Shameless season 11 episode 6: Does Frank have alcoholic dementia?
At one point within this episode, Frank went to the hospital with a head injury after getting socked and falling over. This isn’t all that shocking; we’ve seen him at the hospital so many times over the years. Heck, we’ve seen him thrown out from them after being known for not paying his bills.
However, this time around was different. In the closing minutes, William H. Macy’s character pulled out a slip of paper that revealed that he has an early stage of alcoholic dementia — his past truly catching up to him. He’s already showing some symptoms of memory loss and it could only get worse from here. We’ve seen a lot of emotions in Frank’s eyes over the years, but in that final scene, we saw true fear. No one else knows what he’s going through, and this diagnosis comes at a time when Lip is trying to convince the other Gallaghers to sell the house and split the difference — that way, they can all move forward. Meanwhile, Frank seems to be living in a world where Monica is still alive sometimes. Nobody’s noticed that anything is off about him, mostly because he’s long been aloof and distant. They all have their own lives they’re focusing on.
This revelation could be something that changes the end of the season, or at least the end of Frank’s journey. As entertaining as he’s been to watch over the years, he’s consistently been a terrible person and the worst father-figure imaginable. What’s the desire going to be for his children to care for him after all he has done?
Related – Check out when Shameless is going to be returning with new episodes
What did you think about the surprise at the end of Shameless season 11 episode 6?
Be sure to let us know in the comments — after you do just that, be sure to stick around for some other updates over the rest of the season. (Photo: Showtime.)