Shameless Review: Cancelled (Season 11 Episode 8)

*This review contains spoilers. Be sure to watch the episode before you continue reading!

This one really packs the emotional punch.

Since it’s in its final season, fans know Shameless Season 11 Episode 8, “Cancelled” is going to hit us where it hurts with regards to Frank’s dementia. However, the unexpected death of a different character takes us all by utter surprise. 

Ever since Terry Milkovich got shot at the end of Shameless Season 11 Episode 5, “Slaughter,” we all knew it was only a matter of time before the patriarch of the Milkovich family died. However, the nature of his death is even more shocking than expected.

Many fans theorized that eventually, Mickey would be the one to put his father out of his misery. Some fans even just assumed his injuries would consume him and he’d die naturally. 

The truth is rarely what we expect and Shameless definitely pulls a fast one with us during “Cancelled.” It gives us the much-needed “confessional” between Mickey and Terry — which is more cathartic than anticipated. 

It’s emotional to watch Noel Fisher’s face as Mickey reacts to his father saying he’d be a decent son if only he wasn’t gay. No child wants to hear that from their parent, but Mickey gives the best response anyone could by saying he’d be a decent father if he wasn’t a racist, homophobic, abusive a**hole. 

Fisher is the king of silent stories dancing across his face while emotional moments play out. He did it during Shameless Season 11 Episode 6, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good…Eh, Screw It” when Mickey fights his inner demons to step up and be there for his own father when no one else will. 

The same can be said for Fisher during “Cancelled.” Throughout the entire episode, his face says more about his inner conflict than his words do as they go about their day. Then when Mickey and Ian discover the nun caretaker killed Terry, Fisher’s face breaks our hearts more than Terry’s death ever should. 

How Noel Fisher hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy yet is a true disgrace.

It’s Mickey’s pain that is causing us to even care about this character’s death. Terry Milkovich has been terrorizing Mickey his whole life, even more so as he stood up and became more out and proud about his sexuality. 

However, that aside, Terry is still the only parent Mickey has ever known and he was raised to be loyal to family above all else. While his husband doesn’t understand why Mickey cares for the guy, he is still there to support him through it all. 

This death is going to change Mickey’s course for the rest of the season, and by extension Ian’s. These two have always been there to support one another through the toughest of life moments and I am confident Terry’s death will be no different. 

The only thing that may create more conflict between them is that while Mickey will be grieving his father, Ian is going to be doing double-time helping Mickey while also coming to terms with Frank’s dementia diagnosis.

This diagnosis comes as a shock to the entire family and creates a moment where, once again, Shameless manages to drag sympathy out of us for a father who is not a good person. For the entire series, Frank has been a cockroach on the Gallagher family’s shoe and not much better for the fans. 

Now, we are coming face to face with genuine concern and heartache for his struggles. Frank may not be the best father figure but he’s always had a brilliant mind that makes all his soapboxes worth listening to. 

Watching him die from his alcoholism is one thing, but to watch him lose his mind because of it is beyond heartbreaking. William H. Macy is nailing it this season with how he manages both sides of Frank as he slowly loses his mind.

Macy’s performance is above and beyond anything ever seen before. He somehow manages to hold true to who Frank has always been while seamlessly slipping into moments where Frank has no idea who or where he is. It’s beautiful to watch play out.

Lip, who has always paralleled his life to that of his father’s, is probably going to start staring down the face of his own mortality. Liam and Franny who have the best relationship with the man are going to be forever altered by the death of someone they somewhat admire. 

It was hard enough on Ian losing Monica back in Season 7, but to now be losing Frank he’s going to really struggle. Hopefully, this won’t trigger another bipolar episode because he’s been doing so well managing his illness up to this point. 

When Monica died, Ian didn’t have Mickey to lean on and while it’s good that now he does have Mickey this goes back to what I said before. Mickey has his own grief that will be consuming him and will be hard-pressed to have the capacity to truly be there for anyone let alone Ian. This duel whammy of grief is going to be a true test of their marriage.

While Debbie has been a truly horrendous character this season we can’t discredit how much Frank’s death is going to mess her up. She’s still clearly struggling with her emotions about Monica and their relationship, losing Frank will make her spiral even more. 

I truly worry about the fate of Franny because even without Frank’s illness looming over her head, Debbie hasn’t been a very present parent to her daughter. Franny deserves better from her family and as a young child, she is going to really need those parental figures to lean on as she processes her first interaction with death. 

There is no doubt that by series end Frank will have passed on. Our main question is just how much will his subsequent illness alter the lives of everyone in the family?

It’s some of Shameless’ best writing and it’s deserving that it comes in the final season. 

Shameless Thoughts

• I don’t appreciate the Carl cop story anymore. The writers have now reached a point where they are making him be nothing more than a bumbling idiot who can be manipulated by his supervisors for their own corrupted gains. Carl is more than all that.
• Kev and V are MARRIED!!! It’s been a long time coming but it is so beautiful regardless. It’s even better V’s mom could be there for it.
• Liam winning the iPad for renaming his middle school is what he deserves. That kid deserves nice things — especially because he loves learning and this will help him achieve that.
• I can’t help thinking the Nun killing Terry harkens back to when Shiela killed that Nun. Full circle.
• Debbie is doing coke now? Cool. Way to make her even more irredeemable than before. 
• Another Gallagher porch break-up only this time the Milkovich being dumped is walking away better off. Sandy deserves so much more than the insanity that Debbie offers her.

What did you think of this episode of Shameless? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Shameless airs Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.

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