One of the highlights of the episode for me was Carl’s return. It's hard for them to be deeply affected by the death of someone who has been even less present and reliable than Frank. And the Gallagher kids know that not much is going to change in their day-to-day lives. Luckily Monica's father shows up and pays for the entire thing after beating Frank up for not being good enough. The Gallagher kids mainly brace themselves for the memorial preparations that must be made. But This Is certainly not Us and it isn’t the emotional, heart-wrenching moment that you’d expect from the loss of such an important family figure. A doctor breaks the news that Monica is dead. The finale, episode 12, opens with Lip, Fiona, Debbie, Liam, Kev, and V in the hospital. It was a shocking twist, especially given that Monica had only recently re-entered her family’s life. Episode 11 was set to be a happy ending (in a Gallagher way) until Monica’s medical emergency left an air of doom. They had just renewed their vows and laced everyone’s drinks with molly during a celebration the night before.
It may have set Shameless on a new path when it returns next year.Īt the end of episode 11 last week, Frank awoke and found his beloved Monica, the mother of the Gallagher brood, unresponsive next to him. But the finale packed a punch that I'm sure no one saw coming. I would forget to watch episodes after they aired and struggled to find substance for my recaps. This season of Shameless was arguably one of the slowest moving.