Following the tragic but not entirely unexpected demise of Monica (Chloe Webb) in the previous episode, the "Shameless" season 7 finale -- which may also be the series ender -- will find death hitting the Gallaghers hard and the family sinking to a new low. Will Monica's death be the thing that finally tears the dysfunctional family apart? Will one of the Gallaghers land in prison by the end of the episode? Here are the three things to watch for in the upcoming finale.
Monica leaves her children an "inheritance." In the teaser for the "Shameless" season 7 finale, the Gallagher siblings go through the personal belongings their mother left behind and find a key. Later, Frank (William H. Macy) takes the key and manages to locate the rest of Monica's things in a storage facility. There, he finds a container filled with huge bags of meth. Ever the opportunist, Frank takes the stash home and weighs it. When Fiona (Emmy Rossum) insists that the drugs are getting flushed down the toilet, Frank puts up a fight, and the argument turns into an all-out brawl.
Fiona hits Frank. The Gallaghers' argument over what to do with Monica's meth stash turns into an ugly fight that results in several family members getting physically hurt. The "Shameless" season 7 finale promo shows Frank pulling Fiona's hair as his other children attempt to restrain him. They succeed in pinning him against the wall and Fiona retaliates by slapping him hard across the face. How ugly will this fight get? Will the children call the cops on Frank? Is someone in this family heading to jail?
Frank recruits Debbie, Carl, and Liam into his latest scheme. The "Shameless" season 7 finale teaser shows that Frank is accompanied by his three youngest children -- Debbie (Emma Kenney), Liam (Brenden/Brandon Sims), and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) -- when he finds the meth. Will they side with Frank and go against their older siblings?
How the "Shameless" season 7 finale plays out is important given that the Showtime drama's future is reportedly uncertain. Variety reports that Rossum is currently in negotiations with the "Shameless" producers and that she is asking for a higher pay than Macy's. According to the outlet, the actress initially demanded a pay raise that would put her at the same salary as Macy. However, Variety's unnamed source says that Rossum is now asking for more to make up for the previous seasons when she was being paid significantly less than her co-star. The producers of "Shameless" have reportedly not considered a plan for continuing the series without Rossum.
"Shameless" season 7 will air on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on Showtime. The season 7 finale will air on Dec. 18.