‘Shrinking’ Is Effortlessly Brilliant In Season 2, Episode 3

Shrinking consistently amazes me. Only rarely does a show come along that is so able to juggle multiple three-dimensional characters and thoughtful, interlocking plot strands; that is so reliably funny but so deeply emotional. The Season 2 premiere proved that the Apple TV+ series hadn’t lost a step, but Episode 3, “Psychological Something-ism”, lifts it to new heights. This could be the best Shrinking has ever been.

But there’s a lot going on, and a lot of it overlaps, so I’ll do my best to break it all down in a way that makes sense. So, let’s start with Grace.

Grace, Jimmy, and Brian

Jimmy has devoted himself in this season thus far to getting Grace off the hook for pushing Donny down a hill, ostensibly at his behest. The good news in “Psychological Something-ism” is that the state, considering Donny’s prior convictions and history of violence, decides not to pursue charges against Grace. The bad news is that she goes straight back to Donny.

As funny as Shrinking so often is, it also touches on genuinely important and/or emotional subjects, and this is one of them. Grace is, at the end of the day, a survivor of domestic abuse, and the reflexive way she returns to Donny when she feels overwhelmed speaks to an all-too-common trend of victims in these scenarios perpetuating a cycle they can’t escape from. She feels guilt over what she did to Donny — even though he richly deserved it — and can’t process not having been punished for that action.

It’s Brian, of all people, who finds a breakthrough. After gathering statements on Grace’s character from her friends and her sister, Jennie, he reads them aloud to Grace so she can hear what people who truly value her really think. This is the incentive she needs to finally leave Donny. It’s a great outcome to this subplot and the testimonial scene is genuinely emotional.

But this leaves Jimmy and Brian with their own problems. Brian is still sulking about Jimmy not having told him about his relationship with Gabby, and it leads to a very funny argument between them which is another stand-out scene. But this also has a nice resolution. Jimmy, clearly inspired by the outcome of Grace’s case, shows up at Brian’s house for dinner to help repair the distance that has formed between them since Tia’s death.

Alice Can’t Let Go

Brett Goldstein in Shrinking Season 2 | Image via Apple TV+

Speaking of Tia, let’s talk about Alice. After writing the letter to the drunk driver — I don’t think his name has come up yet, but it’s Louis, and he’s played by Brett Goldstein — and parking outside his house, she confesses this to Paul, who rightly advises her that she probably isn’t emotionally ready to be interacting with the guy whose actions led to the death of her mother. And she spends the rest of Shrinking Season 2, Episode 3 proving him right.

Alice goes to confront Louis at work. It’s plain to see for everyone that this guy is haunted by what happened; that’s why he went to see Jimmy in the premiere and why he sits down to speak with Alice here. But, as Paul said, she’s not ready to hear his apologies. She goes ballistic during their conversation and storms off, leaving her purse behind. Goldstein is fantastically understated here.

But Alice continues to make bad decisions. When she goes home, she runs into Connor, and on an impulse, she kisses him. Since Connor is now happily in a relationship with Summer, who has been Alice’s key confidante lately, she’s cutting off her nose to spite her face. This will backfire, and likely badly.

Liz’s Gesture

On the subject of things backfiring, we come to Liz and Sean. With the food truck business going well, things are thrown for a bit of a loop when their latest customer turns out to be Sean’s father, Tim (Kenajuan Bentley). We’re not sure of the precise nature of this relationship, but it’s clear that Sean has some anxiety bundled up around his father. He’s worried about the food truck not being adequately impressive to him and jumps at the opportunity to park it outside his workplace so his dad can see how talented he is.

This goes well, which is the problem. Tim’s overt enthusiasm for Sean’s sandwiches seems fake to me, like he’s overcompensating to atone for something. When he mentions offhandedly to Sean that he had dreamed of them doing this together, Liz starts to feel guilty about potentially having taken that opportunity away from them, and after misinterpreting some psychological advice from Gaby, Liz sells her shares in the truck to Tim.

When Sean learns of this he goes ballistic. Like Alice and Connor, this is something that is going to come up again and will likely have profound consequences. Several key relationships are being threatened in “Psychological Something-ism” — Gaby is still not talking to Jimmy and is roping Liz and Derek into her crusade as well — that won’t just be repaired with a few well-timed jokes.

Heidi Gardner in Shrinking Season 2 | Image via Apple TV+

Paul Commits

But let’s finish on a high note. In Shrinking Season 2, Episode 3, Paul and Julie are getting serious — so serious, in fact, that she takes him to meet Elliot, her husband who is living in a full-time care facility because he’s suffering from dementia.

This is a big step for Paul, who becomes even more reluctant to commit to Julie given his Parkinson’s diagnosis. He’s worried about putting her through the same trauma of watching someone she loves gradually lose themselves to illness, but Julie has made it pretty clear that she’s ready for that. This is Paul’s fear of commitment merging with his own sense of mortality.

But Paul realizes eventually — with help from Derek, of all people — that it’s time to make a decision for himself, come what may. So, he gets a new neurologist — a young and pretty one, to “keep Julie on her toes” — so that Julie can focus on just being his girlfriend instead of his doctor. Aww!

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