Shameless Season 11: What might be missing from the series ending

There are only two episodes left to Shameless Season 11. After a wildly popular 11-year run filled with dysfunctional family drama, chaotic ingenuity and shameless behavior, the main goal of the ensemble characters on Shameless has mostly remained the same: do whatever you need to do in order to keep moving forward.

The early Gallaghers ran in-home businesses, got creative with schemes to keep the house running, and relied on each others’ strengths to be a well-rounded, united front.

As with any series where you follow an ensemble cast for more than 10 years, of course there are going to be massive character changes and growth, especially as they’ve matured and found themselves seeking more opportunity in their world. But something about the story in the past few seasons, specifically in Shameless Season 11, has felt just a bit less shameless.

Maybe the change is because the Gallaghers have truly out-grown the Southside house on Wallace St. Maybe they’ve become jaded with high stakes scheming or they don’t want to risk facing the types of consequences they used to brush off as teenagers—and maybe Fiona’s absence left a bigger hole than expected—but the stories in Shameless Season 11 somehow still feel distant from the heart of the show.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve laughed hard many times this season and am glad that Shameless was able to return for one final season. It’s rare for a show to be able to craft their own ending and give the characters a proper send-off, and I’m grateful that Shameless has this opportunity.

I will always root for these characters to do whatever they need to find happiness in the end, and yet there’s something about the predictability of the stories this season that feels different.

How will Shameless Season 11 end on Showtime?

In Shameless Season 11, Lip Gallagher is set on selling the family house on Wallace St in order to get enough money to buy a house of his own for Tami and Fred. He’s the driving force in deciding what will become of his siblings (and Frank), but he’s gotten so stuck in his one-plan situation that he seems to have lost himself. Sure, we’ve seen Lip be a crafty dad who’s able to repair whatever’s put in front of him and knows how to budget for a family, but what happened to his genius ingenuity?

The boy who used to beat the SATs with ease and who built winning battle robots without any access to actual robotics training is now unsure about how to store and fence stolen motorcycles, and it’s that ingenuity and wit that seems to be missing. He’s a great dad focused on his son and his relationship, but it’s hard to believe that he’s not able to find a way around selling the house. Thrilled for Lip that he’s so close to happiness and stability, and yet surprised that there haven’t been more twists in the journey.

Ian and Mickey are navigating marriage and adult life, and even though we saw glimpses of their security business over the past few episodes, the second half of Shameless Season 11 has also shied away from throwing too many curve balls at the couple. They’ve kept the energy of the show alive this season, and I don’t know if they’ll keep the apartment Ian rented or if they’ll find a new place back on the South Side, but they seem to be in a good place.

Debbie has been facing off against Lip for the past several episodes, and we’re fairly sure she’s going to find a way to stay connected to her siblings even if she does leave the house. I’m rooting for her as she finds success with her business and continues to be a great mom, but she’s been pretty stagnant over the past several episodes, and she deserves a quality send-off just as much as her brothers. I truly hope it’s coming her way.

Carl, Frank and Liam have all mostly played more passive roles this season, being on the receiving end of whatever new challenges and obstacles are being thrown at them. Carl’s storyline as a police officer’s been entertaining and has challenged Carl’s ethics while staying true to who his character has always been. He has reason to want to quit the job altogether now, and we wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where his story ends. Liam’s story will very likely be at the hands of his siblings, and if the Gallaghers do all go their separate ways, odds are he lives with Lip or Debbie.

Kev & V seem to have all the cards falling perfectly in place for them to sell the Alibi Room and move to Kentucky. This does feel like the right send-off for the pair, but the idea of everyone selling and moving on at the same time seems too simple. This is Shameless; surely something won’t go as planned. Lastly, the unstoppable, unkillable, cockroach-like Frank Gallagher has finally met his match in facing dementia, and though he’s one of the most disliked characters on the show, I doubt I’m the only one who actually feels sorry for him at times this season. Out of all the Gallaghers, I’m finding that I’m actually most curious to see how Frank’s story will come to an end.

With only two episodes left, it seems almost certain that the Gallagher house will be on the market, and that Kev & V will be moving their family south. We hope that the story still has a few more plot twists up its sleeve and that the house will live on as Gallagher territory past the series’ end.

Do you have any predictions for what will happen in the final two episodes of Shameless Season 11? Do you think anyone will mention the name Fiona? Let us know in the comments below.

Shameless airs Sundays on SHOWTIME.