Shameless Season 9: The decline and fall of Fiona Gallagher is a necessary tragedy for a show getting too happy for its own good

As we watched Fiona descend into the depths of an alcohol-washed circle of hell in episode 9, we got that warm fuzzy Gallagher feeling

The beauty of 'Shameless' is that no matter how optimistic you are about any given outcome, the writers will always find a way to take a sledgehammer to your pathetic little bubble. For a moment there was a sinking feeling that Fiona Gallagher was going to achieve what no Gallagher ever had: Peace of mind, money in the bank, and respect. Fat chance!

Fiona has been the rock of the Gallagher family, albeit one with more cracks than china in a shop that has just had a bull run through it, but a sturdy anchor nevertheless. Her run-ins with the law and other humans have mostly been born from an inherent frustration of a young, reluctant parent forced to devote the best years of their lives to ungrateful snot-noses, all the while being trampled upon by a parent whose skills are straight out of the 'Alcoholic's Guide to Screwing Up Your Child' playbook.

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