S07.E09: Ouroboros - Shameless - PRIMETIMER

The thing is that Vee has always been super supportive of Fiona investing in herself. Always.

That's been one of the core aspects of their enduring friendship.

Another core aspect of their friendship has been Fiona putting Vee on a immovable pedestal that Vee never appreciated nor ever wanted to be on.

At the beginning of Season Seven we see Vee constantly make efforts to initiate she and Fiona's usual girl talks, with Fiona dimissively blowing her off because she's either in the middle of blowing everyone in her life off in the name of self preservation or she outright just refuses to discuss anything.

This is after she conveniently told all of her siblings, Liam excluded, that they were to put Kev and Vee above HER on their emergency contact lists because SHE was done caring for everyone else. Set aside the fact that that might be the most selfishly entitled thing Fiona has ever done in the entire run of the show, but she did this knowing full well Kev and Vee are running a struggling neighborhood bar with their new wife and three kids of their own to feed. Even on a show called Shameless, that's beyond the pale.

When Fiona comes bouncing into the Alibi to request fashion advice for, and to brag about, her speakeasy she barely says hello before she's demanding inordinate amounts (for the Alibi) of liquor from Vee.

After Vee tiredly responds to her demand with the sober assertion that Fiona only comes around when she needs something, Fiona reacts in disbelief. When Vee further explains she's had a really difficult day and that despite the fact that they've rarely spoken in weeks, Fiona still waltzes in with a laundry list of demands without so much as a hello. Fiona immediately ignores ALL of Vee's previous points to make Vee feel guilty for not being aware of Fiona's recent promotion at Patsy's. Then she digs the dagger in further, telling Vee that Vee would've known if Vee had bothered to check in with her.

To which Vee then tells Fiona that she was just at her house the day before and if she hadn't been so busy kicking Debbie out she might have been willing to share that aspect of her life. And seeing as Fiona expected Kev/Vee to be more responsible for her sibs than Fiona herself, it isn't too much for Vee to comment on the goings-on in the Gallagher household. Fiona then stresses that she asked Debbie to get a job and shifts all of the blame for her own previous behavior directly to Svetlana (who by this time has sidled up next to Vee) who gave Debbie concrete advice to support herself in the event that Fiona kicked, she and Franny, out of Chez Gallagher.

Svetlana interjects that Debbie has the tools to be a marketable sex worker, to which Fiona nastily tells her to go fuck herself. Vee then re-interjects and says that if they, Vee & Fiona, have things to discuss, they'll do so later. Fiona puts the brakes on that by guilt tripping Vee for being "busy" aka living her own life, thereby not having time for Fiona and her shit, then storms out.

During Fiona and Vee's ensuing "Cold War," Fiona gives Ian serious side eye for making nice with Veronica. When he inquires to the source of their fight, Fiona gives him shit for doing laundry at their house instead of the local laundromat. To which Ian replies that just because Fiona is icing everyone else out doesn't mean he has to. When Ian further inquires into Fiona's current state of mind, she responds that she's working around the clock and doing great. Ian incredulously asks Fiona how hard can managing a diner be if it means her not giving a shit about her siblings and Vee. Fiona then challenges him about "not giving a shit" and refuses to apologize for "getting her life together." Then she brusquely states that Vee, along with Ian and the rest of their siblings will be fine when they all realize "self improvement is not a crime."

The thing is this current "Self Improved" Fiona is completely antithetical to her entire friendship with Veronica. From the pilot episode of this show until now, Veronica has never once allowed Fiona to doubt herself, nor has she pushed Fiona beyond her capability. Whenever Fiona has EVER shown even the slightest bit of initiative in improving her station in life, Vee has always been there with broad smiles, big hugs, warm encouragement and whatever resources she (Vee) can muster up to help on Fiona's behalf.

So for Fiona to act as if Vee is a bitch, now, because for once Vee is choosing to focus primarily on her own life? Is insanity.

Especially since even with everything going on in Vee's life, Vee has not once flagged in her best friend duties. It wasn't her fault that Fiona refused to talk when she's visited and it's not her style to push Fiona into conversations Fiona has no desire to participate in. And Fiona KNOWINGLY using Svetlana as a convenient shield through all this, allowing her to neatly evade just how much of a giant asshole she's being/been to Veronica, is despicable.

But then, when "Self Improved" Fiona is making role models out of random businesswomen she barely knows and eagerly taking advice from one/two night Tinder stands, over her own family and a best friend that will, and has, moved heaven and earth for her? Something is certainly rotten in Denmark.

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