Written by Qianhui 2022 Cohort
Many of you may have heard Shameless before. This incredible show has 11 seasons in total. Every season has been rated over 9, proving that people welcome it. It is also one of my favourite shows, and I want to say something after watching it. (Spoiler alert.)
Shameless tells a long story, which spanned a decade in the Gallagher family who lived in a poor neighbourhood in the south side of Chicago. Six children in this dysfunctional family had to learn to care for themselves because of their alcoholic father. Shameless depicts their struggles in daily life.
The twists in Shameless attract me the most. Gallaghers’ stories always went in unexpected directions. Whenever I thought their lives would go well, they returned to their terrible lifestyle or relationship. When I thought they had already hit their bottom, and I had no idea how the situation could be any worse, they could go lower! When I just started watching it, every episode shocked me. I think the magic of this show is that as it kept challenging my boundaries, I don’t even feel strange about what would happen to them and what they would do after watching a few seasons.
The growth of Gallaghers gives me lots of thinking. They were all born intelligent, and everyone had the chance to leave the south side for a better living. But the environment always dragged them back and reminded them there was no way to move up the social ladder. Fiona was beautiful and clever, but her big family was an obstacle. She failed to balance her personal life and family responsibilities and got nothing but the desperation in the end. Lip was the most intelligent Gallagher kid and earned a scholarship to Chicago University. There was supposed to be a bright future waiting for him, but the toxic relationship broke him, and he ended up being an alcoholic like the old Gallagher. Debbie was a caring angel when she was a child. Without seeing a good pattern from her siblings, she was also trapped in a toxic relationship, becoming a whiny and selfish woman when she grew up. Ian’s army dream was shattered because of his bipolar inherited from his mother. Carl and Liam were too young to tell.
The sad thing is that their lives got worse after so many struggles and hard work. Life is tough for poor kids, as there are so many reasons to prevent them from making progress. They have to put all their effort into holding the bare opportunity, but a tiny mistake can ruin their life.