"Happily Ever After" is the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name.
It is the 83rd overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Etan Frankel and directed by John M. Valerio.
The series is set on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, and depicts the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a neglectful single father of six: Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.58 million household viewers and gained a 0.6 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) leave Illinois, heading for Mexico.
As they rob the people's wallets and jewelry, Frank feels inspired and decides to ask Monica to marry him again, which she accepts.
Fiona (Emmy Rossum) decides to accept Margo's $160,000 offer for the laundromat, and gets Etta (June Squibb) to stay with her.
Having lost the Alibi, Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton) struggle in finding new jobs.
Lip attempts to get his sobriety under control and befriends fellow AA member Brad (Scott Michael Campbell).
[3] This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 1.60 million household viewers with a 0.6 in the 18–49 demographics.
Monica dying, however, is just smart storytelling: it takes something that the characters — and to some degree the show — has taken as a foregone conclusion and actually makes it a reality.
A maybe-final farewell to two beloved characters — and, somehow, an introduction to two new ones — all played out in tonight's “Happily Ever After.”"[6] Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.3 star rating out of 5, and wrote, ""Happily Ever After" was a solid episode that set the wheels in motion for what could be the series finale.