A Toast To Fiona Gallagher

By starrymag | March 28, 2016

By: Caitlin Walsh

 

I’ve been with the Gallagher family since day one. Every step of the way, every episode from the good, the bad to the really, really ugly, I’ve been there. I’ve watched this rag-tag family of rough and tough ragamuffins do and say just about everything.

 

Because of that, I’ve also wanted to pull my hair out almost as often as I laughed and cried with them. There have been some questionable moves, some questionable storylines, some moments when I wondered why I’m still watching. But I couldn’t stop at this point, and when it comes down to it, these characters are so painfully human and (in a way) that’s some of the best storytelling to be done, is it not?

 

With one week to go until the end of “Shameless” Season 6 and her second wedding: Fiona Gallagher (soon to be Pierce) this is for you.

 

F is for…Fighter.

 

Matriarch of the family Fiona (Emmy Rossum) was a character I adored and connected with instantly. Her heart, her fierce nature, Emmy Rossum’s beautiful deliverance…From the get go, Fiona was a take no shit girl – the kind who would die for you, but kick your ass afterward. In early seasons, Fiona was a clear cut good guy–the world was pretty black and white, right and wrong (with questionable standards, sure) and Fiona was almost always right. At least she was confident in that. Maybe she didn’t think much of herself or the life they had, but she was sure-footed when it came to raising her family. As the oldest of six with no responsible parent in sight and no one else to rely on, Fiona took on the role of caretaker almost the second her first brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White) was born. Every shit card was dealt her way, and yet, she kept the Gallagher ship afloat day in and day out. Six seasons later, that ship rocks, and Fiona’s role is less clear.

 

With most of the family grown up, (or at least insisting they are) Fiona’s life has progressively become more of her own. With that, it became abundantly clear that Fiona doesn’t know who she is when she’s not raising her siblings. It’s the one and only thing she’s ever had to do – the only thing she’s ever been focused on. Once they don’t need her, she doesn’t know how to focus on anything else (i.e. her own life) and she proves to not be very good at it, truth be told. She missteps. She royally screws up…repeatedly.

 

Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) slowly slips out of her grasp, his once wild antics progressing into much deeper trouble and, eventually, jail time. Worse, he gets embedded further into the drug game this season. Fiona more or less turns a blind eye, albeit begrudgingly, knowing there’s nothing she can do or say even when he needs it.

 

Debbie (Emma Kenney), once the sweet and innocent of all Gallaghers, becomes obsessed with body image, popularity and eventually sex. She’s pregnant at 15 years old, but more than that she doesn’t consider any options other than having it, which (of course) Fiona doesn’t handle well. Fiona refuses to let Debbie stay in the house if she chooses to have the baby, exclaiming that she’s done raising other people’s babies as she’s just finally gotten a break -driving a deep seeded gap between her and Debbie that shows little signs of ever closing. Debbie is stubborn to accept help and even when she does (not from Fiona) it breaks the elder Gallagher’s heart visibly. Both Gallagher women being a little too stubborn and a lot too hot headed destroys their relationship. What else is new for this family?

 

With the older boys, it’s always been a little different. Fiona helped raise them as well, of course, but it felt a little more like a partnership, especially with assistance from Lip. Still, Fiona’s fought with Lip over the years (i.e. Karen’s pregnancy, his high school education, the prospect of college, etc.) and been too heated with some of those scenarios as well (though, almost every time, Lip came around in the end).

 

Because Ian (Cameron Monaghan) was hyper focused and ambitious in high school, Fiona never had to keep much of a close eye on him to begin with. Perhaps, as a consequence, there wasn’t much for her to do when his bipolar disorder was diagnosed and became a much more prominent factor in his day to day life. The only help she really knew how to offer was badgering him to take his medications every day after his worst spirals to date had passed, which felt stifling to him.

 

And Liam (Brenden Sims), who still needs her care (and is the only one not resenting her) may be the only one with much of a right to after she left cocaine out and he accidentally ingested it. This incident results in Fiona’s jail time and probation, possible brain damage, etc.

 

Therefore, it goes without saying that Fiona is less sure of herself these days. Even when her siblings aren’t fighting with her, they don’t look to her like they used to. Lip, who has always stood by her, questions her moves with a little more frequency. Her younger siblings resent her, even ignore her (though we seem to have hope that Carl is coming around). She’s less confident and messier in her own life. As she’s pointed out, she’s jumped from relationship to relationship, never letting herself breathe. We have watched her repeatedly screw up, from leaving the coke out for Liam, pushing her siblings away when she’s stubborn as a mule, alienating better boyfriends because she’s so unsure of what a healthy relationship is…All these times I’ve wanted to scream and I have, actually, in a few instances.

 

But when I calm down, I realize she’s still fierce. Fiona is fiercely loyal and badass to boot. She loves her brothers, sister to a fault and her friends (as few as they are). She’ll do anything for any of them. Hell, she helped deliver Debbie’s baby on the damn kitchen table! She let Carl stay in the house and his ex-con friend, even when she knew they had weapons galore and were doing unsavory, illicit and very illegal business practices. She’ll always make sure Ian has his medication and a bed to stay in at home. She’ll always support Lip and never let him give up on his pursuits to come home and help her, no matter how much she’s screwing up. He gets to put himself first, like she never did. They all do.

 

She’ll fight tooth and nail to keep the house and the family together, even if she’s been the problem driving them apart. She’s fought hard as hell for her siblings to have chances that she never did. At the end of the day, she’s a fighter. Scrappy, tough and despite it getting harder every time, she gets back up. Every. Single. Time.

 

F is for…Feminist.

 

Hear me out. Fiona Gallagher is one of the most important feminist television character icons right now. Fiona has almost never asked anyone for any help – to her fault, more and more. But she’s as independent as they come, chiefly because she had no choice. It’s been a fight for survival and Fiona fought hard. Even when boyfriends have come into her life that have had the means to help out, prideful Fiona has rejected that notion. She’s responsible for her family–no one else. Gallaghers take care of their own.

 

When Fiona found herself pregnant at the same time as Debbie, she was much the opposite of her idealistic, maternal sister. Fiona’s raised kids, she’s tired and she’s barely managing to keep everything afloat as it is so a baby of her own would complicate everything. Her and Sean (Dermot Mulroney) aren’t there, yet.

 

Scratch that. She’s not there, yet.

 

Nearly once a season, “Shameless” tackles a major societal issue that’s become taboo and by no means should be. Gentrification, government assistance and its loopholes, safe sex and very unsafe sex, disease (sexual, terminal, the lot), teenage pregnancy (multiple times), mental disabilities, sexual assault, conservatism, homosexuality, addiction, mental illness, abortion, etc. They’re doing their best to cover it all.

 

Fiona’s abortion was something real and something I’ve seldom, if ever, seen on television before. Women’s experiences are singular, unique to every single one of them. When television has tackled abortion in the past, it’s often off screen, a whispered mention, an emotional trauma. While those instances were no less relatable to some women, there are others that never were written – women who were not emotionally traumatized, not in the same way. It was the best decision for them to make at the time and Fiona’s reaction to hers was nonchalant, accepting and…short. There were zero second thoughts and while she ended up including Sean, it was never his decision to make. She never wanted his opinion. It was her life, her body and her call. (And bless him, he respected that. If he hadn’t won my heart over already, he did it there and then.)

 

Even when people have tried to defend her honor, she’s reminded them of one thing: she doesn’t need anyone to defend her. (Sean learned that just this week, after fighting Frank in “defense” of Fiona and all the Gallaghers.) Fiona lets Sean know loudly and proudly that she doesn’t need anyone to fight for her, she can do that herself.

 

Fiona’s always been her own woman and she’s never looked for validation. She owns her sexuality – she is a sexually active woman and she’s never felt “dirty” for her behavior (only when it was hurting someone else). She’s never judged her siblings for wanting sex lives of their own, but she preached safe practice. Only then did she judge when they didn’t follow through. She has her faults, many indeed, but Fiona was always shamelessly Fiona. Her decisions have always been hers and hers alone. Her honor is hers to defend.

 

F is for…Forgivable.

 

At the end of the day, feel about Fiona how you will. She’s a lot of things and not all of them perfect or lovely. She’s cheated and lied. She’s been wildly irresponsible (just a handful of times) and she’s been selfish, at least in love. She’s been stubbornly pigheaded and has let a lot in her life learn things for themselves. As an older sister we often think we know best and we don’t sometimes. But we’re protective. We’re loyal.

 

Fiona, at the end of the day, cares more about her family than most people ever do. She certainly gives more of a shit about them than their parents ever did -deadbeat alcoholic Frank (William H. Macy) and off the rails Monica (Chloe Webb). She’s spent her life scraping by – fighting with blood, sweat and tears for them. Her life has never been about her.

 

So, forgive her occasional missteps. She might be a little broken, a little messed up, but she wants the best for everyone. She’s just not always sure how to get there as she is often more focused on making sure that day to day everyone is breathing. Almost every time, her mistakes have hurt her ten times more than what they’ve hurt anyone else around her. But she tries to learn. She’s doing her best.

She’s painfully, obviously, beautifully human.