The TV dramaShamelessis well known for pushing its characters to their breaking points and including shocking plotlines that made viewers squirm.Emmy Rossum led the cast as Fiona Gallagher,the oldest daughter of the Gallagher family who constantly cleans up the messes left by the absent patriarch, Frank (William H. Macy). Fiona took on a lot of responsibility from a young age because of this.
Shamelessis one ofEmmy Rossum’s best TV shows, as playing Fiona gave her the opportunity to push her boundaries as an actress. Fiona goes through a lot onShameless, and like all the other characters, she’s far from perfect. However, watching her continuously fight back against her setbacks and attempt to break out of her negative cycles can be as difficult as it is ultimately satisfying.
Fiona Gallagher’s Character Takes A Noticeable Turn In Shameless Seasons 8 & 9
Fiona Was Never Perfect, But Her Final Seasons On Shameless Were Tough To Watch
Part of the reason audiences love watchingShamelessis that the characters are constantly self-imploding, creating incredibly compelling drama. However, this can also be the reason thatShamelesshits so hard emotionally as well, as viewers grow to love these characters, andit’s tough to watch them make the same mistakes, which happens to Fiona in the later seasons.
Though Fiona defined herself by her differences from Frank, she started exhibiting similar behavior that caused many of her siblings to turn against her. While it’s fair to say that Fiona’s actions weren’t acceptable, it’s upsetting that so many people who she showed up for over the years were so quick to turn her away and not lend the kind of support that she would.
Rossum leftShamelessafter season 9, and while Fiona ultimately left Chicago on a positive note, ready to leave behind her past and commit to her sobriety, she left a lot of mistakes and messes in her wake. However, Fiona didn’t simply wake up one day in the later seasons and decide to go off the rails.Shamelesslaid the groundwork for her transformation.
Fiona’s Downfall Actually Started Back In Shameless Season 4
This Is When Fiona Started To Show Signs Of Losing Control
Fiona puts a lot of pressure on herself to be a provider for her siblings and be the parent that she never had. It isn’t surprising that when it comes to handling herself and grappling with her shortcomings.Fiona makes some big mistakes, ensuring that she’ll revert to the uncomfortable, but familiar, patternsthat are all she’s ever known because of her parents and environment.
InShamelessseason 4, episode 5, “There’s The Rub,” Fiona has one of her worst moments,as her brother Liam gets into the coke she had at her birthday party. This results in Fiona being arrested and having to work hard to get her life back on track. Just before this, she had also cheated on one of her best romantic partners, which is another cycle for Fiona.
Fiona’s love interests onShamelessalso demonstrate her tendency to self-sabotage, as she chooses the wrong people and is often left with nothing, or destroys the semi-healthy relationships she attempts to build. Though Fiona’s struggles with addiction are not hers alone, as most of the Gallaghers grapple with this at one point,there’s also a part of Fiona that wants things to go wrong.
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Shameless Expertly Captures The Ups And Downs Of The Poverty Cycle
Fiona Learns From Her Struggles, But Many Of Them Are Systemic
Shamelessdoesn’t shy away from the fact that many of the characters' biggest issues are the result of the systemic cyclesthat keep people in poverty and the lack of outreach and support for people who struggle with addiction and generational trauma. The Gallaghers are raised to believe there’s no way out of their situation, and this feeds into their destructive behaviors because they feel so hopeless.
The cycle of poverty plays out through Fiona’s character arc,as she eventually finds her way back to herself in the wake of season 4, and grows from this mistake. However, this doesn’t stop her from spiraling in seasons 8 and 9, because her situation hasn’t fundamentally changed enough to give her the space and resources to rebuild and focus on herself and her growth.
The series is inherently dark and has an introspective message at the core of its story.
While it’s fun to watch the bombshells and dramas ofShameless, the series is inherently dark and has an introspective message at the core of its story. Fiona is not the only character onShamelesswho strives to escape her circumstances, only to be pulled back in by forces beyond her control and a world that was essentially set up for her and others like her to fail.
