Mandy Milkovich was a main character on the Showtime series Shameless from season six to nine. The show is about an alcoholic father, Frank Gallagher and his five children. The daughter of Frank’s ex-girlfriend, Karen, Mandy is the eldest child in the family and takes care of her siblings because their mother is mentally unstable.
Introduction
Mandy Milkovich is the eldest daughter of Mickey and
Mandy Milkovich. She is the older sister of Lip and Ian Gallagher. Mandy was born on October 1, 1993. Mandy is of Irish descent. Her parents were high school sweethearts. They met at age sixteen and married at eighteen.
Mandy has always been a bit of a wild child. When she was thirteen, she got her first tattoo. It was a small star on her left ankle. Since then, she’s gotten several more tattoos, including a large Celtic cross on her back.
Mandy dropped out of high school when she was sixteen and never looked back. She started working for her father’s construction company and quickly learned the ropes. By the time she was eighteen, she was one of the most respected members of the crew.
In 2012, Mandy’s world came crashing down when her father was killed in a construction accident. Mickey had been working on a new high-rise in downtown Chicago when he fell from the scaffolding. He died instantly.
The loss of her father was devastating for Mandy. She struggled to cope with her grief and anger. Lip did his best
Early Life
Mandy Milkovich was born to Peggy and Kev in the rough Chicago neighborhood of Canaryville on the South Side. Growing up, Mandy was always a bit of a tomboy and loved nothing more than getting into fights with the boys in her neighborhood. Her father, Kev, was a hardened alcoholic who would often beat her mother when he was drunk. Mandy learned early on how to fight back against her father and soon became known as the neighborhood tough girl.
When Mandy was sixteen, her mother finally had enough of Kev’s abuse and she left him. This only made Kev drink more and he would often take his frustrations out on Mandy. One night, after a particularly bad beating, Mandy had had enough. She grabbed a baseball bat and walloped her father over the head with it, knocking him unconscious. She then called the police and had him arrested.
After that incident, Mandy’s life began to unravel. She dropped out of school and started using drugs. She also began prostituting herself to make money. It wasn’t long before she was arrested for solicitation. That’s when she met Lip Gallagher.
Mandy’s Problematic Behavior in Season One
Mandy Milkovich was introduced in the first season of Shameless as a foil to the Gallagher children. She was the daughter of an abusive, alcoholic father and a neglectful mother. She was also a bully who enjoyed making the lives of those around her miserable.
In spite of her bad behavior, there were moments when Mandy showed her softer side. These moments usually involved her interacting with Lip Gallagher, the smartest and most level-headed of the Gallagher children. The two developed a strange kind of friendship, which was often tested by Mandy’s volatile behavior.
Unfortunately, Mandy’s bad behavior eventually caught up with her. In the season one finale, she was arrested for assault after attacking another girl with a baseball bat. This led to her being sent to juvenile detention, where she remained for most of season two.
Mandy’s Dramatic Transformation in Season Two
Mandy Milkovich, the tough-as-nails teenager who was introduced in season one of Shameless, underwent a dramatic transformation in season two.
In the first season, Mandy was a wild child who was constantly getting into trouble. She was also one of Ian’s (Cameron Monaghan) love interests, but their relationship was always tumultuous.
In the second season, however, Mandy changed dramatically. She started dating Lip (Jeremy Allen White), and their relationship quickly became serious. Mandy also started to care more about her appearance and her schoolwork.
The change in Mandy was most evident in the episode “Can I Have a Mother,” when she helped Lip study for his GED. She was patient with him and even offered to help him with math, which she previously despised.
The new and improved Mandy is still a bit rough around the edges, but she’s definitely on the right track. It will be interesting to see how she continues to grow and change in future seasons of Shameless.
Conclusion
Mandy Milkovich is the girl who would be a Gallagher. She’s tough, she’s smart, and she knows how to get what she wants. While she may not be blood related to the Gallagher clan, she might as well be. Mandy is the kind of girl that you want on your side, because she will always fight for what’s right.