'Shameless' Season 11: Top 7 Gallavich moments so far from barfights to the most epic wedding on the show
It's not easy to tolerate 10 years of each other, especially when you're a Gallagher and a Milkovich from South Side, Chicago. Short temper, erratic behavior and snappy mood runs nigh in life as a hoodrat but trust Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Micky (Noel Fisher) to have made it for a decade and longer.
For someone already pretty clear about his sexuality even though closeted, Ian Gallagher never hesitated to go all the way for the love of his life and local petty criminal Micky Milkovich. Yet for all the tough as nails, strong guy facade Mickey put up, when Ian needed him — and really, really needed him — to watch him turn into a formal shirt-wearing domesticated partner was something that 'Shameless' fans can probably never really get over.
1. Barfight after Mickey comes out
Who could ever forget that time when Michey came out in front of his entire family, especially his grossly homophobic father, at his own son's baptism after-party in the Alibi. Our unbothered king got married to Svetlana, the Russian prostitute his father forced him to have sex with and subsequently knocked up to knock the "gay" out of him.
However, little did Terry Milkovich know the power of Gallavich. The wedding episode saw Ian, drunk as dirt crash the party and confront Mickey to tell his truth. Granted it wasn't right for Ian to pressure him, but Mickey takes the stage and comes out that he is totally gay.
Overcoming that fear of getting beaten to death is what makes Mickey's love for Ian so pure, and the raging barfight that follows too. Terry unleashes a barrage of fists and kicks on his son and Ian jumps to the rescue. Soon the entire pub is fighting, cops come in, but let Mickey and Ian go because well — the officer was gay too.
2. Ian getting institutionalized
When Ian first started showing symptoms of bipolar disorder in Season 5, his siblings knew the telltale signs from their close experience with their now-deceased mother. Mickey, however, was initially on Ian's side, refusing to let him get institutionalized. It wasn't until Ian ran away with his son and endangered both their lives that Mickey took the call, enough is enough.
After that, it is a story of love and support, as Mickey became Ian's primary caregiver. It's not easy to picture Mickey in that role, but he did what he had to for the love of his life. Mickey was the first one volunteer for taking care of Ian when his siblings wanted to institutionalize him and sure enough, Mickey lived up to that promise.
3. Prison reunion
After Ian helps Mickey cross the border in Season 7, we almost assume that this is it for the couple. Ian then goes on a bender, dating Trevor, familiarizing himself with the LGBTQ+ community and setting church vans on fire for practicing conversion therapy in secret. This gets Ian incarcerated, and when he finally walks into his prison cell, who would his bottom (not even sorry!) bunk cellmate would be, other than Mickey himself.
Mickey escaped the border after getting into trouble with the cartel and the cops and once arrested, he was put in the American prison system. So when Ian arrived, he had to reunite with his lover. Not to mention that was the conclusion for Monaghan's arc on the show so the prison reunion, although with questionable amounts of mayonnaise for lube, was simply adorable.
4. The wedding
Ain't no mention of the Gallavich life without mentioning their wedding in Season 10! When Monaghan returned to the show after his mid-season 9 exit, we knew the Gallavich couple must have something disproportionately crazy happening in their arc. And sure enough, they decided to get married purely out of a guarantee of spousal privilege in legal cases.
Knowing them, that's smarter than signing a prenup, so off they went with their crazy wedding plans where Mickey turned into a proper bridezilla and Terry simply burnt the venue to the ground out of homophobia. Their next best option for a venue was a Russian bar with yet another extremely homophobic owner. So Ian's sister Debbie dressed up in a wedding dress and pretended to be Mickey's bride.
She caused a last-minute disaster occupying the bar owner in the storage room and within those few minutes, Mickey and Ian walked down the aisle, proclaimed their vow, and said "I do" finally. It was clearly the best wedding in the history of 'Shameless' and mainstream TV.
5. Ian lets Mickey cross the border
Although not a happy ending, this Season 7 finale event deserves its own mention simply because of what an emblem of their love for each other this was. Mickey had to cross the border to Mexico and Ian was on the run with him. Right at the final moment, however, Ian stayed back.
And Mickey understood the two had separate lives, and were separate beings before they are together as one. It was one of those open-ended love stories where you let the other person go not because you fall out of love with them, but because there's potential for growth in a life lived separately, on their own. It was brutal, but also showed mutual respect for each other — something we will always hold dear.
6. Baseball field
During their initial phases of hooking up with each other, Ian and Mickey would often drink beer at the local baseball field before having sex. It was one of the first places where Mickey started showing his vulnerability or hints of developing feelings for Ian. After Ian got hope from the hospital and couldn't initiate intimacy, the duo went back to the baseball field and instead of sex, rained punches and kicks at each other.
It was a sign of their good old fashioned love — the only way they knew how to love each other best. It's not the most healthy, but for the first time in ages, Ian asked Mickey to not play house and excuse all of his new shortcomings because of the medication. Ian wanted the old Mickey back, and he sure did, full with beer and inevitable sex in the baseball field.
7. Begging each other to stay
A shortlist of best Gallavich moments would be incomplete without mentioning immediately after Ian decided to go his own way too. He packed his bags and enlisted in the army to be sent off for months at least. Mickey begged Ian not to stay, but he left anyway. Tit for Tat — perhaps why its on the best moments list because a couple that claps back together, stays together immediately after Ian decided to go his own way too.
'Shameless' Season 11 is currently under production and expected to arrive in December 2020.