And so it ends, and I vouch to never be so foolish as to give another Apple TV sitcom the benefit of the doubt. How are you to ever expect a feel-good comedy from creators that neither have an evolved sense of humor nor a sense of the difference between wholesome and try-hard? Of course, there’s an admittedly saucy cliffhanger (too soon?) that is likely to leave you oohing and aahing for the next season, which should count me out. The only thing that “Shrinking” deserves a reasonable nod of affirmation for (we’re not giving out applause for the bare minimum now, are we?) is that the tremendously problematic approach to therapy from our resident shrink, Jimmy, has been proven to be an absolute no-go.
Spoilers Ahead
How Dare You Move On Without Me?
Granted, Jimmy should’ve checked in with Alice before boxing up Tia’s belongings. But wouldn’t it only make sense for Jimmy to go through the expected steps if he ever really wishes to let go of the debilitating grief that has been puppeteering his every move? And from what I’ve seen and known of Alice, I can’t really picture her as someone who would take a constructive step towards moving on from her dad. A conflict just for the heck of it? I guess so. Shrugging off the shock of seeing his daughter pout over something that she should’ve seen coming, Jimmy underpins his patience with the urge to never screw up again. Well, at least she has given him an unintentional compliment that Jimmy giggles about like a puppy dog on his hike with Brian.
If You Want Something, Ask For It
Sean is psyched up to go check out a truck for his brand new catering business, which I sincerely hope won’t actually be named ‘White Guilt Catering.’ Making some seriously mid-looking shrimp subs for them is how Sean plans to thank his investors, Liz and Derek. Just as soon as he looks away, Liz whines like a 5-year-old to Derek about wanting to be more involved in the catering business. With a bit of a push from Derek, Liz sits herself down and communicates her wish to have more of a say in the day-to-day decisions. It was never Sean’s intention to connivingly keep Liz away from having her voice heard but giving Liz a free pass to lord it over him is definitely something that he is likely to regret in the near future. Getting to accompany Sean on his way to pick out a truck may be fine and all, but having to learn of it from Derek that her new bestie has been sleeping with Jimmy is something that really gets Liz bent out of shape. Cajoling Gaby with a shiny new rock she has polished, Liz gets her to spill the beans about her new friend with benefits, Jimmy.
Not A Bad Day For Jimmy
Taking Jimmy’s advice on being vulnerable more often has worked out great for Paul. He’s stayed over at Meg’s house with his girlfriend after what probably was the start of him mending his strained relationship with his daughter. The same Paul, who we’ve always known to be cynical about everything Jimmy does, now hugs him for not enabling his dicey treatment of Meg. The news of the hug reaching Liz’s ears when she’s over to give Paul a piece of her mind for not writing the recommendation letter for Gaby isn’t without the risk of Jimmy never getting a hug from him again. Grace has taken Jimmy’s “booping” advice to heart and has been handling life with her sorry excuse of a husband way better than Jimmy had expected. Jimmy has been putting out fires everywhere he’s been going. First, he is able to not fudge it up royally when Alice mourns the little memories of her mother that recede back into an inaccessible part of her mind with time. And then he heavy-handedly convinces Brian’s innately homophobic dad to be the best man at his son’s wedding. From the looks of it, Brian wasn’t all wrong about having faith in Jimmy pulling his weight as his best friend and the officiant of his wedding.
‘Shrinking’ Episode 10: Ending Explained – Does Jimmy’s Advice Help Grace?
I may not generally be too fond of Liz, but there’s not a speck of a lie in her words when she calls Paul out on his inherent sexism that is glaring in his treatment of the women in his life. Jimmy has, time and again, gotten away with pulling a fast one on Paul. Dressing him down out of genuine concern for his well-being was the farthest Paul ever went with Jimmy. In the case of Gaby, he’s fundamentally unappreciative of all that she does for him. Unlike Jimmy, Gaby almost never comes back to collect on the favors she grants Paul out of love. And the one time she did ask him for a little bit of help, Paul left her high and dry. Reprimanded by Liz, Paul takes a little look inwards and sees just how cold he’s been to Gaby, who even goes as far as to make sure that he stays hydrated. Surprisingly, Paul shows up at Gaby’s interview for the professorship. Gaby may have already cracked the interview and gotten herself the job she wanted, but she isn’t too proud to appreciate the sincere effort Paul has made in showing up with a desire to help.
It’s the moment of truth at Brian and Charlie’s wedding. Jimmy fumbles a bit with the speech, and even though he makes it entirely about himself and steals thunder from the grooms, it’s a million times better than having the officiant cry and throw up. Seeing his son happy with the love of his life, Brian’s father, Kip, seems to have seen the light and gotten himself a whole new handbook on how love works in a better world. The cloud of guilt born out of the action of moving on is retreating for the grieving father and daughter. Alice gives into the contagious happiness, gingering up the smiles on everyone’s faces as they dance like no one is watching.
Paul may be jinxing it as he takes a sigh of relief at the thought that Jimmy’s erratic approach at therapy hasn’t compelled them to close down shop yet. With Jimmy’s help, Grace has taught herself to have the courage to talk back when her abusive husband abhorrently reduces her to nothing with his words. Speaking up may startle an abuser the first few times, but a man seasoned at eating away at someone’s self-worth knows his way around anything that can stand as a roadblock on their abusive path. Jimmy was kidding around with Grace on their last session when he was delineating the possibility of her husband being “booped” off a cliff. The big, psychotic burst of emotions are more likely in the victims of abuse when their pain has been made to erupt inside their traumatized psyche. Now that she comes to accept that he will never fix his ways and also that she will invariably be stuck in his abusive whirlwind no matter how many times she gets herself to leave, Grace decides that actually pushing him off a cliff may just be the only way to get rid of him once and for all. Just a thud over the rocks on the side of the cliff, and that is it for Jimmy and his therapist’s license.
