There’s still residual Gallagher drama, but “Father Frank, Full of Grace” largely waves a magic wand to either fix all of these problems or at least provide a solid roadplan for what lies ahead. Frank’s spirit is ever present, but he spends this final episode in a cathartic form of isolation.įrank spends this installment lost in the past while everyone else braces for the future. It’s the perfect distillation of his involvement as a father for his kids. It’s no coincidence that Frank is there, but he isn’t, through most of this episode. It’s a messy storyline, but thematically it’s sound. Even the brief return to a shut down Patsy’s Pies connects as Frank takes in the South Side with fresh eyes for one last time. I’m still not convinced that it’s the best decision for this last episode, but Frank’s out of body experience and his flashbacks contain some of the finale’s most touching moments.įrank’s thoughts on his family and these glimpses of the cast back in season one aren’t overused and their impact is felt. The material feels sloppy and like it’s just another opportunity to get more of a morose, haunting performance from out of Macy. It’s an emotional moment when Frank does pass on, but it also turns this finale into a prolonged waiting game whereas last week’s conclusion came as a legitimate shock.įrank’s detached actions as his ailing body moves on autopilot are a frustrating component from this finale. Frank’s death feels like a foregone conclusion and the cyclical nature of his story in this finale steps on the toes of the past few episodes. Any love is lost at this point and Frank’s belabored transition to the other side is treated like a temporary nuisance, as if it’s a toilet that needs to be unclogged.įrank lets out a surprised, “Well, fuck,” upon the realization that he’s not dead and that was also pretty much my reaction to this news. Frank may not technically be dead at the start of the episode, but he’s metaphorically been a ghost for decades. However, it all contributes to an overwhelming sense of closure and fresh beginnings, which is exactly what Shameless’ series finale needed to deliver.įrank’s nagging mortality is a major catalyst for this series finale, but it’s also remarkable to see how most of the Gallaghers have already moved on. In a way, “Father Frank, Full of Grace” becomes an even more poetic finale because the Gallaghers’ loss of Frank also functions as a metaphor for Showtime’s loss of Shameless. “Father Frank, Full of Grace” is a celebratory finale that’s emotional, beautiful, crude, and chaotic more than it’s a metatextual conversation about Showtime’s legacy. The final lingering brick from the old guard is finally dislodged. Shameless is their longest running program and with it gone there’s a substantial piece of Showtime’s past that leaves with it. Shameless might not have always been a top tier television program, but it’s emblematic of Showtime’s early ideology and the growth that they’ve experienced over the past decade. Shameless set out to depict the flawed lives of a lower-class family and it’s done that for 11 seasons and allowed a full generation of characters to grow up before the audience’s eyes. It hasn’t resorted to radical time jumps or a revolving door of new premises and locations as a way to inject steroids into a withering corpse. It’s fair to say that Shameless is not as good as when it started or even how it was a few seasons back, but it’s always remained true to itself. However, even the most egregious examples of this like Weeds, Californication, and Dexter still pale in comparison to Shameless‘s episode count and none of them ever lost their series’ lead. Showtime, its cable network, even briefly had a reputation for bleeding series dry long after they should have ended. Most people would likely not argue that Shameless’s best years are behind it.
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