The previous episode of the Dramedy Shrinking concluded with Sean being rejected by his father once again, pushing him to recklessly start a fight with a random group of men, only to endure the beating without fighting back. While he’s clearly worse for wear, his injuries aren’t as severe as expected – thankfully. Now in the hospital, Sean is surrounded by the entire gang at his bedside. High on painkillers and visibly thrilled to see them, he greets them with a cheeky grin: “My favorite band,” he announces, “Gaby and the White Saviors.”
Sean, hilariously unfiltered thanks to his meds, lays it all out: He points out that while Jimmy and Paul may have always been there for him, it didn’t stop him from getting into yet another fight. Then, with perfect comedic timing, he twists the knife for Liz, calling her “his favorite business partner to have ever betrayed him.” He reveals that Alice once tried to kiss him and informs Brian, who is thinking about adopting, that he would be an utterly terrible father.
Sean’s father, Tim, made a brief visit to the hospital earlier but left disappointed upon learning that Sean had been in yet another fight. Jimmy is determined to bring Tim back and insists that he and Paul should track him down. Paul, however, is firmly against it. He believes they’ve meddled enough already and now need to maintain professional boundaries. But Jimmy won’t let it go. He challenges Paul to admit that staying out of it is eating him alive. With a frustrated outburst, the ever-grumpy Paul finally confesses that he in fact wants to get involved (despite being fully aware that it is unprofessional). So the two set off to find Tim.
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| “In a Lonely Place” – SHRINKING, Pictured: Harrison Ford and Jason Segel. AppleTV+ ©2024 AppleTV+. All Rights Reserved. |
Jimmy and Paul work as brilliantly together as the actors who portray them. It’s their striking differences that make their dynamic so entertaining to watch. Their contrasting personalities not only spark moments of humor and tension but also bring out the quirkiest sides of each character. As actors, Jason Segel and Harrison Ford mirror this dynamic beautifully. Segel’s comedic timing and emotional openness play perfectly against Ford’s dry wit, creating a natural chemistry that stands out as one of the show’s greatest strengths.
When the two therapists track down Sean’s father, he’s far from thrilled to see them, but surprisingly, he agrees to a conversation without much resistance. He accuses Paul and Jimmy of meddling with Sean’s head, making him believe that all his problems are his father’s fault. In response, both Paul and Jimmy open up about their own struggles with fatherhood, acknowledging how hard it is to get it right. Jimmy admits to failing his daughter after Tia’s death, while Paul confesses his shame over cheating on his wife kept him from fighting to stay in his daughter’s life.
As the conversation winds down, Tim remarks, “I feel more awful now than I did an hour ago. Is that what therapy is?”
Paul’s deadpan response? “Yeah, pretty much.”
Their honesty about their own struggles as parents seemed to help. Tim returns to the hospital and apologizes to his son.
Another particularly significant storyline involves Brian confessing to Alice that he’s “been talking to the young man who ran over her mom.” In true Brian fashion, he does not deliver the news in the most tactful, appropriate manner – yet somehow, it’s exactly what Alice needs. Motivated by this revelation, she decides to confront Louis, the drunk driver responsible for her mother’s death.
Louis is surprised to see her but very open to having a conversation. His guilt is palpable as he encourages Alice to vent her anger, to tell him everything she’s always wanted to say. She unloads, telling him how his reckless actions ruined her life – she lost friends, her father went off the rails, and the one person she needed most, her mom, was gone because he had killed her with his reckless driving.
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| “In a Lonely Place” – SHRINKING, Pictured: Brett Goldstein . AppleTV+ ©2024 AppleTV+. All Rights Reserved. |
I loved the moment when Louis asked Alice to tell him about her mom, someone he never knew. Sharing a story, Alice recalls details she’d forgotten, and surprisingly, she thanks him for helping her remember. Louis apologizes again, admitting that not a moment goes by when he doesn’t think about what he did to her family.
Then comes the unexpected: Alice forgives him. She says it’s what her mom would have done.
While it’s a beautiful and poignant moment, it feels almost too easy. I get it – resisting Brett Goldstein’s charm, especially with his endearing English accent, is no small feat. Still, given everything Alice has endured because of Louis’ reckless actions, her forgiveness feels surprisingly swift. That said, it lays the groundwork for some intense emotional moments when Jimmy inevitably will learn that Alice has been secretly interacting with the person responsible for Tia’s death. The fallout could be explosive, testing their fragile relationship and forcing them to confront their shared grief.
Meanwhile Liz continues to feel more and more adrift. She misses working in the food truck with Sean and her attempts at pet photography are going nowhere. The animal shelter does not even want her photos free of charge. When she tells her son Connor to suck it up regarding the Alice and Summer situation, to stop moping and to return to college, he is hurt. Liz has always been a straight-shooter, unafraid to call things as she sees them, but when it comes to her kids, she’s usually the sweet, supportive mom. So Connor is caught off guard by her uncharacteristically harsh tone and decides to leave for college without so much as a goodbye or even a hug for his mom which seems to be the biggest punishment for Liz.
Derek, known for his sweet and understanding nature, remains entirely oblivious to the extent of his wife’s emotional spiral. His failure to see her unraveling leaves Liz feeling completely isolated. In her loneliness, she reaches out to her old boyfriend, Mac, whom she recently ran into. His genuine enthusiasm for her pet photography provides a much-needed boost to her confidence. But reconnecting with an ex while adrift? Oh boy… this has all the ingredients for a messy situation.
The episode also further explores Gaby’s relationship with her sister Courtney, picking up from their argument in the previous episode. Gaby had unfairly expected Courtney to take on the bulk of their mother’s caregiving responsibilities. While it is true that Gaby had supported Courtney through her addiction recovery, Jimmy wisely reminded her that this didn’t mean Courtney was indebted to her forever.
In a thoughtful gesture, Gaby arranges for the hospital that performed their mom’s eye surgery to let her stay an extra night, giving Courtney a much-needed break. Gaby then opens up to her sister, acknowledging how hard Courtney has worked to rebuild her life. She tells her she is proud of her and recognizes the effort she’s put into caring for their mom. Gaby tells Courtney she’s free now – free to live her life without the weight of endless obligation. It’s a touching scene that beautifully showcases growth, understanding, and the strengthening of their bond.
Overall, this was an enjoyable episode with several laugh-out-loud moments. While emotional scenes like Alice forgiving Louis and Tim apologizing to Sean were heartfelt and well-acted, they felt a bit too convenient. The lack of deeper conflict or struggle made these resolutions seem a little rushed. Still, the episode sets the stage for more drama and emotional complexity in the episodes to come.
