"The Hobo Games" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name.
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 0.97 million household viewers and gained a 0.32 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The episode received mixed reviews from critics; they praised the performances and ending, although many questioned if the series would actually move forward with Fiona's storyline.
Frank (William H. Macy) and Mikey (Luis Guzmán) help each other during the final Hobo Games, including kissing to beg for money, and cutting themselves to get quick ER attention.
Frank and Mikey prepare for the final game; they must reach a freight train and hop on it before it hits the finish line, while taking four shots of Hobo Loco beverage.
Fiona visits the shop to apologize to Lip, and meets his sponsee Jason (Patrick Davis Alarcón), who is celebrating 100 days of sobriety.
And while she continues to spiral out of control, the baton has been passed to Lip as the responsible head of the family, a transition clearly in the works to set up a Rossom-less future.
As we realize by this episode's truly heartbreaking cliffhanger, the writer's room has not actually forgotten the recent reintroduction of consequence (well, sans the Frank/Ingrid storyline); they're just recalibrating for Emmy Rossum's exit from the series.
"[7] Christopher Dodson of Show Snob wrote "Shameless has seen a resurgence of confrontational writing this season, most of it leading to Fiona being despised by everyone.
"[8] Jade Budowski of Decider wrote "What a shame to watch the closest two siblings in the family completely destroy their relationship for reasons that probably could have been avoided with a little communication (and more thoughtful writing, maybe?).
"[9] Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.25 star rating out of 5, and wrote, ""The Hobo Games" was a mixed bag.