In the raunchy comedy series Shameless, viewers follow the crazy lives of the Gallagher family and the people they interact with in their Chicago neighborhood. Throughout its 11 seasons, there were several characters that were outlandish and unforgettable. One fan favorite is Fiona Gallagher, the oldest of the Gallagher children.
She was protective of her siblings, eager to find love, and not afraid to fight anyone who crossed her. However, like everyone in this series, she had some major flaws. Some of these faults have led to fans on Reddit commenting on how Fiona was not necessarily the best, sometimes to great disagreement.
She Should’ve Been Played By A Different Actress
The majority of Shameless fans agree that Emmy Rossum was the perfect choice to portray Fiona. She brought a good mixture of toughness and vulnerability to the character. However, there is one Reddit user who thinks another actress could have given the same level of performance.
They suggest Piper Perabo, best known for her roles in Coyote Ugly and Covert Affairs, as the alternative Fiona. While unpopular, this opinion does follow the trend of fan-casting where viewers imagine different actors and actresses as their favorite characters.
She Missed Important Things In the Last 2 Seasons
Despite Fiona’s fitting departure in Season 9, many viewers were expecting at least one last appearance from her before the series ended. This thread captures their disappointment when that didn’t happen. It can be explained that she didn’t return for Frank’s dementia diagnosis and decline; none of the Gallagher children were close with their father.
However, many fans couldn’t understand how she missed Ian and Mickey’s wedding since she was essential in raising her siblings. For some, however, Fiona’s story was done and she didn’t need to return.
The Show Was Great Without Her
For the first 9 seasons, Shameless focused a great deal on Fiona and her struggles. When she left, there were many fans who were worried that the show would suffer in her absence. But there were others who felt the opposite.
Their opinion is that without Fiona claiming the center of attention, the story can focus on the other Gallaghers. The last seasons focused on Ian and Mickey’s relationship, Lip adjusting to fatherhood, and Liam becoming a more developed character.
She Should Have Stayed in Prison
In Season 4, Fiona was briefly sent to prison after getting caught with cocaine and consequently endangering Liam. While there was severe emotional fallout for her and the rest of Gallaghers in the wake of this, one Reddit user feels that this wasn’t enough.
They feel that a true punishment would have been for Fiona to stay in prison for at least one full season, developing her character in a new way and seeing how much life in the Gallagher household would have changed without her.
She Wasn’t The Best Guardian
When Fiona became the legal guardian of her siblings in Season 3, many fans celebrated. However, some found that Fiona wasn’t great in this position of authority.
She not only exposed Liam to drugs and went to jail, but she also wasn’t able to keep Debbie from getting pregnant while she was still a teenager. In later seasons, her motherly attitude soured and she started to demand that her brothers and sister pay for their living expenses or get kicked out of the house.
She Had The Worst Storylines
A lot of viewers felt that Fiona had interesting storylines that were worth watching. However, this particular Reddit user disagrees with that sentiment. Her jail storyline lacked the severe consequences that should have occurred in that situation.
She had constant romantic storylines that involved men who were less than ideal; she never spent a long time being single so she missed out on a chance to have some self-reflection. The storyline she had towards the end was Fiona becoming the worst version of herself.
She Deserved A Better Departure
Many fans felt that Fiona’s departure in Season 9 was perfect for her; she realized she needed to change her life and left Chicago in order to do that, leaving behind a chunk of change for her siblings. However, there were others who found this ending anticlimatic.
Fiona had been the stabilizing force of the Gallagher clan for years; it seemed unfeasible that she would leave without attending her goodbye party or any of her siblings putting up a fight for her to stay.
She Was Too Boy Focused
One constant about Fiona’s storyline is that she is in a relationship with a guy who has personal baggage. While many viewers found this to be a draw for her character, others found it to be one of her biggest flaws.
She constantly spent time more focused on her love life than her work and even jeopardized her job by getting into a relationship with her boss. None of these relationships ended well; it was a lesson Fiona never seemed to learn.
Lip Was The Better Sibling
When it comes to deciding who the best Gallagher is, there are many fans rooting for Fiona. However, there are also fans who prefer her brother Lip. While both siblings had points where they were consumed by their drinking, Lip only really hurt himself while Fiona hurt those around her.
He was smarter and was the only Gallagher who spent some time at college. Lip stepped up whenever Fiona failed, and the brother and sister had big fights about responsibilities that further divided viewers.
She Carried The Show
At its center, Shameless was an ensemble show. There were plenty of engrossing stories for each of the Gallaghers and the people in their Chicago neighborhood.
One big argument over the final seasons is that they were not as good due to Fiona’s absence. She was the obvious matriarch of the Gallagher household, therefore many view her as the heart and soul of the show. For fans who prefer Lip or the romance between Ian and Mickey, which are many, this is not a true statement.