‘Shameless’ Went Downhill Way Before Fiona Left Due to Just One Weird Plotline
Nobody could save Shameless from lazy writing before Emmy Rossum even packed her bags. Here’s what we think.
When a series runs for multiple seasons, quality often takes a nosedive, and unfortunately Shameless was no exception. Emmy Rossum's exit as Fiona Gallagher was definitely a blow, but we'd argue the show had been on life support long before she said goodbye to the South Side.
The breaking point: the romance between Carl Gallagher and his unhinged girlfriend Kassidi.
Carl and Kassidi's romance was hands-down one of the most pointless storylines in Shameless history. Their relationship was unnecessary, drawn out and mind-numbingly boring.
It's an arc that contributed basically nothing to the show overall. And we have 3 major reasons why.
Reason 1: Carl and Kassidi's Relationship Was Toxic and Repetitive
Watching Kassidi's obsessive, controlling behavior on repeat got old fast. The whole “crazy girlfriend” thing felt like a tired trope that Shameless was better than. We've seen toxic relationships done way better on this show before.
Reason 2: There Was Zero Character Growth
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Their relationship was a total waste of screen time. Kassidi was little more of a caricature than a real person with no real depth behind her. Most of the time we were dealing with Carl, who's stuck dealing with Kassidi's drama.
Reason 3: The Resolution Was Extremely Lazy
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After all the drama, what did we get? A throwaway line suggesting Kassidi was murdered at military school. Seriously? That's how they decided to wrap things up?
It was the definition of lazy writing: introducing a character, making them a huge part of the story, then discarding them without any real payoff.
And Carl didn’t even seem to care that his wife was dead. This kind of storytelling was the first real sign that Shameless was running out of steam.
Fans Talk About Carl and Kassidi's Romance
But don't just take our word for it, fans are pissed about the arc as well.
“[It’s] probably both the funniest and darkest example of the love interest that the writers have no idea what to do with after their first season,” Redditor IndependenceRich8754 wrote.
“The girl from a rich family, addicted to social media, who suddenly went missing, and had no follow ups to the one person who everyone knew she was with. The ending to that saga is the easiest time to go ‘wtf happened to the [writers],’” Redditor ArnTheGreat said.
