Entertainment

It's Hard To Love a Gallagher: The Many Beaus of 'Shameless'

It's a hard knock life if you're a Gallagher kid, but it's even more difficult if you try to form some semblance of a relationship with them. Like, you may be hit with a car, or get involved with a Brazilian drug ring, or possibly be robbed blind. In their defense, they weren't totally responsible for all that misfortune (though most of it).Throughout the four seasons we've gotten to know this dysfunctional lot, we've come across the forlorn significant others who have proved to be well, less than significant.

Images: Showtime

by Caitlyn Callegari

Jimmy/Steve

Jimmy/Steve will always hold a dear place in our hearts. Despite helping girlfriend Fiona raise her five younger siblings while bearing the brunt of her frustrations, he took his new found responsibilities in stride. Okay, so yeah, he lied about his name, his identity, and his marital and financial status, but Jimmy/Steve’s love and devotion for Fiona is almost enough to make up for all of that. Almost, because just when Jimmy/Steve had nearly been redeemed he went and got himself kidnapped by his drug lord father-in-law. Ugh, parents just don’t understand.

Tony

Lovable, upright, moral Tony. While his and Fiona’s affair (if we can call it that) was short lived, we can’t help but think he may have been the best person for her. He didn’t stand a chance in the backwards world of the Gallagher clan but even so, he makes sure to look out for Fiona from afar, whether it’s carrying her father out of a crack den or checking up on her siblings.

Mike

We like you, Mike. Yes you’re a little clingy and you look like you were birthed from a J Crew catalog, but you’re hot, stable, and you value things like honesty (which is good considering Fiona needs some help in that area). While we hope things work out for you and Fi, we think we may have already caught her eyeing your older brother. Sigh, it was nice knowing you.

Karen

Fiona isn’t alone in her romantic woes. Younger brother Lip just can’t seem to get over the blonde haired blue eyed monster that is Karen.This selfish, narcissistic mean girl not only got pregnant with another man’s baby and planned on selling it, but she’s strung Lip along, manipulating him whenever the opportunity arose since Season 1. We can’t say we were too upset when Mandy hit her with that car.

Mandy

Poor Mandy. Not only does she have neanderthals as brothers, she has been playing second fiddle to a certifiable psychopath for years. We can look past all of that murderous intent when she set up Karen and purposely hit her with her car because she really loves Lip. Girl even helped him apply to colleges (albeit by plagiarizing, whatevs) to get him out of the black hole that is South Side Chicago, because she knew he was destined for something better. Team Mandy all the way.

Mickey

The Gallaghers can’t stop won’t stop fornicating with the Milkovich’s. Mickey is the first boy that Ian has had true feelings for, although admittedly we have no idea why. He’s homophobic, brutish, rude, uncivilized, and dirty (so, so dirty), but somehow he finds in him something he didn’t with Kash. We think that Ian should just get over Mickey, because as broken people go, Mickey might just be irreparably damaged.

Lloyd

We won’t open up the can of worms and go into specifics on just how messed up this whole romance was, Oh who are we kidding yes we will. Aside from Ian being underage and Lloyd being ya know, married to a woman, he’s also Jimmy/Steve’s DAD. SO MUCH NO.

Sheila

The character of Sheila is perhaps the best part of Shameless– she brings with her drama, humor, apathy, and frustration bundled up into one perfect little agoraphobic package. Frank uses her in all of her naivety, but she also brings some maternal type care to the Gallagher kids, despite spawning a sociopath of her own. And yeah, she did kill a few people, but what’s that in the greater scheme of the Shameless realm, am I right? We heart Sheila.

18