The Shameless Scene That Gets Fans Teary-Eyed Every Time
When it comes to emotional, heart-wrenching scenes, there's no show that does it quite like Showtime's Shameless.
The long-running dramedy is led by award-winning actor William H. Macy, who portrays Frank Gallagher, a father of six children who is less of a parental figure and more of a burden in the lives of those who know him. He's a lot more likely to steal from his children or end up passed out drunk on the bathroom floor, which is why it was always up to the eldest child Fiona, beautifully portrayed by Emmy Rossum, to care for her younger siblings and keep their lives running as smoothly as possible — which, for those who live on the south side of Chicago, is no easy feat.
The character of Fiona was thrown more than her fair share of curve balls before Rossum's departure during the show's ninth season, but one scene in particular always manages to make even the most stone-faced Shameless fans tear up.
The worst Thanksgiving ever
During the show's second season, Gallagher matriarch Monica returns to live with her children and be the mother figure that she never was before. While this sounds like a heartwarming gesture, Monica has a host of issues. In addition to having abandoned the family some time ago, she has also chosen not to take the medication needed to manage her bipolar disorder, leaving her extremely emotionally unstable.
Monica's decisions culminate in a suicide attempt on Thanksgiving day. It's a horrific scene: the family, including her young children, find her slumped and bleeding on the kitchen floor. While they're able to rush her to the hospital in time to save her, it's a traumatic experience for all involved, which is evident as soon as the Gallaghers return home to the mess Monica left behind.
In an intensely emotional scene, Fiona drops to the kitchen floor amid pools of blood and starts cleaning up, with her boyfriend Jimmy assisting her in silence. But while Fiona is undoubtedly a strong person, she's still only human, and cleaning up after your own mother's suicide attempt is enough to make anyone break down. That's exactly what happens. Fiona begins to sob in a rare moment of vulnerability, saying at one point, "Those poor kids," showing that a huge part of why she's upset stems from her love for her siblings. Even though the mood is lightened afterwards with a joke, the audience is still left feeling almost as shaken as Fiona probably was.
A sad goodbye
Emmy Rossum had been on Shameless since its premiere season in 2011, stealing fans' hearts during her years with the Gallaghers. Fiona has been the character you could root for even while she makes you angry to watch. After all, who can forget her accidentally letting Liam get into her drugs in season 4, a mishap that could have literally killed him?
Still, Rossum's exit from the show in season 9 left fans pretty heartbroken — even if, as she explained in subsequent interviews, she felt that it was time for the character of Fiona to move on.
"I was 23 when the show started and it's been pretty remarkable the confidence that it's given me," Rossum told Entertainment Weekly. "It's been a long, wonderful journey and I'm so close to my Gallagher family that to walk away is quite bittersweet, but it did feel like it was time for the character to spread her wings and that there was less need for her. I never want something to just feel like a job and so I'm leaving while I still love it."