Top 10 Moments from Shameless

The family that kidnaps together, stays together. The Gallaghers rarely do anything that they don’t believe is justified, no matter how it might look to an outsider. With the threat of losing their house hanging over them, they decide to “borrow” an old, forgetful woman from a nursing home and pass her off as their aunt whose social security checks they have been collecting. It’s immoral, to say the least - especially considering the real Aunt Ginger is dead - but you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all, especially when they get away with it!

Frank Gallagher doesn’t have the best moral compass in the universe, and after a lifetime of substance abuse, he finds himself in need of a new liver. When the rest of his family refuse to give him one, he tracks down his eldest daughter Sammi, who has never met him, with the intent of asking her for help. Of course, things go awry in typical Gallagher fashion, and Sammi ends up falling for Frank. In what might be one of the most cringeworthy things Frank has done, he goes along with her feelings, intending to use the relationship to his advantage. To Frank’s credit, he never lets anything too physical happen, but that still doesn’t make it any less gross.

Revenge can be a horrible thing, and for the Gallaghers, it seems that there is always someone who wants to bring them down. But knowing that it’s your own father looking to make your life a living hell is a whole other can of worms. Fiona has to get her family back together after the Department of Family Services swoops in and redistributes the kids to various foster homes, and as if that isn’t enough, she discovers that Frank is the one who called DFS in the first place. There are few things more heart wrenching in “Shameless” than watching Fiona react to what may be one of Frank’s biggest betrayals.

It would be impossible for us to list all the times that Frank Gallagher let his kids down, but this scene really embodies how much of a disappointment he is to his children. Unlike the older Gallaghers, Debbie still loves her father and holds on to hope that he can be a better person. But when a drunk Frank accidentally breaks her school project, it’s the last straw for Debbie. She hits Frank until she can’t anymore, then collapses. It’s awful but cathartic, as Debbie realizes how much of a deadbeat her father really is. Thankfully, the moment is lightened up with some humor when Lip and Ian put Frank right where he belongs.

Some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have kids. Frank, especially after he’s been drinking, is all bravado and stupidity, which in this case leads him to making a bet that he, of course, loses. So Frank does what Frank does best - he bargains, only this time with Liam. There are few things as terrifying as a child going missing, and Fiona and her siblings are rightly furious when they find out that Liam is gone. Still, it’s always heartwarming to see the siblings come together, even if their solidarity is the result of their father’s terrible behavior.

Jealousy can be a bitch, but it doesn’t justify attempted murder. But on the wrong side of Chicago, people have a different way of dealing with emotions. When Mandy gets angry at the way that Karen has been treating Lip, she tricks Karen into believing that the two of them can make up. In a moment that had audiences sitting on the edge of their seat, Mandy runs Karen down with a car. Love her or hate her, Karen doesn’t deserve to die, and this is one of those times that reminds us that despite the saying, not everything is fair in love and war.

When you really, really want things to go well for the Gallaghers, you can count on things going the opposite way. Just as the whole clan gets together for what looks like a wholesome Thanksgiving dinner, the tables are turned. Monica is struggling with life and off her meds, and despite the family around her, she just can’t hold it together anymore. In a scene that left audiences shaken, she attempts to kill herself in the Gallagher’s kitchen. Her poor kids had suffered through plenty already, and seeing them have to deal with their mother’s suicide attempt is an emotional gut punch.

When your parents are addicts, one of the first things you learn is to hide the money. If they don’t have it, they can’t use it to get high, or drunk. But when Monica returns, despite looking like she’s recovered, she steals her kids’ emergency money and blows it all. That ‘s terrible in itself, but seeing Lip yell at Fiona for not knowing better only twists the knife further. Like Fiona, we hoped Monica had changed her ways, and like Fiona, we had our hope shattered.

Even someone as strong-willed as Fiona Gallagher has their limits. In this episode, Fiona comes dangerously close to following in her parents’ footsteps when Robbie shows up at her doorstep with some drugs. While she kicks Robbie to the curb, she eventually ends up using the cocaine and loses sight of Liam, who ends up overdosing. Liam is rushed to the hospital, and Fiona is rushed to jail. It’s both a moment of perspective for the oldest Gallagher sibling, and an emotional low-point for both her and the audience.

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Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:



Debbie Finds Out She’s Pregnant





Mickey Comes Out





Steve/Jimmy’s Return

Things might be tough with Frank, but at least Fiona knows that he’s unreliable. It’s when Monica blows back into town that Fiona really struggles. When Monica decides that she wants to start life anew by taking Liam away with her, Fiona breaks. It’s a terrible betrayal, and Fiona can’t hold it together anymore, yelling at her mother in front of the whole family. It’s a moment that’s raw and heartbreaking, especially since the audience knows that Fiona is right, and that she’s done more for the family than Frank or Monica will ever do.