Shrinking Recap: Forgive Yourself

As a therapist who has spent years helping people navigate their emotions, I can appreciate the complexities of each character in Shrinking. It’s clear that everyone is struggling to find their path towards selflessness and growth, just like real life.

When Liz expresses her desire to grow into a more altruistic individual to Gaby, Gaby brings up the concept of psychological egoism – the belief that every human action is driven by personal gain. She suggests that if one aims to be kind towards others, it’s essential to find pleasure in selflessness, as otherwise, maintaining such behavior would prove challenging.

Liz understands that she finds pleasure in bringing happiness to others, which makes her less concerned about how Sean might respond to learning that she sold her share in their food truck business to his father. Since they often discussed starting a similar venture together, Liz feels she’s denying them the chance by staying involved. However, it’s quite evident to her that this decision is misguided.

Last week, Sean shot down a proposed profile about his time in the military because this partnership with Liz was supposed to represent a step forward for him, a fresh start without the baggage of the past. It seemed like she understood that. But now she’s forcing him into a partnership with somebody he has purposely avoided for months — somebody with whom his relationship is, at best, extremely complicated. Liz has made plenty of well-meaning errors on this show, so it’s not exactly unbelievable she’d do something like this. But it’s disappointing, especially if it means less screen time for the two of them going forward (though I’m sure they’ll heal their relationship before long).

In “Psychological Something-ism,” certain character interactions and events come off as somewhat forced or predictable, such as Alice ending up with her best friend’s new boyfriend, Connor. This situation feels like it was set up to give Alice some much-needed attention and divert her from dealing with her emotions. From the moment Alice introduced Connor to Summer, I had a feeling this would happen, and watching it unfold is quite uncomfortable. (When Connor entered the scene, my first thought was “Oh no.”)

Alice’s actions might seem plausible, considering she’s a typical teenager with messy habits, who had recently confronted the man responsible for killing her mother through drunk driving. Despite vowing to Paul not to pursue Louis (also known as Double D) any longer, she takes it a step further by reaching out to him at his coffee shop workplace. It turns out that Louis was eager to talk to her, which we had already gathered from his visit to Jimmy’s office. However, Alice finds his sympathetic words and clumsy attempts at an apology unpalatable because they could never truly make up for the harm he caused.

It seems possible that Alice feels upset and resentful towards Louis due to their brief encounter causing her perspective of him to change slightly. He’s not merely an uncaring or malicious individual trying to dodge accountability for his actions. Instead, he appears to be a fellow human being grappling with his own pain. This realization might make Alice feel nauseous because it’s difficult for her to fathom that such a man’s suffering could ever compare to the profound loss and upheaval she and her father have experienced. It’s challenging for Alice to accept that the person she has directed so much animosity towards — the one who seemed like an appropriate focus for her blame and anger — might harbor even greater self-loathing.

Currently, Jimmy has skillfully contained these same suspicions, preoccupied by his re-immersion into his activities, which we refer to as “Jimmying”. His psychological egoism is evident in this situation, as he’s deeply emotionally invested in helping Grace. This goal appears selfless, but it also benefits him personally, providing some relief for his part in the events that affected her. (It’s worth noting that Donny’s actions nearly cost him his life, but given his poor character, this is secondary concern.)

In a different phrasing: Grace won’t have the charges against her dropped, as the supportive testimony and accusations of mistreatment prevent the authorities from continuing the case. However, Grace feels she should not be pardoned, which is why moving to Vancouver with her sister Jennie seems inviting but unjustified for her. Instead, she believes that she must endure punishment, including returning to Donny to aid in his lengthy recuperation process.

In this rephrased version, the plot revolves around Jimmy and Brian rekindling Grace’s spirit, which provides them with an opportunity to address some underlying tension in their friendship – particularly Brian’s resentment towards Jimmy for not disclosing that he slept with Gaby. This tale, though adorable at times, such as when Jimmy shows a thoughtful gesture by visiting Brian’s husband Charlie for dinner, may not reach its full potential. One reason being that the story fails to provide a clear rationale for why Jimmy kept the secret from Brian; while season one hinted at Jimmy feeling smothered by Brian’s unrelenting positiveness amidst his grief, no such motivation is presented in this scenario.

In this exchange, the disagreement between them seems excessively equal, as Brian reveals his lack of knowledge regarding significant aspects of Jimmy’s life. Being unaware that he is Alice’s godfather and having no clue about her age? Really, Brian? And then he strikes Jimmy? (Admittedly, Jimmy can be quite provoking.) The episode intriguingly presents Brian’s apprehension that they might not get along if they met today, but it fails to fully explore this concept.

After much effort, Brian successfully persuades Grace by presenting her with witness statements and allowing Jennie to read her own. He reminds Grace of her worth beyond her past errors, which eventually leads them to depart in a U-Haul truck. If this marks Heidi Gardner’s departure from the series, it offers a sentimental yet fitting conclusion.

In the series ‘Shrinking’, every character is on a personal journey, striving to be more selfless yet often undermining themselves during this process. This certainly applies to Jimmy and Liz, and it seems to extend to Paul as well. He believes he’s acting righteously by informing Julie that he doesn’t wish to subject her to the same ordeal she faced with Elliot. It’s understandable that Julie found watching dementia affect her beloved husband challenging. However, Parkinson’s disease is not the same, and moreover, Paul isn’t yet at a stage where he’s losing himself. What’s crucial to remember is that Julie is an adult capable of making her own choices about what she chooses to handle. Paul’s chivalrous behavior can be rather annoying in this context.

Still, you see where he’s coming from, and it’s always a delight to see Harrison Ford in a rare vulnerable mode. Paul is downright awkward and uncomfortable when he first meets Elliot, and he’s reluctant to open up to Derek, whom he meets for the first time. Ford and Ted McGinley make for a natural comedic duo, with Derek’s uncomplicated sweetness and lax attitude helping show Paul the necessity of protecting the love in his life. It must hurt Paul to admit it, but he and Liz do have a lot in common. In this episode, they’re both offering to dissolve a partnership out of some misplaced sense of heroism.

In my perspective, it’s essential to consult a new neurologist for maintaining professional boundaries, yet it also signifies a mutual agreement with Julie: I’m not leaving, but it’s important that she doesn’t have an overly active role in my treatment. This arrangement benefits everyone. Perhaps this is what true selflessness entails – showing compassion and considering others without seeking personal recognition or martyrdom. Assisting people, whether they are acquaintances, friends, or family members, doesn’t have to be a burden.

Progress Notes

Gaby continues to set firm limits on her interactions with Jimmy, which means he’s not invited to hang out with Liz and Derek in groups anymore. Unfortunately, Jimmy!

• “A lot of f-bombs.” “Well, it’s not to my congresswoman. It’s to the guy who killed my mom.”

• “Are you going to visit his grave, or … ?” “No, Jimmy. Not everyone’s spouse is dead.”

As a film enthusiast, I find myself back under my mother’s roof tonight, much to my dismay. She’s fuming, convinced that I’ve pilfered her Vicodin. The truth is, I did take it, but not for personal use – rather, to sell it on.

It’s good that the episode doesn’t linger on Paul forgetting to inquire about Gaby’s teaching. He makes amends by asking her about it later, and everything is now okay between them.

It’s great to observe that the actress from “Jury Duty,” Edy Modica, is landing more roles! In this instance, she portrays Jackie, a character who has ceased using her postpartum medication as prescribed by Gaby.

• “I hope he doesn’t get better.” “I hear you. I still feel like that’s wildly inappropriate.” This was maybe the funniest moment of the episode for me. But also, Jimmy, you’d know a lot about inappropriate dynamics with your patients, wouldn’t you?

To put it casually, think about how your lawyer and psychotherapist might respond if they found out about dismissed charges in a similar fashion to how Jimmy and Brian celebrate unexpected good news.

It seems I may have missed some details from season one, but it’s new information to me that Brian was more friendly with Tia than Jimmy at the end. I’d love to learn more about their friendship, as we’ve primarily seen Tia’s relationships with Jimmy, Alice, and Gaby.

2024-10-23 09:54

Shrinking Recap: Forgive Yourself

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