10 Times Lip Gallagher was the Best Character on Shameless
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VOICE OVER: Phoebe de Jeu
WRITTEN BY: Spencer Sher
These Lip Gallagher moments from Shameless are among the best moments in the entire series period. We're taking a look at Lip Gallagher's funniest, sweetest and most intense moments from the first nine seasons of the U.S. version of Shameless. No one in this family is perfect, but for better or worse, few try quite as hard as Lip! MsMojo ranks the best Lip Gallagher moments from Shameless. What's your favorite Lip Gallagher moment? Let us know in the comments!
No one in this family is perfect, but for better or worse, few try quite as hard as Lip! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Lip Gallagher moments from Shameless.
For this list, we’re taking a look at Lip Gallagher’s funniest, sweetest and most intense moments from the first nine seasons of the U.S. version of “Shameless”.
#10: When He Destroyed a Bunch of Cars
Lip Gallagher’s rage takes many forms. While we love watching him decimate people with a well-crafted verbal uppercut, this was far more cathartic. In the season four episode “Strangers on a Train”, Lip arrives late to his midterm exam and is informed that his tardiness has cost him the opportunity to write it. Lip doesn’t take the news well and decides to unleash his anger on a handful of unlucky cars with the help of a nearby piece of equipment. From the look on his face and the message on his t-shirt, to the hard rock soundtrack that accompanies him from the building - it was clear that something was getting trashed. We’re just glad it was an inanimate object and not, you know, a person.
#9: Iraqistan
Even casual viewers know that Lip is the show’s preeminent wordsmith. As previously mentioned, he loves nothing more than using his superior intelligence and extensive vocabulary to influence, impress and (when feels the situation calls for it) insult others. However, he’s also been known to commit the occasional verbal faux pas. Case in point: this hilarious moment in which he attempts to dissuade Ian from attending West Point Military Academy by warning him about the dangers of being sent to a “stan”. You know, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraqistan. We’ll give Lip a pass this time, seeing as how his heart was in the right place - and he did seem a little flustered.
#8: When He Got Real with the College Administrator
Jeremy Allen White has shown on numerous occasions that he possesses an incredible amount of range as an actor. In the season five episode “Uncle Carl”, he got to flex his dramatic muscles in this stirring speech to his college advisor. With his finances stretched thin, Lip delivers a heartfelt monologue about why it’s so important for him to remain in college, despite barely having enough money to pay for tuition. While Lip is not immune to selfish acts, his sincere desire to sacrifice everything for the opportunity of a better life, for himself and his family, is incredibly moving.
#7: When He Broke into Helene’s House
Lip’s and Helene’s relationship, which began in season five, was doomed from the start. By the time season seven rolled around, it had officially collapsed, and Lip didn’t exactly take it well. Despite spending the majority of the season on the wagon, Lip slid back into his alcoholic ways around episode nine and by episode ten he was in full on crisis mode. His rock bottom moment came when he broke into Helene’s home in the middle of the night; waking up drunk out of his mind and lying in a pile of broken glass. The look on Lip’s face when Helene tells him to move on is heartbreaking, but the painful moment ultimately helps him get over their split and get sober again.
#6: When He Realized He Was Becoming Frank
The season six finale of “Shameless” was rife with drama, with Fiona’s wedding imploding and Frank even attempting to have his daughter’s fiancé murdered. And yet, this scene still managed to stand out. The episode begins with Lip in prison, having been arrested for destroying Professor Youens’ car. Youens bails Lip out, but tells him that in order to get his life back on track he needs to get sober. Naturally, Lip heads straight to The Alibi Room. He tells Kevin and the bar’s patrons that he’s expelled from college and is met with scorn. It’s Kev’s line about Lip sitting in Frank’s bar stool that truly hammers home the point of the scene; despite Lip’s intellect and potential, he’s becoming just like his old man.
#5: When He Kicked Fiona Out
Season nine was not kind to Fiona. From getting arrested for assaulting a racist neighbor, to finding out her boyfriend had a secret family, things just seemed to go from bad to worse. It reached a fever pitch in episode eleven, when an intoxicated Fiona caused Lip’s sponsee Jason to relapse, just as he reaches his 100th day of sobriety. Upon learning of this, Lip returns to the Gallagher home, only to find Fiona drinking on the couch. The raw emotion Jeremy Allen White displays in this scene is spine-chilling as he unleashes upon his sister the kind of fury only a sibling can. It takes Lip kicking her out of the house for Fiona to truly begin to understand how far she’s fallen.
#4: His MIT Interview
Lip is often the smartest person in the room, any room, and he knows it. Unfortunately, this occasionally causes him to make rash decisions, like the time he turned down an interview with MIT because, as he put it: “I hate Boston. Red Sox suck.” The recruiter manages to abate Lip’s hesitation with a little reverse psychology – something Lip nevertheless sees right through – and before long, Lip finds himself writing an application essay on the spot. We don’t know exactly how long it took him to write it, but it couldn’t have been more than an hour. Unsurprisingly, the essay impresses the recruiter, who immediately asks Lip what he wants to study. If only applying to college was that easy!
#3: His Relationship with Professor Youens
From his first appearance in season six, to his last in season eight, Professor Youens shared a special, if somewhat tumultuous relationship, with Lip. What began as a mentor/protégé type relationship soon became something much more intense, with Youens bailing Lip out of jail and Lip taking care of his professor after he got busted for a DUI (one of many). Despite rarely seeing eye-to-eye, the two troubled men managed to find a sort of common ground, with both attempting to help the other with their inner demons. In the end, Youens succumbs to his, and despite the tragic nature of his death, provided Lip with one final lesson: don’t let the booze destroy you. Now that’s what we call bringing things full circle.
#2: When He took the Kids
Just three episodes after her 3-year-old brother Liam accidentally consumed cocaine on her watch, Fiona was at it again. While this episode’s offence was considerably less destructive – she forgot about food in the oven and it burnt to a crisp – the fact that it was a bi-product of her and Vee’s drinking was too much for Lip to bare. In a moment of clarity, Lip realizes that Fiona can no longer be trusted to care for Debbie, Carl and Liam; and takes the latter of the two back to his dorm. While we love seeing Lip use his intellect like a weapon or go berserk on a parked car, watching him step up to the plate when things are at their worst is even better.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Helping Sierra
“A Gallagher Pedicure”
When He Bonded with Carl
“Iron City”
When He Slept with Helené Runyon
“Carl's First Sentencing”
His Foot Massage with Queenie
“Be a Good Boy. Come for Grandma.”
When He Taught Class Because the Professor Didn't Show
"I Only Miss Her When I'm Breathing"
#1: When He Ripped into Fiona
With a mountain of stress on his shoulders due to Fiona’s arrest – not to mention his duties as an employee and student – Lip lets loose on his older sister for allowing Liam to ingest cocaine. It was hard enough watching him give her the silent treatment earlier in the episode, but the real fireworks came later. After spending the day caring for his younger siblings, Lip somehow finds the time to make dinner. Unfortunately for Fiona, that would be the setting for her comeuppance, as Lip uses the occasion to rip into her for making such a mind-numbingly stupid mistake. It’s a tough scene to watch, but one that perfectly represents the struggles of being Lip - or any of the Gallaghers, for that matter.
For this list, we’re taking a look at Lip Gallagher’s funniest, sweetest and most intense moments from the first nine seasons of the U.S. version of “Shameless”.
#10: When He Destroyed a Bunch of Cars
“Strangers on a Train"
Lip Gallagher’s rage takes many forms. While we love watching him decimate people with a well-crafted verbal uppercut, this was far more cathartic. In the season four episode “Strangers on a Train”, Lip arrives late to his midterm exam and is informed that his tardiness has cost him the opportunity to write it. Lip doesn’t take the news well and decides to unleash his anger on a handful of unlucky cars with the help of a nearby piece of equipment. From the look on his face and the message on his t-shirt, to the hard rock soundtrack that accompanies him from the building - it was clear that something was getting trashed. We’re just glad it was an inanimate object and not, you know, a person.
#9: Iraqistan
“Summertime"
Even casual viewers know that Lip is the show’s preeminent wordsmith. As previously mentioned, he loves nothing more than using his superior intelligence and extensive vocabulary to influence, impress and (when feels the situation calls for it) insult others. However, he’s also been known to commit the occasional verbal faux pas. Case in point: this hilarious moment in which he attempts to dissuade Ian from attending West Point Military Academy by warning him about the dangers of being sent to a “stan”. You know, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraqistan. We’ll give Lip a pass this time, seeing as how his heart was in the right place - and he did seem a little flustered.
#8: When He Got Real with the College Administrator
“Uncle Carl”
Jeremy Allen White has shown on numerous occasions that he possesses an incredible amount of range as an actor. In the season five episode “Uncle Carl”, he got to flex his dramatic muscles in this stirring speech to his college advisor. With his finances stretched thin, Lip delivers a heartfelt monologue about why it’s so important for him to remain in college, despite barely having enough money to pay for tuition. While Lip is not immune to selfish acts, his sincere desire to sacrifice everything for the opportunity of a better life, for himself and his family, is incredibly moving.
#7: When He Broke into Helene’s House
“Ride or Die”
Lip’s and Helene’s relationship, which began in season five, was doomed from the start. By the time season seven rolled around, it had officially collapsed, and Lip didn’t exactly take it well. Despite spending the majority of the season on the wagon, Lip slid back into his alcoholic ways around episode nine and by episode ten he was in full on crisis mode. His rock bottom moment came when he broke into Helene’s home in the middle of the night; waking up drunk out of his mind and lying in a pile of broken glass. The look on Lip’s face when Helene tells him to move on is heartbreaking, but the painful moment ultimately helps him get over their split and get sober again.
#6: When He Realized He Was Becoming Frank
“Familia Supra Gallegorious Omnia!”
The season six finale of “Shameless” was rife with drama, with Fiona’s wedding imploding and Frank even attempting to have his daughter’s fiancé murdered. And yet, this scene still managed to stand out. The episode begins with Lip in prison, having been arrested for destroying Professor Youens’ car. Youens bails Lip out, but tells him that in order to get his life back on track he needs to get sober. Naturally, Lip heads straight to The Alibi Room. He tells Kevin and the bar’s patrons that he’s expelled from college and is met with scorn. It’s Kev’s line about Lip sitting in Frank’s bar stool that truly hammers home the point of the scene; despite Lip’s intellect and potential, he’s becoming just like his old man.
#5: When He Kicked Fiona Out
“The Hobo Games”
Season nine was not kind to Fiona. From getting arrested for assaulting a racist neighbor, to finding out her boyfriend had a secret family, things just seemed to go from bad to worse. It reached a fever pitch in episode eleven, when an intoxicated Fiona caused Lip’s sponsee Jason to relapse, just as he reaches his 100th day of sobriety. Upon learning of this, Lip returns to the Gallagher home, only to find Fiona drinking on the couch. The raw emotion Jeremy Allen White displays in this scene is spine-chilling as he unleashes upon his sister the kind of fury only a sibling can. It takes Lip kicking her out of the house for Fiona to truly begin to understand how far she’s fallen.
#4: His MIT Interview
“Frank the Plumber”
Lip is often the smartest person in the room, any room, and he knows it. Unfortunately, this occasionally causes him to make rash decisions, like the time he turned down an interview with MIT because, as he put it: “I hate Boston. Red Sox suck.” The recruiter manages to abate Lip’s hesitation with a little reverse psychology – something Lip nevertheless sees right through – and before long, Lip finds himself writing an application essay on the spot. We don’t know exactly how long it took him to write it, but it couldn’t have been more than an hour. Unsurprisingly, the essay impresses the recruiter, who immediately asks Lip what he wants to study. If only applying to college was that easy!
#3: His Relationship with Professor Youens
Multiple Episodes
From his first appearance in season six, to his last in season eight, Professor Youens shared a special, if somewhat tumultuous relationship, with Lip. What began as a mentor/protégé type relationship soon became something much more intense, with Youens bailing Lip out of jail and Lip taking care of his professor after he got busted for a DUI (one of many). Despite rarely seeing eye-to-eye, the two troubled men managed to find a sort of common ground, with both attempting to help the other with their inner demons. In the end, Youens succumbs to his, and despite the tragic nature of his death, provided Lip with one final lesson: don’t let the booze destroy you. Now that’s what we call bringing things full circle.
#2: When He took the Kids
“Hope Springs Paternal”
Just three episodes after her 3-year-old brother Liam accidentally consumed cocaine on her watch, Fiona was at it again. While this episode’s offence was considerably less destructive – she forgot about food in the oven and it burnt to a crisp – the fact that it was a bi-product of her and Vee’s drinking was too much for Lip to bare. In a moment of clarity, Lip realizes that Fiona can no longer be trusted to care for Debbie, Carl and Liam; and takes the latter of the two back to his dorm. While we love seeing Lip use his intellect like a weapon or go berserk on a parked car, watching him step up to the plate when things are at their worst is even better.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Helping Sierra
“A Gallagher Pedicure”
When He Bonded with Carl
“Iron City”
When He Slept with Helené Runyon
“Carl's First Sentencing”
His Foot Massage with Queenie
“Be a Good Boy. Come for Grandma.”
When He Taught Class Because the Professor Didn't Show
"I Only Miss Her When I'm Breathing"
#1: When He Ripped into Fiona
“A Jailbird, Invalid, Martyr, Cutter, Retard and Parasitic Twin”
With a mountain of stress on his shoulders due to Fiona’s arrest – not to mention his duties as an employee and student – Lip lets loose on his older sister for allowing Liam to ingest cocaine. It was hard enough watching him give her the silent treatment earlier in the episode, but the real fireworks came later. After spending the day caring for his younger siblings, Lip somehow finds the time to make dinner. Unfortunately for Fiona, that would be the setting for her comeuppance, as Lip uses the occasion to rip into her for making such a mind-numbingly stupid mistake. It’s a tough scene to watch, but one that perfectly represents the struggles of being Lip - or any of the Gallaghers, for that matter.
