As a therapist and a long-time observer of human behavior, I find myself deeply moved by the complexities and intricacies that unfold in this narrative. The characters’ struggles with communication, connection, and their own emotional baggage are strikingly relatable, even if they are not always easy to navigate.
Initially, during the debut season of “Shrinking“, I found myself uncertain about the show’s concept. The protagonist, a therapist with unusual techniques, was intriguing, but Jimmy’s methods were questionably ethical, which the show itself acknowledged. It raised concerns about the longevity of such a premise for a comedy series. However, as the season progressed towards its midpoint, the show seemed to deviate from this central theme, evolving into a more casual sitcom focusing on characters, similar to many other productions by Bill Lawrence. The season finale, though, delivered an unexpected twist: Grace, one of Jimmy’s most successful patients, was seen pushing her husband off a cliff in a dramatic turn of events.
It was a reminder that therapists often have quite a lot of power when it comes to their patients, and wielding that power irresponsibly can have serious consequences. But it was also a return to a storyline that the show had mostly moved past. As much as I enjoyed how the season ended, I wondered what tack the next season would take.
This premiere suggests that Jimmy quitting his usual offbeat techniques could be difficult; Jimmying his patients has become something like an addiction, filling the void left by all the liquor and drugs he once used to cope with his wife Tia’s death. Season one also suggested this idea early on as we saw Jimmy come back to life after a year of grief, reinvesting his energy into his work life while working hard to make up for lost time with his daughter. But I do hope that if the season sticks with this conflict (rather than dropping the quirky therapy and reverting back to a more general therapist-led hangout sitcom), we’ll learn more about why exactly Jimmy relies on this so much.
Nevertheless, I appreciate how the episode keeps highlighting the damaging consequences of such therapy. A clear demonstration is Grace, who’s now in jail, potentially facing a lifetime for attempting to murder her husband due to Jimmy’s overly explicit guidance. Although he did survive, his chances of walking again are slim. Jimmy attempts to defend this as “pattern interruption,” a term often used in therapy, but it’s hard to view this as a positive outcome; even Grace admits that she’d rather endure a bad marriage than spend her life behind bars.
It might be more challenging for Jimmy because he seems to become overly invested in his patients, carrying them mentally even when he’s not working. In contrast, Paul manages to maintain a clear boundary between his professional and personal life.
In a face-to-face conversation between Jimmy and Paul on this topic, his mentor comforted him by saying that he didn’t necessarily make a mistake, but it might be wise to adhere to conventional therapy for some time. However, his attempts are quickly thwarted when Alice persuades him to continue practicing unconventional therapy practices. She fears that he may revert to old habits, particularly since his claim of being “good” sounds suspiciously like the lies he told her during times when he was clearly not good. Nevertheless, it’s perplexing why Jimmy’s methods seem so beneficial to him. One might wonder if there weren’t periods before Tia’s death when he felt more at ease with traditional therapy. Why can’t he rediscover that comfort now?
Regardless, it’s clear that Jimmy is as fragile as Alice and Paul say, based on his explosive reaction to the (conveniently timed) appearance of the drunk driver responsible for Tia’s death in the final scene. (That’s Ted Lasso co-star and Shrinking co-creator Brett Goldstein, startlingly clean-shaven.) That fragility is affecting his relationships with his family and friends, including Paul, who was forced to assuage Jimmy’s earlier fears about messing up with his patients. But it’s also affecting his patients themselves, including Sean, who’s too afraid of disappointing Jimmy to be open about any personal failure.
Overall, Sean finds himself in a generally favorable state, particularly since both him and Liz have successfully launched their food truck. However, he remains uneasy when confronted by memories of his past. When an old military companion visits town, Sean contemplates backing out, despite Jimmy’s provocation to engage in a fight during one of Jimmy’s latest episodes. (The outcome is predictably unfavorable.) Sean finds more motivation from Jimmy’s faith in him rather than his amusing behavior, so he initially agrees to the encounter — however, at the last moment, he changes his mind and walks straight past the venue without going inside.
Sean’s persistent lack of friends outside his therapist-circle strongly supports Paul’s argument about their complex relationship, particularly with his deception regarding his army buddy. Consequently, for his next session, Sean chooses to visit Paul rather than Jimmy. Their brief greeting carries a hint of sweet sorrow, yet it seems beneficial. After all, they share the same residence, so their bond remains intact. All that might change is a reduction in their weekly face-to-face interactions by about 50 minutes.
Currently, Jimmy has a lot on his plate, making the idea of turning his casual relationship with Gaby into something more serious not at the forefront of his thoughts. However, there may come a time when Jimmy is ready to commit, but that moment isn’t now. Gaby understands this and acknowledges it creates an “uneven dynamic.” She expresses concern to Liz that if she continues sleeping with him despite this imbalance, she risks getting hurt. Yet, both of them find comfort in this arrangement due to their current stressors; Jimmy because he needs the release, and Gaby because she’s juggling moving, teaching, family issues, and her regular patients. Despite wanting to end things with Jimmy, she finds it difficult — as a “pathological caretaker,” she still holds out hope that he might give her a genuine relationship in the future.
Typically, Liz steps in again, causing a familiar spat between the two, known as ‘Gaby-and-Liz squabbles’. However, this particular disagreement doesn’t escalate much. To lighten the mood while Gaby is absent, Liz asks her spouse and Brian to unpack all of Gaby’s belongings. By the time they finish, peace has been restored – at least for now. I suppose Gaby might want to rearrange everything once she returns, doesn’t she?
In this episode, it’s Paul who takes center stage as he slowly acknowledges his deep feelings for his girlfriend Julie, his doctor partner. They are not just housemates; they share special moments like morning dance routines in their living room and even enjoy watching sports together. Paul can be hard to read, often hiding his emotions, so at first, he proposes seeing less of each other. However, one night apart makes him realize how much he values her company. He bravely confesses his love for her, and as expected, she reciprocates.
A significant aspect of “Shrinking” revolves around the importance of communication and connection, as well as keeping an open and truthful spirit. Therefore, when Jimmy resorts to his old lie at the end of the episode, telling Alice that his day was good, it raises genuine alarm. Occasionally, you may believe all is well until the past unexpectedly resurfaces with a forceful return.
Progress Notes
Connor, the child of Liz and Derek, remains deeply interested in Alice. Interestingly, despite their past shared experience – they both lost their virginity with each other – Connor finds it difficult to communicate with her.
• Gotta love Harrison Ford’s grin when Jimmy says Paul pushed him off a cliff in his dream.
Brian doesn’t have much work assigned to him at the moment, but as he’s agreed to handle Grace’s case free of charge, it will ensure his ongoing participation in the matter.
• Gaby’s student Keisha seems like a fun new character.
Rather than appreciating jokes about teeth, I found myself more entertained by Jimmy’s initial attempts to conceal his predicament (the dripping blood was quite convincing), rather than the graphic depiction of his damaged teeth themselves.
• “I don’t need to numb myself by snorting molly off of some stripper named Ecstasy … I might have been snorting ecstasy off a stripper named Molly.”
Following Mom’s passing, on one day you became my father figure, and the very next, I was being driven to school by an individual working as a sex worker. On other days, she drove me with Lyft.
• “Woof.” “That’s my thing.”
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2024-10-16 13:54