It’s amazing to see how Frank could manipulate his kids, especially given the gravity of the cancer diagnosis. Poor Carl didn’t know any better and sincerely believed he was dying, until Frank discovered that the plan was more fruitless than expected.
8 Debbie’s foot surgery on her own
Debbie (Emma Kenny) took the phrase “leave” too seriously in the season 8 episode “Gallagher’s Pedicure”. After she injured herself while welding, Debbie took over the operation so she wouldn’t run into medical bills or miss work. Liam passed out trying to cut off three necrotic toes, but Frank came to amputate and cauterize the problem.
The episode was as disgusting as it was surprising because of how long it took Debbie to go to work and how casually Frank did it. Maybe in another life he could become a real surgeon.
7 Yang as “Gay Jesus”
While many fans and Reddit users hate this storyline, it’s hard to deny that it was shocking. Yang’s non-drug addiction and the support of hundreds of LGBTQ+ people proved explosive when he became a religious fanatic and was arrested for setting fire to a van.
It’s hard to believe that “Gay Jesus” is the same character that, a few seasons ago, was perhaps the softest of the Gallaghers. Plus, adding another crime to the Gallagher list is always unexpected—in this case, arson felt like a new low.
6 Sheila strangles Grammy Gallagher
Sheila (Joan Cusack) was probably the cutest character in the entire series, but even she had her limits. When she and JodyZach McGowan) opened her home as a hospice, her first patient was Grandmother Gallagher (Louise Fletcher), Frank’s mother. Grammy had terminal cancer and was in excruciating pain for days at Sheila’s house, even after their previous disagreements.
Grandma Gallagher suffered so much that she asked Sheila to help her commit suicide by suffocating her with a pillow. In an act of mercy - or malice - Sheila complied with her request, and viewers saw the character they least expected killed Frank’s mother.
5 Jimmy/Steve situation
In an argument about who Fiona is (Emmy Rossum) should have stayed, Jimmy/Steve has always been a strong contender. However, the revelation of his double life is definitely holding him back. It’s much more likely that he was cheating than living under an assumed name, so this turnaround definitely came as a shock.
Even more shocking were the details of his other life: extremely wealthy, his parents believed he was in medical school, and his father was the same older man Ian dated. If you were to ask a fan from the first season to predict what would happen in the future, it’s unlikely that this would be the case.
4 Mickey and Ian are caught
This moment in Season 3 is shocking and heartbreaking at the same time. After Ian was placed in foster care, Mickey Milkovich (Noel Fisher) invited Ian to stay at his house while his father, Terry (Dennis Cockrum), was absent. However, Terry, a violent homophobe, returned home early to find the two men in their relationship. Terry then physically abused Mickey and forced him to hook up with Russian sex worker Svetlana (Isidora Goreshter).
If not for the shock, this moment would have been too devastating to bear. It was also a major setback for Mickey and Ian’s relationship, which had been going well up to this point. Very few moments unscrupulous vied with pure horror and shock from now on, that’s for sure.
3 Frank calls DCFS
The last thing viewers would expect from Frank Gallagher is to reveal about himself, but that’s essentially what he did in Season 3’s Sins of My Caregiver. After being kicked out of the house, Frank called DCFS to report the “squalor” at the Gallagher home. CPS then visited at a rather turbulent time and placed all of the children in foster care, most of whom separated siblings and failed to meet their needs. Frank eventually cleaned out to get the kids back, but only at Fiona’s insistence.
This was the last betrayal on the part of their father and an unforgivable insult when Fiona found out about it. Even with all the terrible things Frank did to keep himself intoxicated, this was the most surprising since he actually risked his child custody to keep a roof over his head. It was the most explicit demonstration of his priorities in almost the entire series.
2 Liam gets access to Fiona’s cocaine
Part of the drama of following the Gallaghers for 11 seasons is that they each take their turn to be wrong. However, this one was one of the worst for Fiona. After Robbie (Nick Gelfuss) left a small bag of cocaine in the house, Fiona decided to use it with Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica. All it took was one moment without Liam’s supervisionBrandon and Brandon Sims) get into cocaine, causing an emergency.
The opening was a sudden change in tone that came out of nowhere while everyone was having fun, and it was Fiona’s first major miscalculation. For the first time, no one was to blame for her mistake, not even circumstances.
1 Shameless Thanksgiving
This storyline was one of the most poignant and terrifying moments in the entire series. Monica (Chloe Webb), who was struggling with the depressive end of her bipolar disorder, attempted suicide during Thanksgiving dinner. The resulting situation was visual, heartbreaking and shocking. Even the Gallaghers were shocked; many were frozen in place, just gazing at the sight.
Compared to the fun, adventurous Monica that viewers knew, this storyline was hard to swallow. It also contrasted sharply with the festive joy, which, unfortunately, is hard to forget.
In the US, you can call or text 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Helpline.
Source: Collider
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