State of the Gallaghers: Shameless after 9 seasons

Phillip ‘Lip’ Gallagher

Phillip Gallagher had the world begging for him to leave the Southside behind, so he could make good on his superior intelligence. The military wanted his skill set, universities wanted to help him develop beyond what most could imagine.

The biggest test between Lip and a better life was solving the problem within, not on the pages in front of him. Lip could not shake the downward spiral of alcohol, though he never had a sober mentor until joining Alcoholics Anonymous.

Lip has Frank’s wit and intellect, no doubt. Lip had the youth and potential that Frank drank away decades ago. Problem was, Lip could not handle too much freedom and success. When things were going to good, we went a urinated on a good job and university sorority supervisor.

Lip had to make ends meet just to get a shot at college on Shameless. Without Mandy sending in his college applications, Lip may have never set foot on campus.

Perhaps finding a way to be sober, and knowing what degree to pursue, would have been better first steps into a university lifestyle. Instead, Lip was thrown into the deep end and fell back on tried and true methods of survival and fun. Lip spent college hustling rich kids and chasing skirt.

He even had a great woman with plenty of money and understanding by his side, but Lip became enamored with his sexy professor. Lip then took a new approach, latching on to a male role model professor who gradually drank himself to death. The terrible and traumatic end to Lip’s old college try at college came to an end. So did Lip drinking days, going by his AA chip count.

Being sober and dating Tami was difficult for a while. Now that Tami is pregnant, no one could blame Lip for having a drink or seven. Tami is a taxing individual. Of all her faults, the worst is telling Lip he would not be a good father.

Lip has shown he wants projects to take care of, but he has to remain distanced from most of his projects. Xan is now in adoption homes, but a child of his own would be a lifelong investment. If Tami allows him to be a father.

Lip has had trouble with complex relationships. His relationships with the other kids are rather simple. They live and die together. Lip helped fight to keep the kids from foster care, to keep the family together for all the simple reasons.

They were family. They were comfortable and they belonged together. But complexity challenged Lip. Ian admitting he was gay took time. Fiona’s binge drinking this season brought out the worst in Lip.

Lip does not being abandoned, but that is a constant in his life. Frank and Monica were not parents. Mandy and Karen bounced on him, then he checked out on Amanda. he forgot to tell her before she fell in love. The first person to want to accept Lip and give him a better life and Lip abandoned the idea through faulty logic.

Lip is now aware of his limitations, though still leaning into his co-dependency issues through AA and Tami. Surely the plot-line of Lip being a possible father will carry over to season ten. Will Tami have the child, and will Lip be a part of the child’s life? It seems like a few decisions going against his wishes would maybe send Lip back to the bottle.

Lip has a full-time job and plenty of space in the house, especially with Fiona and Liam gone. Will he suffer Frank’s nonsense? Frank is laid up on the couch getting free sponge baths but is bound to stir up trouble. Lip is maturing as has no patience for the trivial chaos that follows Frank everywhere. Lip is trying to rid himself of that stench, one AA day at a time.

Lip was worried about Franny, or he said so when evicting Fiona. If Liam comes back, Lip will have to help provide the routine Liam needs to succeed academically where Lip failed. Tami having the baby would be life-altering for Lip. Lip has been doing well controlling what he can, and leaving the rest alone. Is that a forever change, or will Lip slip up in season ten, to add even more tension?

Without Fiona, Lip is now the oldest. That weight on his shoulders just grew exponentially. Lip stepping up to be a father is the only storyline that makes sense. Fans can only wish that Tami starts to make sense, on any subject.

Lip will not be able to control her the way he has past girlfriends. He does not need to either. It’s her body. Once born, it’s their baby. It’s Lip’s sobriety and self-respect on the line.

Lip started setting some boundaries for himself. How will he control the boundaries of the house, now that he is a well-paid mechanic with a baby on the way?