‘Shameless’ Season 11 Episode 11: Oh, Frank, What Did You Do?
The penultimate episode for the final season of Shameless has arrived, and to many, it felt like earlier seasons of the beloved TV show.
Mickey on the West Side is bringing out shades of old Mickey, and the Gallaghers are scrambling to find their way after Lip’s unilateral decision to sell their house. But this episode hit different. Why?
Despite all the storylines swirling around and coming together, it’s Frank Gallagher who stole every scene this time. And it was a little sad.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Shameless Season 11, Episode 11, “The Fickle Little Lady is Calling it Quits]
Liam makes Frank smile with ‘Frank Things’
With a curse and jolt from Mickey, Frank woke up in a funk — literally and figuratively — after soiling himself in his sleep. Feeling down and defeated, he solemnly greeted Liam who urged him to shower so they could have some fun.
At first, he was unconvinced, but Liam the Wise used his words against him and said, “It’s like you always told me. Either you run the day or the day runs you.”
Frank smiled as Liam told him to clean up and get ready to do some “Frank things” like drinking and scamming. It’s the first time fans have seen Frank beam in a long time.
The father and son duo spent the day together. They panhandled in the middle of the street while pretending to be blind until a do-gooder gave them $100 before being struck by a truck. Classic Shameless scene. Frank also spent time with a working girl as Liam waited on a stoop.
Debbie — who blames her parents for her relationship issues — picked a bar fight with him at the Alibi, and Liam had to break it up and tend to Frank. This too felt like another one of Frank’s everyday adventures.
Frank’s ‘one true love’ rejected him
Taking a few swigs of beer did nothing for Frank’s spirits because he puked it up. Kev and Liam tried three different types of alcohol and it just would not sit. Frank, worried that his body rejected alcohol, felt like giving up. To many viewers, it was a sign that his organs are possibly starting to shut down.
“It’s no use son. Who am I without alcohol?” he said. “It’s my one true love, and now she’s rejecting me.” On their walk home, Liam reminded Frank the doctor said there would be good days and bad days, but Frank seemed like he’s in a daze.
Inside the house, Liam said he had fun, but Frank already forgot what they did all day. Liam made a passing comment about Frank not eating enough that day but before heading upstairs, he told his father they would do more “Frank things” the next day.
Frank takes drugs but leaves a red envelope for the family
When Frank went into the kitchen and saw Lip standing in its semi-demolished state, he mentioned something that may change the family’s fortune.
“You’re looking for that brick of gold we hid when you were 12 years old, aren’t ya?” said Frank. A clueless Lip played along, and Frank said they buried it in the back yard.
Lip screwed up selling the house to the developer by being greedy, but is there really a gold bar that could provide a windfall? After all, ECOE was real. Lip seemed confused, but Frank cheerfully said, “We’re gonna be rich tomorrow” before sprinting upstairs.
That night, things take a sad turn. Frank reads a letter he seemingly wrote before tucking it inside a red envelope and writing “Gallagher Family” on the front.
He settled in on the sofa and uses the drugs he bought in a previous episode. He shoots up his arm, but on the second go, the needle was empty. High, he placed the envelope on the mantel, and it dropped to the floor.
Frank fell back on the couch with his eyes rolled back into his head, and it feels like the end. It’s a sad, painful sight. But don’t count him out just yet.
