The latest season of Shameless ended last month with an emotional goodbye to the Gallagher family’s beloved leader, Fiona. When the news of Emmy Rossum’s departure from the series was announced, many were wondering what the endgame for Fiona was. After nine seasons following Fiona Gallagher’s highs and lows, viewers got to see a memorable goodbye to a character we all fell in love with eight years ago.
It’s hard to describe why viewers felt such an attachment to Fiona. Emmy Rossum’s portrayal of Fiona lit up our screens every season. Fiona wasn’t perfect. She had plenty of missteps along the nine-season ride and countless bad judgment calls that were frustrating to watch, but we never stopped rooting for her. Shameless fans knew what she meant to the Gallagher family, and it’s hard to envision them without her. In fact, Fiona’s final goodbye consisted of her taking pride in all that she’s done for her family, and that is why we always loved her.
Though picking the best Fiona moments from Shameless is a difficult task, I’ve gathered memorable Fiona scenes that we all remember. My top 10 includes emotional tearjerkers and some Gallagher humor.
Let’s take a trip down Fiona lane:
- “You were my mother too!”
Emmy Rossum’s performance in this scene makes it the most memorable moment in Shameless history. In this scene, Fiona confronts her estranged mother, Monica, who returns with her girlfriend in hopes of taking custody of the youngest Gallagher, Liam. After many episodes of watching Fiona carry the family without any help from Frank or Monica, Fiona finally explodes and delivers a powerful monologue. This scene is particularly satisfying for Shameless fans because we loved seeing Fiona remind her parents of the sacrifices she’s made for her siblings while they were absent. Plus, Emmy Rossum’s acting in this scene was award-worthy.
2. “Get out of bed, mom!”
In the second season, we finally get to see Fiona make some great strides. She lands a decent job, she’s bringing in more money and seems to be putting herself first for once. This, of course, all falls apart when Hurricane Monica returns. When the Gallagher ‘squirrel fund’ goes missing thanks to Monica, Fiona gets a devastating reminder: Her mother will never change. In this scene, we see a typical Fiona. She hits rock bottom, breaks down and cries, and seconds later pulls herself back up and tries to dig her family out of the mess. Viewers once again are reminded that Fiona is the backbone of the family.
3. “I’ve done what I could…”
In season 3, Fiona seeks to gain custody of her siblings. This lands both Fiona and Frank in court as they argue who is better for the children. Fiona once again has to describe everything she’s done for her siblings while Monica was nowhere to be found and Frank was busy…being Frank. Fiona reminds the judge, Frank, and the viewers that she’s been the protector and caretaker of the family since the age of nine, and she’s done the best that she could.
4. “You are on your own.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkxRu3Osc0U
In season 6, Debbie makes bad decision after bad decision, including getting pregnant…on purpose. In this scene, Fiona is fed up with Debbie and lets her know that not only is she against Debbie having a baby but she refuses to lend any support to Debbie if she goes through with it. Fiona may seem harsh by putting her foot down but she begins to hold her siblings accountable, which made this scene special.
5. “She wasn’t here!”
In season 7, the infamous Monica dies and the Gallagher children are all unsure how to mourn the death of a parent that was never there. Frank and Fiona come head to head as he argues that Monica cared deeply for the children despite her absence. Fiona delivers a harsh truth to Frank as she tearfully tells him that Monica didn’t care for anyone but herself. As if the scene couldn’t get more brutal than it already is, she tells a heartbroken Frank she’s glad Monica is dead. Once again, Emmy Rossum is astounding in this scene.
6. “Piece of hipster trash!”
In season 7, Fiona is a professional business owner but that doesn’t mean the southside has left her. In one of the lighter scenes in Shameless, Fiona confronts a customer who left an unpleasant review about Fiona’s laundromat. Fiona soon finds her and lets her know just what she thinks about hipsters and their Yelp reviews.
7. “I need my family back. Please…”
Season 4 was one of the darkest seasons for Fiona. Fiona is on probation after a near-fatal incident with Liam. Lip takes over Fiona’s role as the main caretaker of the family after no longer trusting Fiona’s judgment. As her siblings begin to give her the cold shoulder, Fiona soon cracks. Her tearful phone call to Lip is one of the most memorable moments on this show because it displays how much her siblings are apart of her life. After hitting rock-bottom, all Fiona wants is her family back.
8. “I’m Fiona”
In season 8, Fiona is still scorned over the betrayal from Sean. In this hilarious scene, Fiona tries to seek closure by giving his new wife advice she wishes she was given. In typical Fiona style, it doesn’t go as planned.
9. “I was right.”
In season 8 Fiona owns a building! This means she’s not around as much to keep track of her siblings and all the typical shenanigans they get into (thanks to Frank). As usual, her siblings find themselves in deep trouble and beg Fiona for some help. Fiona lines each of them up, delivers an “I told you so!” speech and asks each sibling to tell her she was right. Petty!
10. “I did it all!”
In the finale of season 9, Fiona says goodbye in the best way possible. A final scene with Frank (played by William H. Macy) was the perfect exit for Fiona. “I did it all,” she says, and she sure did.
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Favorite TV Characters: Fiona Gallagher’s Best Moments On Shameless: Featured Image: @Shameless on Instagram.
