#frank gallagher

[a-bluejay888]

Frank Gallagher and Count Olaf would get on like a house on fire

Bad choice of words? 😬

[finnickodaair]

SHAMELESS (US) 2.01 — Summertime

[tatelangdonsweater]

Kid Debbie makes me kinda sad 😢 in the beginning, she was one of the only siblings who cared about Frank, until he inevitably showed her who he really was.

And it made me think about how the older Gallagher kids probably also loved their parents when they were little kids until they realized how badly they’d been failed

[sel4sunset]

F🖤cked up but in a Shameless way

[thattiredwritersstuff]

I need Fr*nk to be sliced out

[oathkeptroxas]

i think many many fans watching shameless keep needing to be reminded that ian and mickey came from very different homes. it’s not fair to judge them the same. to even expect the same things from them. for them to even behave the same. ian doesn’t understand the extent of what mickey went through as even to ian, who knows what abusive fathers are like, cannot fathom the cruelty of terry milkovich (s11 + HOS ian pissed me off when he said frank was worse as ian of s1-s10 wouldn’t have said that)

like ian’s was poor but he had so much love in his childhood because of fiona, lip and his siblings. frank abused ian but ian’s life didn’t revolve about that abuse, he could tell frank to fuck off and knew he would life to see another day. frank didn’t rape his daughters. frank didn’t try to kill ian twice for being gay and loving mickey, and put him through correction rape. ian feels so much about monica and her abandonment, and faces trauma through the bipolar of it all but despite her faults, monica does love ian. ian has known what it is to be loved his whole life and how to love others. his home is warm, safe and a comfort. he likes being there. he knows what it feels to be cherished and cared for by a mother (fiona and monica)

mickey on the other hand, comes from the milkovich house of horrors. where it wasn’t just about bills and food, it was about survival. it’s the type of home you watch about in true crime docs. mandy iggy and mandy have their own version of familial love between them (as much as they can living with terry’s particular breed of parenting), but they dont know love really is or what it’s like to be cherished. mandy and mickey think they won’t make it to adulthood. and that thought is devastating in itself. they take their doomed lack of future lying down, as if they aren’t worth anything else

i think fiona’s “i know” vs terry’s “im going to fucking kill you” encapsulates the difference in their childhood home environments quite well

absolutely!! i also think its a matter of control

like, ian gets to a point where he is entirely apathetic towards frank. and frank doesn't actually have much power within the household because fiona runs the house, and frank doesn't care enough to challenge that because it actually serves him. as long as frank gets his money to buy his booze, he could care less about what the kids do. and yes, neglect is a form of abuse, but it's abuse without control a lot of the time.

and there are many occasions where frank does attempt to control the kids temporarily, by manipulating them to participate in various schemes. but it's always situational and with the interest in him getting something out of it. and eventually the kids get to a point where they just tell him to fuck off. and ian i think is the first of them to reach that point.

whereas terry's abuse was physical, mental, sexual, and always about control. he ruled by fear. he expected his children to work for him and live a particular way, and their lives were at risk if they defied him. there is nothing that terry wouldn't do to maintain that hierarchy.

and even when mickey is grown and is able to see his father for the monster he is, there's still so much conditioning that he would have to try and undo. there's still so many ingrained habits and beliefs that terry instilled in him, which is why mickey makes passive homophobic and racist comments. he's desensitized to a lot of it and perhaps doesn't even understand the weight of it because it was just so normalized in his house and a part of how he was raised.

it's not just a case of internalized homophobia, but a case of what he was taught and raised to believe. it was a mindset that he didn't even know he could challenge. i think that both mickey and mandy thought that 'it's just the way things are' because they'd never been shown any different, and they were too afraid or conditioned to try and think independently. and it's not until they see how the gallaghers live that things start to change for them.

because, yeah, the gallaghers are also poor, and have shitty parents, and are from the same neighbourhood with limited resources or opportunities, but they each have their own strengths that they nurture and encourage in each other. they each have their own goals and interests and personalities, and can challenge each other and comfort each other and communicate.

fiona was the one the gallaghers looked to for guidance, allowing frank to be someone they learned very quickly to ignore. terry ruled with an iron fist, and controlled every aspect of how his children lived and what they were allowed to think. terry is calculated and malicious in a way that frank is not. frank is just selfish, and doesn't care as long as he gets what he wants, and a lot of the time what frank wants is to be left alone to drink. frank doesn't really concern himself with how others live their lives, despite his various drunken and semi-political ramblings. terry is selfish and evil, and cruel, and bigoted and filled with hate.

frank finds out ian is gay and basically goes on a drunken ramble about not paying for sex. terry finds out mickey is gay and he tries to convert and then murder him.

[oathkeptroxas]

yk what other misogynistic double standards piss me the fuck off about shameless - frank is shown to be hated less than monica by her children. the male writers demonise monica (a mentally ill woman) more than they do frank (an alcoholic abusive piece of shit). monica left, and it was devastating for the kids, and she is a shitty mother but frank stayed and fucked them up so much more than she ever did (aside from her negative influences on ian - which is a different topic entirely). she at least tried to show them love whilst frank did not give a fuck about the kids. like i look at lip laughing at monica’s funeral but he has tears in his eyes when he realises frank remembers their treasure hunt. i have actually seen fans saying “monica ruined frank” - are we dead ass? let’s stop blaming women for men’s shitty behaviour. monica isn’t the misogynistic trope of lady macbeth. monica and frank were not good influences on each other but monica actively left frank to get away from his toxic behaviour and he didn’t want her to be medicated. if anything he helped ruined her! he also clearly has a habit of forcing himself on her sexually (when drugged and in her low episodes (we see her say no in s2)) so how consensual actually where her multiple pregnancies????? also he “whores” her out to get money from clayton when she is also in a low episode. then frank (like pedo kash) acts like he is the victim of monica.

(also just to add one here - ian (because he is a man) is given so much more “forgiveness” for his behaviour whilst mentally unwell even though he does some pretty awful things and treats others quite badly at times because of it - but monica is never given that same level of sympathy or forgiveness for her bipolar. i know monica is at times much worse than ian and i know ian turns his life around but he has others to help him, monica didn’t. monica didn’t have a fiona or a mickey)

I 100% agree. And I am in no way excusing anything that Monica did, but you'd have to be willfully ignorant to not see a disparity in the way she is viewed versus Frank. And I've gone into some detail regarding my thoughts on the Frank and Monica dynamic here.

We see from her father's perspective after her death that he believes Frank was the one who did the 'destroying' not the other way around. And there are multiple occasions during their interactions when it becomes clear that Frank seems to have a vested interesting in keeping Monica unstable, despite her on multiple occasions seeming willing to make changes.

And though I do believe there is some misogyny in how that plays out, I don't believe it was a conscious thing. And my primary reason for that belief is that Frank is our (unreliable) narrator. We see a lot from Frank's perspective. A lot of Frank's shenanigans are played for comedy. He had an entertainment factor that had the potential to endear him to audience members. He also has a habit of only 'caring' about people as long as he can get something from them, and plays the victim after the fact. And as Frank demonizes Monica, or uses her as a scapegoat, so does the narrative. And that also impacts the way the kids view her I think (except Ian, who is completely apathetic towards Frank and his opinions)

And I'm so glad you mentioned Lip! Because I think him having the harshest opinion of Monica and the least scenes where he is 'bonding' with her, and Ian having the worst relationship with Frank, is just another (although far subtler) way in which Lip narratively parallels Frank, whilst Ian parallels Monica.

This also comes out regarding Lip's relationships, and how he treats girlfriends poorly and seems to believe they owe him something while he takes no accountability. Like how he told Karen that he was with Mandy because "she's good for me", and told Sierra "you're good for me", while not being good to them in return.

I've gone into my thoughts regarding Lip, and how his thoughts and actions are often misogynistic here and here.

[root33]

How do you feel about Karen? I see SUCH complex feelings on her and you seem based so I’d love to hear!

AHHHHHH OH MY GOSH HIII UR LIKE MY FAVORITE MUTE!! TYSM FOR THE ASK!!!

Karen is actually a really fun character to write about because of how controversial she is with the audience and viewers. I wanted to make sure I was not being biased in any way, so I rewatched all of her scenes to get a good understanding down.

It's important to keep in mind that all of the characters in Shameless are intentionally written to be complex and morally gray. We are never introduced to someone who manages to be perfectly good or even perfectly evil (some still coming close). The show gives everyone backstories, trauma, mental illnesses, life problems, etc. They do this to EXPLAIN the character—not defend them.

I also find it relevant to mention that Karen was not one of the show's primary protagonists like Fiona or Lip. The writers are not trying to make the audience have as much sympathy for her when it comes to her actions and choices.

From the start of the show, it is evident that her living situation does not follow the basic structure of a stereotypical family. While she has a father who goes to work as her mother stays home, her dad shows no expressed romantic attraction or sympathy for her mother. He shows a vague obsession with religious themes and the concept of purity. He lacks understanding and availability. But even that is far from abnormal. The cause of the separation lies in the fact that her mother is unable to leave her house.

Karen is often shown as a promiscuous and compulsive young girl, but it's often overlooked how, in the early seasons, she acted almost softly when it came to her mother. (Season 1, Episode 3, "Aunt Ginger," 13:17) "I've got you, Mom. I'm right here." She is able to demonstrate the familiarity of the situation. She knows to grab the pills, to speak quietly, and how to help calm her down. Karen is able to understand that her mom is sick and is used to being the one to deal with it—something her father never tried to do.

She is often presented by fans as being rude, harsh, and selfish, but these traits almost always follow interactions with male figures such as Eddie, Lip, Frank, Jody (I hated Jody), and even Mandy, since she was preventing her relationship with Lip. We don't actually see her act closely with many female characters outside of her mother, but for most of the show, she almost directs a sense of purity toward her. Because, unlike the men, her mom never belittled her for her actions and never thought one way or the other about how she presented her body.

Karen's father was not someone she was able to trust—in terms of support and understanding. He is often shown ridiculing and belittling both her and her mother for their actions and choices. Eddie was quick to give up on her, as he wasn't someone who was able to stay when placed around two people he deemed "impure." He viewed himself as someone with control (Season 1 Episode 1 pilot) "Hey! You honor thy father." Eddie wanted a close relationship with his daughter but prized the idea of being respectable over it. He spoke openly about how he found Karen's and Sheila's actions disgusting and sinful with the intention to "save them," yet it only allowed Karen to feel misunderstood and separated from her father.

Due to Eddie's mental and physical absence in the Jackson family, Karen was forced to watch after her own mom, almost making her the one acting like the parent—

—the adult.

Karen falls victim to parentification, something that often occurs when families lack subsystems, causing children to develop a lack of boundaries, an earlier sense of self, and "may hinder their emotional and cognitive age-appropriate development and restrict their capacity for play and socialization" (Byng-Hall, 2008).

https://www.sciencedirect.com (RESOURCES!)

With her father unavailable and her mother physically ill, she was only able to present her accomplishments to herself, leaving her almost blind to her own opportunity.

Something that I think is very overlooked in her character is that Karen is actually incredibly smart. (Season 1, Episode 6, "Killer Carl," 37:10) "She's prompt, poised, cheerful, has a vivid imagination, and an expansive vocabulary. Karen has greatness in her future." I don't believe that she was bound to live the "South Side life" that she's portrayed to have. She simply didn't have the things that would've allowed her to escape that destiny—someone else to know it too.

Karen was able to see herself as something other than the "easy lay." She knew she was capable and talented, but it was something no one else saw, making her a stereotype—a "dumb blonde" with daddy issues and a high sex drive, leaving her desperate for someone else to understand her actual ability.

Once Frank entered her house, he showed himself as dirty and crude, often exhibiting lewd and sexual acts toward her mother—a trait her father never did, a trait her father often resented. Aware that her mother's boyfriend held almost no similarities to Eddie, she began to replace his presence with Frank with the intention of showing she no longer viewed her dad as her dad.

Frank also ends up supporting this concept unintentionally by sarcastically acting in place of a stereotypical father. (Season 1, Episode 3, "Aunt Ginger," 05:36) "What are your intentions?" "Excuse me?" "With Karen. Your intentions." While it is obvious that he does none of these actions under the belief that he views her as his daughter, Karen allows herself to hope somebody is able to see the part of her no parent has ever been able to see. (S1E6, "Killer Carl") "I really, really want you to come to parents' night tonight. Nobody's ever there to see how great I'm doing, and I'm really, really doing great.”

Not long after she started to replace her father with Frank, Eddie came back with a solution to make her "pure again." Aware there was still a lack of understanding between the two, he offered her his car. We (the audience) are meant to believe Karen has no care directed toward the ball and only shows excitement due to the bribery—and while I do believe this is mostly true—she was once again hopeful about the idea of being able to open up to her father. (S1E11, "Daddy's Girl," 36:23) "He humiliated me! He made me think he loved me!"

She allowed herself to demonstrate the actions of a child: crying, screaming, and throwing things,

begging for her dad one last time.

Of course, at the realization that she would never be seen as pure, she began to mold herself out of that body by cutting her hair, dyeing it black, and getting a piercing, all in the hopes of changing the way she was perceived. But it didn't take long for her to understand it wasn't just her father—it was men. Whether it was Ron, Timmy, Lip, or even Mickey (ironic, yes I know), they all thought the same thing of her. "Not to be a dick or anything, but you have been kinda a whore." (S1E11, "Daddyz Girl")

Aware no one would ever see her as the smart girl who looked after her mother, she labeled herself as what they claimed her to be.

Season 1 episode 11 Daddyz Girl 27:02

Clowns come up a lot in the Jackson household, whether it's Eddie putting them all in a box, Karen throwing them out the window, locking herself in a room of them, or them sitting on the table during her wedding day. They manage to stand out from the rest of the decorations within their home, being colorful and bright. While historically they are represented as a common fear or a nightmare, they actually represent exactly what they are intended to.

A joke.

The house of the ill lady who does not care about her daughter's promiscuous actions (a joke). A mother who offers the underage guests alcohol (a joke). A teenager who's upset her dad won't let her have sex (a joke). A kid who gets angry and hides in the basement (a joke). And the sex-addicted girl getting married to a guy she's never had sex with.

A joke.

Of course, it also represents the view of her father, as they belonged to him. While she revoked his name, her waiting until marriage with a man never seemed like her own footsteps.

Her want to be married to Jody was looked down upon and laughed at by both the audience and the characters. Her idea to "move on" was belittled by Lip and Mandy as they talked about easy ways to end the relationship.

All of her actions of purity were "clowned.". Even by the writers.

Her ending up with Jody broke down her character into something so complex and something so interesting. At her first introduction, she was meant to be perceived as a sexual, promiscuous young girl who sought mindless intercourse, yet she became oppressed by the idea of relations with her husband.

And she continues to be misunderstood by men. Despite her continuous claims of disliking sex with him, he remembers it as something she loved.

I want to make it clear that none of this is DEFENDING Karen Jackson's actions. It's simply me trying to put reason behind them. While she experienced unfair situations throughout her life, it does not excuse the wrong/immoral things she did. She often took no responsibility for the problems she caused and belittled people like Lip and her mother for their attachment to her.

Like every other character in Shameless, she's complex.

AGAIN THANK YOU SO SO SO SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THE ASK<3 IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO POST! LOVE UR BLOG BTW