Frank is sitting outside the hospital, solemn and stone-faced from the whole ordeal.
Frank walks away without saying anything to his daughter, eventually heading into a nearby bar to self-medicate.
They eat fried chicken, drink coffee and beer, and discuss their next steps.
Credit: Chuck Hodes/SHOWTIME
Later in the night, Frank shows up at the house and passes out on the floor.
Fiona gets up to clean up his puke and put a towel under his head.
In the morning, Carl walks in with a bag of groceries and starts making breakfast.
She leaves a message for him that his daughter has died.
Fiona abruptly has to leave, but eager to get this done, Ryan pushes her a bit more.
“Hey, are we doing this or not?”
Fiona hesitates but ultimately shakes on the deal.
Brad listens and asks Lip if he’s good with his hands.
Lip later heads to Patsy’s, where Sierra offers to talk after work.
He appreciates the gesture but says no thanks.
At the Gallagher house, Frank finally wakes up on the kitchen floor.
Frank notices the key and realizes it’s a key to a storage unit.
Once inside, they realize Monica must have been living in this unit for some time.
They find clothes, cans of food, blankets for sleeping, and other personal items.
Finally, Frank finds a metal case containing seven large bags of crystal meth.
Ian visits Trevor at work, where Trevor initially tries to ignore him.
Ian says his mother died and Trevor is very apologetic.
Trevor asks where Ian’s been; he’s been texting him the past couple of days.
Ian admits he was with Mickey which, deep down, Trevor probably knew anyway.
Fiona walks in and is baffled by the situation.
Debbie admits $10,000 would pay for a lot of child care.
“Maybe we should sleep on it and talk again in the morning?”
Just then, there’s a knock at the door.
Everyone scatters and Frank attempts to hide the meth in Franny’s crib.
Fiona answers the door and sees it’s Grandpa Bill, who storms in and immediately goes after Frank.
Apparently, Bill is not a fan of Frank and blames him entirely for his daughter’s death.
After Frank’s pummeling, everyone gathers around the table to discuss Monica’s service.
Once Bill leaves, Frank loses it.
He charges upstairs to find the meth, tearing apart Debbie’s room and Franny’s crib.
He’s completely distraught and yells at everyone, grabbing Debbie by the throat and Fiona by the hair.
In another emotional scene, Fiona pushes Frank out into the backyard and appropriately unloads on him.
Frank defends Monica and shares his delusions of her as a good mother and angelic figure.
Never Monica, and certainly never him.
“She didn’t love me.
She didn’t love you.
She didn’t give a sh-t about anyone but herself.
I’m glad she’s dead!
At least now she can’t f-ck us over anymore.”
Fiona also finds her share and Liam’s share of crystal meth lying on her bed.
Exhausted, she hides them under her mattress.
The next day, Fiona heads to the funeral home to inspect the final arrangements.
She repeatedly laughs at Monica being dressed in her wedding dress, at Grandpa Bill’s insistence.
Monica’s funeral service is pretty apropos.
“You couldn’t count on her, but she never had a bad thing to say about anyone.
And she always had a good time.
And that’s something,” Fiona says.
Just as everyone is getting up to leave, Frank gets up to speak.
He talks about meeting Monica in college (?)
on his way to a Supertramp concert (even more ?
She was brave and you’re brave.
Hate her if you want, but she’s in you.
And that’s a good thing."
Well, Frank’s right about some of those things, anyway.
Back at casa de Gallagher, everyone is dancing, drinking, and enjoying each other’s company.
Lip is outside drinking coffee when Sierra joins him.
Lip is especially pensive and starts reflecting on the last few months of his life.
He gives Sierra his jacket and admits, “I feel like I f-cked it all up.”
Sierra tells Lip his professor isn’t the only one.
Just then, Frank insists Fiona dance with him.
Could you have asked much more from thisShamelessfinale?
Plus, V and Kev are finally back in the mix where they belong.
Perhaps everyone’s bravery and strength should actually be attributed to her.
That’s how this finale felt to me, anyway…like things will be okay for the Gallaghers.
I’m more excited than ever to see where the family takes us next.
Honorable Mentions
Shameless Tunes
Much like the premiere, this episode had a stellar soundtrack.
