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RAHHHHH THANK YOU SM FOR THE ASK ANONNNNN I LOVE ANSWERING THESE!!! SORRY THIS TOOK MY LIKE FOREVER TO ANSWER I WAS LOWK FIGHTING MYSELF WHILE WRITING THIS

even tho i always felt he looked more like a steve, for the sake of myself im going to refer to him specifically as jimmy during this lol

Jimmy's character is actually SUPER interesting once you lay everything out on the table.

I believe we are meant to perceive him as a hero, the person meant to save/rescue those in distress.

When we are introduced to his character, he is chasing the guy who stole Fiona's purse (Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot," 09:32-10:14), then punching the bouncer who was being rude to Veronica and Fi (10:26-11:19). Our first interaction with Jimmy was intended for us to take a liking to him due to his kind actions, charismatic personality, and his "lack of fear," with V even saying, "That was fucking incredible. Truly, honestly, one of the most heroic things I've ever seen."

The man who robbed Fiona was almost like his Call to Action. He was able to give himself a reason to talk to her instead of just watching from afar. Something to chase after, a quest to complete.

He later provides her with a new washing machine (30:13-30:30), "saving" her from the struggle of not being able to buy a new one. He saw himself as the knight in shining armor, protecting her from robbery, gifting her flowers, and helping with her home. Fiona was the damsel in distress, locked away in a tall tower.

But she felt no need to leave that tower, for it gave her love, support, comfort, and the one thing he couldn't replace: a family.

Jimmy was a hero, but Fiona didn't need saving.

Dr. Gary Chapman originated the idea of "The 5 Love Languages": physical touch, quality time, acts of service, giving/receiving gifts, and words of affirmation. Jimmy manages to match the fourth, as he's a character who uses his money to buy and offer things such as cars, washing machines, hotels, cash/bills, etc. He shows himself in this way with the intention of proving that he is able to provide, help, and assist within a relationship and a family. He acts using his wealth as an apology and proof of capability. He is aware of his struggle to understand Fiona, so he tries to prove himself to be someone she would be able to trust.

It didn't take long for him to realize that she did not want his money, his cash, or his "heroic" acts. She wanted someone to help with the kids, help support her, someone to understand her struggle, not try to save her from it.

But Jimmy wasn't someone who was able to linger around—similar to Monica. While she left due to the need for excitement or the fear of Frank, Jimmy would leave due to his occupation, blackmail, threats, or the fear of commitment.

He lacked the ability to stay—and, similar to Frank—she lacked the ability to leave.

Within that parallel, there is also the similarity that neither of them were ever able to replace the other. Fiona used people like Tony Markovich (Season 1, Episode 3, "Aunt Ginger") and Gus Pfender (Season 5, Episode 3, "The Two Lisas") like how Frank used people such as Sheila Jackson (Season 1, Episode 2, "Frank the Plank"), Bianca Samson (Season 5, Episode 8, "Uncle Carl"), and Dottie Corones (Season 2, Episode 2, "Summer Loving") as surrogates for Monica's absence, yet every time she was reintroduced, repetitive patterns followed.

Fiona even explicitly claimed she felt that there wasn't an official end between her and Jimmy (Season 5, Episode 7, "Tell Me You Fucking Need Me," 11:16-11:37): "We were... unfinished." "Is it still unfinished?" To that, she could give no reply.

He understood that his absence did not fully rid the love she felt for him, so he showed less hesitation in leaving, with the belief that there wouldn't be an extremely negative impact: "Do you still love me?" "No." "Liar." (Season 5, Episode 6, "Crazy Love," 15:55-16:01)

Fiona looked for someone who would be able to match Jimmy's risk while still being able to love and take care of her. She dated people like Mike Pratt (Season 3, Episode 9, "Frank the Plumber"), someone who managed to provide the support that she needed and would be able to watch over her family. But he lacked any sense of danger, leaving her feeling unentertained and bored. So she got with Robbie in response (Season 4, Episode 3, "Like Father, Like Daughter"), someone who held that same excitement, but to an amount that was harmful and dangerous.

"You ever wonder what would've happened if you ran off with Jimmy-Steve?" "Lying sociopath Jimmy-Steve? My life would be a non-stop psycho thriller, and I definitely dodged a bullet with that one." "What if nothing ever gives you that same thrill again? Will you still feel like you dodged a bullet?" "I don't know... probably?"

Fiona fought for this balance in stability and risk, yet wasn't able to process that she was still just looking for Jimmy.

In their relationship, they lacked the understanding of struggle. Jimmy was placed in consistent situations of blackmail and manipulation with plots such as him being forced into marrying Estefania (Season 2, Episode 6, "Can I Have a Mother") and him cutting up the body of his fiancée's ex-lover (24:40-25:08, Season 3, "El Gran Cañon"). Due to the legal implications of these actions, it was not something he was able to complain about. So when less extreme things, such as him finding out his father is gay (Season 2, Episode 12, "Fiona Interrupted"), happened, he tended to cling to and complain more because he was able to without putting himself or others at risk.

But Fiona knew that he couldn't understand poverty. With him growing up surrounded by money and fortune, she viewed his acts of service as pity. Jimmy could not understand what it's like having to drag in your father every morning or having to choose which bills to pay. She resented him for leaving like her mother did and for not appreciating how much work she put into her house and family.

Season 1, Episode 2, "Frank the Plank" (52:18-53:45) (He buys Fiona a van.) Season 1, Episode 3, "Aunt Ginger" (5:38-15:51) (Tries to pay the bills.) Season 1, Episode 4, "Casey Casden" (08:26-08:43) (Offers to pay for a baby sister.) Season 1, Episode 7, "Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father" (02:48-03:02) (Gets Fi a hotel.) —all things Jimmy gifted Fiona that she declined—

(Season 3, Episode 11, "Order Room Service," 19:35-20:21) "Right, I got sucked into your world. I bent to your rules. I assumed that we'd decide how to move forward together like couples do, but there never was a 'we.' What have I been doing? Cooking, cleaning, laundry, living in a goddamn slum!" Jimmy wasn't able to stay in a place like Fi's. He dreamed of being able to be her escape, to show her the world, and take her out of a life of poverty, yet that house was her universe, her purpose.

In that moment—even if vaguely—her sympathy for him dropped.

Alone, I believe Jimmy was ignorant. He blinded himself with the idea of saving her when she didn't need to be saved.

I do believe he loved Fiona, but class and wealth managed to become a separation between them.

He was manipulative and a liar. That's not to say Fiona was much better. I do think the two of them were meant for each other in some way. Jimmy just wasn't able to take that step to get there.

"I'm ready to give up everything for you." "Why are you doing this?" "Because we were right together, Fiona. We are right together." "You said this was the biggest job you've ever had." "I don't care about any of that. I want us to have a life. Just tell me you want the same thing." "...You have to let me go. You have to let me let you go. I need you to do that for me." (Season 5, Episode 7, "Tell Me You Fucking Need Me," 45:17-46:55)

And it wasn't true, because in what world would he really cancel that job?

Overall, I respect his character. I liked how I could never tell if I hated him or missed him, but to summarize him as well as I can "Jack is a good thief, Fiona, but a bad person." (Season 5, Episode 7, "Tell Me You Fucking Need Me," 48:23-48:59)

(damage to ian alone was: introduced ian to underage sex work, encouraged ian to not take his meds and break up with the love of his life, leaving him suicidal and alone and lost, tried to isolate him from the rest of the family, encouraged him to sleep with older men when he was a child, etc (i could go on))

HIII OMG IM SO SORRY I NEVER RESPONED I DIDNT SEE IT IN MY INBOX IM STILL VERY NEW TO TUMBLR LOL

I'm assuming this was a response to a post I made a while ago where I was wondering what it would've been like if Monica stayed and Frank left

For starters, I would like to state that in NO WAY do I think Monica would have been a good mother. I'm also aware that the concept of her staying goes against the depth of her character entirely, as she is meant to represent instability and false hope. During that post, I was just thinking about how that difference would've affected the Gallaghers.

In truth, I do not believe Monica was ever meant to be a mother. There are aspects of her actions that create uncertainty. For example, I don't think she wanted to have children in the first place due to a line Frank says while talking to Debbie (Season 6, Episode 3, "The F Word," 10:01–10:29): "I had to handcuff Monica to a bed when she was pregnant with Carl. I kept her loaded for months until he was too big to abort."

That's not to say I don't think she cared about her children—she was just horrible at showing it. When Ian came to her for help, she viewed him more as a friend than a son. Hence why she took him to clubs, tried to set him up with guys, and praised the idea of buying drugs under the counter rather than taking him to a doctor, helping him find honest work, contacting his family, or fulfilling the responsibilities a parent would have in that situation.

But Monica isn't meant to be that type of character. In Season 2, Episode 9, "Hurricane Monica," she is portrayed as a false sense of security—a broken lock that's supposed to keep a door closed. She's someone her children mistake for stability. Both Ian and Fiona fall victim to this because they believe she can be a source of support.

Similar to Frank, Monica struggles with addiction, money, housing, and sobriety. However, the two parents are in no way the same. Frank is portrayed as more possessive, intelligent, and manipulative, while Monica is shown to be more indecisive, mentally unwell, sympathetic (arguably), impulsive, and unstable.

I'm very interested in what the outcome for the Gallagher children would have been if she had been their primary caretaker due to how she interacted with characters like Ian, Fiona, and even Debbie. I'm curious about what traits they might have picked up, what they would've learned, how they would've coped with her behavior, and how they would have cleaned up after her, etc.

Specifically with Ian, as the two of them managed to have a relationship unlike the ones she had with any of the other siblings, as they shared a sense of sorrow for one another—knowing they were the only two who could truly understand due to their biological relationship, struggles with mental illness, and, to an extent, Ian's sexuality.

Again, I do NOT think she would have been a good mother. I think she would've been just as poor a parent as Frank. It's simply something I enjoy thinking about because of the unique effect her character has on the people around her.

AHHH. YOU BET!! minor spoliers? (for the people like me who watch shows years after they ended)

I could talk for actual hours over this show, it a little difficult without anything specific thing so i lowk just spun the wheel of names to see what character it landed on and we got Debbieeee

Debbie is a bit of a difficult character to write about due to the person she grew into, but that alone is why I'm honestly really excited to talk about her as a character cuz I think she is a GREAT example of her circumstances.

When we are first introduced to the Gallaghers, each sibling is kinda given a stereotypical role. Fiona, being the eldest, has her as the caretaker (the Mother, the Matriarch). Lip's knowledge has him as the smart one (the Golden Goose, the Sage). Ian's sexuality has him as the Outlier (the Black Sheep, the Outcast), and Carl's unpredictability has him as a comic relief (wild card, jester). (I could do an entire section for Liam, but he wasn't really a character until the later seasons.)

All of these traits are shown for each sibling from the very first episode and even follow most of them throughout the rest of the seasons.

Fi continues to watch out for her family (until S9 E14).

Lip is still considered smart even after his college arc.

Ian's sexuality still separates him from people (Shim).

Carl still remains unpredictable and random. (I do think his character showed a lot of change throughout the seasons, but this one ain't about him lol.)

But Debbie?

When we first meet Debbie, she is quite literally described as a pure angel (S1 E1 "Pilot" 01:12-01:30): "Ah, Debbie, sent by God. Total angel." Her character is introduced as what I would consider hope. She is shown as selfless, kind, caring—the Innocent

The first episode of Shameless goes into the depth of how Frank manages to be a horrible father, how he teaches through neglect and abandonment, leaving Fiona with the burden and responsibility of watching after her siblings. The show makes it evident that Lip, Ian, and Fi all hold resentment towards their father for his instability, for how he excuses his lack of teaching by the existence of it. With the audience aware that Debbie's age would make her the next to come to this realization, the viewer almost holds their breath at her kind actions toward Frank. Her blindness to the situation.

Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot," 36:23-36:49—Debbie putting a pillow under Frank's head as he's passed out drunk.

Her character back when she still viewed him as what he was meant to be: a father. Not as the addict or druggie her siblings saw him as.

Debbie's character is meant to be something that the viewer can almost cling onto. Similar to watching a young animal be hunted by a predator. You know what its future will be, but because of its youth and innocence, you begin to hope for another outcome—one where that animal is able to get away.

"The American Dream," S3 E2, 38:55-39:47. Frank tries to break back into the house as Lip, Ian, Fiona, and even Carl try to keep him out. He runs up the stairs into Debbie's room as the rest of the siblings try to drag him out of the bed before he eventually runs into her school project, ruining it.

This part alone is the breaking point for Debbie—the start of the change for her character throughout the rest of the show. We are quite literally able to watch the difference, as during the start of the scene we hear her defend her father: "Lip, don't." "Stop it, guys! Stop!" "He didn't even do anything..." Up to this point, the only thing she ever fought for in this family was peace. She couldn't understand why her siblings weren't able to forgive Frank because she still viewed him as her dad, but once he broke her project she began to understand the perspective everyone else was looking from.

Frank breaking the little wood house became the first changing factor, as Debbie's response was far from passive, far from peaceful, and far from pure. Her beating her father with a bag of soap was her "growth" from adolescence. This was her form of defense, a form of violence. It was a survival realization. She became aware that Frank would not be able to help her the way she helped him. "How could you do this to me?"

And this trait followed her character. She quickly started to understand that to live on the South Side she would have to defend herself and began to act on more violent concepts. S3 E5, "The Sins of My Caretaker," 54:30-55:16: "Oh my God! I totally almost drowned a slut! She was kicking and scratching, but I held my breath and hung on until she passed out..." Compared to the girl who placed a pillow under her father's head and raised money for UNICEF year-round, her actions began to differ.

And as the season continued, she loses this innocence we remembered her having because she realizes that promises can't get you far when everyone has their fingers crossed, glitter only keeps you safe if it's in someone's eyes, and that Frank Gallagher isn't the type of father to show up to the daddy-daughter dance.

So she chases after the rest of her family.

But Lip, Ian, and Fiona still see her as the little girl she is. They still view her as someone who needs to be protected from the wrongs of the world, from addiction and poverty, but she understands what this is now and wants to make herself useful.

So Debbie tries to grow up, and she tries to grow up fast.

In the very first scene of Season 4, we see her mimic the actions of Fiona, from the way she acts to the way she dresses. She starts to hang out with more promiscuous characters like Holly and uses more aggressive/hostile language. She is shown having more conversations with Mandy—a character who, from the first time we meet her, is associated with sex and violence. She does all of these things in hopes of showing her siblings that she's no longer the defenseless animal caught in a fence.

With time, she begins to realize that her attempts to show her age weren't working how she wanted, so she felt this need to make her actions more extreme by following after an idea that only teenagers and adults do: sex.

But why stop there!? Debbie doesn't just want to be included; she wants to be trusted. She wants her family to know they are able to rely on her. She wants them to tell her what's happening and believe that she will be able to assist with the problem and fix it.

So Debbie asks herself, what type of person is someone who's always there? Fiona's always there, but what kind of person is she? She's almost like a mother.

Debbie then becomes obsessed with this idea that her getting pregnant and giving birth will make her worthy enough to be trusted, and it's not like she isn't good with kids because, down in her heart, she still is that kind little girl who would put a pillow under her father's head. She's still the kid who was said to be a gift from God. She's still innocence, even if she's no longer seen that way.

But at the end of all of this, I can't help but wonder: why is she the most disliked Gallagher? Why is she one of the most hated characters in the show? How come so many people would rather curse out her name over Frank's? Because she is a victim of her circumstances. She is a victim of nothing other than her own actions. The audience wished for her to become something other than the prey being hunted, unaware that the "other" was the animal hunting. She became the things we liked her for not being. We met Frank knowing he was dirt; we met her thinking she was hope

but ive finally decided think my #1 favorite gallavich moment is their "suck it harder" fight & then kiss 🩷 i had goosebumps the first time i saw it, the music, their constant push & pull, the violenceeee & how raw ian feels plus how vulnerable mickeys willing to be. just obsessed i eat it up every single time i see it. my answer will probs change soon but thats what im going w rn

now what is yours!!!!!?? alsooo are you more drawn to ian or mickey? and do u have favorite headcanons abt them? 👀

thank u sm for the ask im sorry again!!!!!

OMGG HIII!!! IVE LIKE NEVER BEEN GIVEN AN ASK B4 THIS IS SO EXCITING!!

Mickey is by far my favorite character in Shameless, so I'm definitely more drawn to him. I love his complexity as a character. Comparing his personality from Seasons 1–3 to Seasons 4–5 is such a huge jump in growth, and it really shows the depth of his character.

But that's not to say I dislike Ian. I think, realistically, I probably relate to him the most out of all the Gallaghers, with my older brother even reminding me a considerable amount of Lip.

My favorite Gallavich scene is pretty basic, but I've watched it so many times that I literally can't not mention it.

Season 3, Episode 11: "Order Room Service" (31:38–32:23), (37:38–39:26), and even (47:35–48:07), when Mickey and Svetlana get married.

For starters, it's the first time we see Ian and Mickey kiss outside of the van scene (Season 3, Episode 5, 50:01–50:11, "The Sins of My Caretaker"), which I always thought was interesting because I felt like that would've happened during the sleepover in Season 3, Episode 6. But during the sleepover itself, we actually get little to no content with them together.

The first time we ever actually see them make out happens right after Ian says, "If you give half a shit about me... don't do this." Mickey then leans in and kisses him. He knows he has to marry Svetlana and that he can't stop it, so he was trying to show that he does give a shit, even if he can't say it or do anything to prevent what's happening.

And then there's the aftermath. Ian thought the kiss meant Mickey was going to end the wedding and call it off.

"You gonna tell everyone to leave?"

He thought the kiss meant Mickey was finally giving up this battle for his father's approval. But it wasn't.

And, of course, there's the line: "Not everyone gets to just blurt out how they fuckin' feel every minute."

Which is SO MUCH coming from Mickey. Up to this point, he's never actually said anything about how he feels. He's always shown it through his actions—giving Ian the gun, punching Ned, the van kiss, the sleepover. This was the first time he ever verbalized anything about his feelings, and what he said was that he couldn't.

And the actual wedding. My God. It's such a short scene, but I could dedicate paragraphs to it.

The fact that Ian stays, knowing that nothing will change. The fact that they show Terry sitting there in the audience as a reminder of everything that happened. And, of course, last but not least, fucking Svetlana.

She looked SO happy walking down the aisle. It genuinely hurts me.

At this point, the only thing we know about her character is that she's a prostitute who's pregnant. The first time we ever see her outside of her job, she's smiling so brightly. It genuinely makes me sick because, while Mickey and Ian's lives were falling apart, she thought hers was finally coming together.

I also don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't mention this specific frame because I've practically assaulted all of my friends with it.

The way she holds his hand as the word "FUCK" is the only part visible, the way Mickey's hand is completely straight because he's not holding hers back, and the way Ian is out of focus in the background, walking away... it's SO well shot.

When I watched this scene for the first time, I thought Ian was leaving the wedding, and I was genuinely shocked when I realized he wasn't. Because who would stay to watch the person they love get married to someone else?

But he doesn't leave.

And I think it's because, for some reason, he believed that maybe the wedding would get cancelled. It shows just how much he was willing to put himself through—to sit there and watch everything fall apart.

You could even argue that it's a parallel to Terry forcing Ian to stay and watch as punishment for even trying to be with Mickey back in Season 3, Episode 6.

And then, at the end of the episode, Lip and Mandy break up. Ian goes up to his brother and says: "You try sitting on your ass while the person you love—... No. I'm sorry. I mean the guy you've been fucking..."

It genuinely HURTS because, in that scene, we literally watch Ian change what he was about to say. We watch him finally give up on the idea that he and Mickey could ever be anything more than fuck buddies.

This isn't as related, but I also found it interesting that they ended Mandy and Lip's relationship in the same episode.

I also noticed that, when Ian is complaining about Mickey getting married, he calls Svetlana a "Commie" on multiple occasions.

I found that kind of interesting because it's well known that Ian wants to go into the military (and even joins in the next episode). In the U.S., Russians are often portrayed as villains or antagonists in literature and media, so I wondered if this was Ian doing that very thing—viewing Svetlana as the cause of everything that was happening.

But overall, Season 3, Episode 11 has my favorite Gallavich scenes.

God, watching that for the first time had me CLAWING at my TV