Shameless: Season 3 Finale

The season three finale of Shameless played like a personified version of The Verve’s song “Bittersweet Symphony.”  As always the show provided us with moments of shock and moments of laughter; but this time we were also granted an unusual amount of heartwarming moments…especially by Gallagher standards.

Let me start off by saying how happy I am for Fiona. I have to admit that Emmy Rossum, in my opinion, overacts this role, but she actually never annoys me. In fact I like her very much. Fiona is the heroine to her dysfunctional family and if anyone deserved a full time job selling paper cups, it’s her. This family deserves some stability;I just hope that in season four she starts hooking up with her adorable boss, Mike, played Jake McDorman!

I know this is going to sound terrible, but I’m kind of glad Jimmy-Steve (Justin Chatwin) is no longer on the show. Don’t get me wrong… I didn’t want him to be KILLED off; it’s just that his character had sort of run his course in my mind. Plus, he secured an apartment for just himself in Michigan? Give me a break. Ditch the zero and get with your (much hotter) hero, Fiona. We can assume that the envelope of cash means he’s definitely dead, right? 

How about Ian (Cameron Monaghan)? It broke my heart to see Ian so upset over Mickey (Noel Fisher)—but, come on. We’ve all been dumped for streetwalkers, but that doesn’t make it okay to steal someone’s identity. Although, arguably the best moment of the entire episode was when we found out Lip (Jeremy Allen White) stood for Philip. (Or am I the only one who didn’t know that?)

Speaking of Lip, I am so proud of him for not only graduating, but for getting into MIT! I know this sounds terrible, but I’m not even mad at Mandy (Emma Greenwell). I know she technically tried to kill Karen (Laura Wiggins), but she didn’t actually kill her. She was really only looking out for Lip, who now has an abundance of opportunity in front of him thanks to Mandy. Plus Sheila (Joan Cusack) is right: Karen is a lot nicer now. 

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Lip spending so much time with Frank (William H. Macy fresh off his quasi-graduation. While I was equally surprised and touched by Frank’s excitement for his son and for the lobster dinner he was planning to treat him to, I didn’t want Lip to get any ideas. He had accomplished so much and it seemed that when he looked at his father, he was looking at his potential future. 

I suppose it’s no surprise that Frank is corroding from the inside out. What do you expect from a lifetime of alcohol and drug abuse? He has been all over the map this season and I can’t decide if he is a consistent villain or just some loser we should ignore. 

I will say I got a bit misty when Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) snuck off to the hospital to shave Frank’s head so he would get better. These sweet moments when Carl and Debbie (Emma Kenney) reach out to their father really makes this sometimes over-the-top series quite human. We’re truly reminded how children always yearn for and love their parents, no matter who they are.

Every episode of Shameless has been consistently well written. Even when these kids are breaking the law, we can’t help but root for them because we can really empathize. Plus, no matter what struggles our lives may bring, Shameless will always remind us to grow a pair and deal with it.

I just hope Debbie gets braces.