What I’m Watching: Shameless (Series Finale)

Shameless: Season 11, Episode 12 “Father Frank, Full of Grace”

Series finales are tricky because they need to do their best to provide a fitting finish to so much that’s come before in just a short span of time. In this case, there were 133 hours of content leading up to this, and so I’d say this episode did just fine even if it couldn’t cover anything. I’m impressed that there wasn’t undue weight put on new characters, with Heidi there to serve as a distraction and potential draw to a new life for Debs and Arthur as Carl’s new police pal who might end up being his partner in a cop bar, should that idea actually lead to anything. There were no big cameos, much as I would have liked to see Fiona in some form other than as part of a hallucinated flashback of Frank’s. We didn’t actually get all that many answers, with Lip likely accepting less than half of what he had hoped for and turning down Ian’s generous offer of his share because, like always, he’ll figure it out. Mickey played dumb for the whole day while Ian got mad so that he could surprise him with an anniversary party at the Alibi, and all of a sudden they might be able to have a kid since Tami is probably pregnant again. Debs was attracted to the danger Heidi represented, and that relationship might be akin to Ian’s romance with Mickey in that there’s nothing she can do to control her criminal partner. Carl is still a cop and doing what he’s doing, with an unknown future ahead of him. And Liam was able to recognize how his siblings had all depended on Frank at some point, and now it was his turn. Frank’s narration and levitating into the air as he rose to the sky was a strange device, but the notion that he would die alone in a hospital when he could have been surrounded by his family is fitting and somewhat tragic at the same time. I’ve greatly enjoyed and appreciated this show, and while I would have loved to see it continue for years and years, I’m very happy with the eleven seasons we got that I’ll be sure to revisit and recommend in the future.

Series finale: B+
Series grade: A-
Season MVP: Christian Isaiah as Liam
Season grade: B+
Series MVP: Emmy Rossum as Fiona
Best Season: Do I have to pick?
Best Episode: This Is Chicago!

What I’m Watching: Shameless (Season Finale)

Shameless: Season 1, Episode 12 “Father Frank, Full of Grace”

It seems like this season has flown by, and I’m so glad that these fabulous characters will be back for another go next year. This finale did a great job of wrapping up all of its arcs, bringing most of its plotlines to a close and leaving just enough up in the air so that the new season will find our characters in some interesting places. It looked for a while like Eddie was going to murder Frank after he sat down to eat his sandwich and watch the video not knowing what to expect, and instead he commits suicide and that’s something that Frank might have to live with, though it’s likely that he may not even find out or take responsibility for it. That development is a reminder that this is indeed a black comedy and not always as light-hearted as it often can be. Lip peeing on Frank and the not-so-dutiful father stepping forward and accepting his punishment is an example of the lighter side of things, and I’m glad to see that those still living seem to have come to terms with each other. Steve’s departure is sad, and while it was structurally obvious that Fiona couldn’t actually leave, it was important for Fiona to come to terms with that herself. I was plenty confused because Steve distinctly said that they were flying out of O’Hare and then he was shown waiting at Midway, but I guess that’s just a major continuity error that didn’t mean he was taking a separate flight and leaving her behind. Tony proved himself to be a jerk by accepting Steve’s bribe after he had already gotten Lip and Ian off, and we’ll see how that plays out next season. Jasmine is being positioned as a major character as Fiona decides to turn to her upon abandoning her travel plans, so that should be interesting. I’m curious what will become of Sheila, who will presumably never find out about her daughter’s tryst with her boyfriend, and who continues to make progress every day with a few more steps. Other memorable moments from this episode included Ian’s distress about jail time preventing him from enlisting in the Marines, Carl asking I he can steal a car with no consequences, and Frank having the most peculiar father-daughter talk ever with Karen. It’s been a fantastic year, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Emmy Rossum as Fiona