‘Shrinking’ Season 1 Recap: Things To Know Before Season 2

The mess in our mind is not something we can untangle on our own, which is why we need connections, bonds, social circles—shoulders to lean upon and share our joys and burdens with. However, in the present postmodern climate, characterized by fragmentation, isolation, and self-centered zeal, that organic connection with others is no longer as easily built, which is where psychotherapists, or ‘shrinks’ come in. But what happens when the therapists themselves are in a bigger mental crisis than their patients? That’s what Apple TV+’s comedy drama, Shrinking, starring Harrison Ford, asks with a hearty dose of empathy, wicked humor, sarcastic jabs, and a healthy dash of sex talks. 

Shrinking makes it a point to put narrative emphasis on opening up, communicating, and most importantly, being honest with one’s own self, even if it means acknowledging one’s worst insecurities or facing the fears one prefers to walk away from. Given how societal norms and expectations often shape our psyche in troubling ways, it is tough to find a balance when it comes to mental health and quite easy to make mistakes. What’s important is to have people in life we can count upon, and instead of taking them for granted, make time for them and us as well. 

Spoilers Ahead


Jimmy’s Troubles 

Jimmy Laird is an accomplished therapist working at Pasadena’s Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Center along with his colleague Gaby and renowned senior therapist Paul Rhoades, whom Jimmy considers to be a mentor and to some extent craves for his validation. The death of Jimmy’s wife, Tia, a year ago, sent Jimmy into a downward mental spiral, and he effectively drowned himself in every sort of escapist tendency to hide from the pain; in the process, he alienated his grieving daughter, Alice, from him, which is ironic enough, given Jimmy’s vocation. It’s thanks to Jimmy’s kindly neighbor couple, Derek and Liz, that Alice is taken care of properly and Jimmy is able to stay afloat through that period. As Jimmy decides to clean up his act, he tries to make amends with his daughter, but Jimmy realizes forgiveness isn’t as easy to come by given how miserably he has failed as a father. His grief drives him to pry into the lives of his patients a bit too much, much to Paul’s dismay, who fears Jimmy’s unethical tendencies will end up ruining their practice.

For example, Jimmy gives an ultimatum to one of his patients, Grace, to either leave her abusive husband, Donny, or else he will no longer continue being her therapist. Grace lies to Jimmy about having listened to his advice and moving on, whereas she is unable to escape the manipulative, gaslighting douchebag husband of hers. On another occasion, Gaby transfers one of her patients, Sean, a former Afghan war hero who has carried the violence and anger of battle back with him and been lashing out publicly, ending up creating a troublesome situation for himself. Jimmy tries to help Sean by taking him to MMA sparring, but at the same time, he knows all too well that Sean’s deep-seated issues will not be solved by squaring off with trained athletes. Jimmy intermingles private and professional life way too frequently, which ends in Sean and Donny having a brutal fight during Alice’s school football match, and Sean ends up in custody. Jimmy bails Sean out, and as Sean’s father refuses to let him stay, Jimmy brings him home. As Jimmy’s best friend, Brian, an accomplished lawyer, helps Sean to stand his ground against Donny’s lawyer, it is revealed that Jimmy had alienated him as well. The problem with Jimmy is that he is way too occupied with himself to even notice the fact that there are people who care about him or are grieving just as much as he is. Jimmy also faces trouble accepting how highly people regarded his relationship with Tia, when in reality, they were going through a rough patch months before Tia met a fatal accident—and he never got a sense of closure. However, with Gaby’s assistance, Jimmy is able to realize that Tia loved him till the end.


Paul’s emotional barrier

Paul might be the best in the business when it comes to helping others and his colleagues deal with deep-seated mental issues, but he himself has not been able to utilize his worldly counsel in his own life. After separating from his wife, Paul devoted himself to work so much that he couldn’t spare time for his daughter, Meg. Now pushing 80, Paul has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and he is afraid to share the news with his daughter, as he thinks she will worry too much and neglect her own life in trying to take care of his. Paul also has an emotional barrier around himself as he rarely opens up to anyone, creating a self-professed Fortress of Solitude around him. The irony is that the Man of Steel didn’t need it to hide his emotional side from the rest of the world. Despite Gaby and Jimmy caring about him a lot, Paul remains noticeably distant with his stoic demeanor. The only outside connection Paul has is with Jimmy’s daughter, Alice, who shares her burdens with him, and he too finds a way to absolve himself of neglecting his own daughter back in the day by forming a bond of trust with Alice.

After adhering to Gaby and Jimmy’s advice, Paul finally decides to share the truth about his condition with Meg, who becomes eager to take care of her father by bringing him to her family. Paul feels that this isn’t something he deserves and refuses to join her, much to Meg’s dismay, who again feels neglected by her father. Paul eventually starts having a relationship with his doctor, Julie, and learns more about reciprocating feelings—and it takes time, but eventually Paul reconciles with Meg by making a gesture, breaking his stoic persona, and prioritizing his family over his career. 


Gaby and Liz’s Friendship

The most fun, brutally honest, and relatable characters of the series are undoubtedly Gaby and Liz, who initially don’t get along well, given the fact both of them have issues that are quite similar. Gaby is compassionate and empathetic, but she tends to overstep into the lives of people close to her and forgets that unlike her, people judge honesty way too much. Gaby shared a strong bond with Tia, which became the foundation of the friendship she shares with Jimmy as well. Gaby is neglected by her husband, Nico, and on the verge of getting happily divorced, but she continues to feel a strange sense of sympathy for her husband and has a hard time getting over him. On the other hand, Liz becomes a maternal figure to Alice after Tia’s demise and holds on too tightly at times, which begins to undermine Jimmy’s presence in his daughter’s life. Liz’s attachment issues are called out by Gaby, who initially holds a prejudiced opinion of her, but as she gets to know her better, she realizes how much they are alike. Liz and Gaby become gossip partners in no time, and it is through their active assistance that Jimmy and others get their things sorted most of the time. After learning Gaby needed a recommendation letter from Paul to pursue her academic endeavors, which Paul didn’t bother to read in the first place, Liz gives him a piece of her mind and makes him realize why it is important to acknowledge the people in our lives. Paul follows Liz’s counsel to personally convey his acknowledgement when it counts the most, having a moment of his personal growth in the process. A special mention should be given to Liz’s husband, Derek, absolutely the most chill and mentally stable person in the series. 


Sean and Alice’s Troubles

Aside from the PTSD he has been carrying since his army days, Sean is also having trouble dealing with parental issues, as he feels conflicted after distancing himself from his father but then again drifting towards him for validation. Additionally, the problem with him being currently unemployed and with a felony creates a kind of self-demeaning attitude in him. Jimmy continues to unwittingly aggravate Sean’s problems even further while he finds it hard to balance his own life, which creates a love-hate relationship between the duo. 

On the other hand, her father abandoning her following her mother’s demise has pushed Alice to a lonely corner from where she doesn’t want anyone to rescue her, especially not her father, Jimmy, who used to distance himself from her as Alice reminded him too much of his late wife. Alice isn’t able to forgive her father, blames herself for not spending more time with her mother, and feels wrong even with the idea of moving on. Jimmy and Gaby end up having sex during Brian’s surprise marriage proposal party to his fiancĂ©, Charlie, and knowing this, Alice gets even angrier with her father. In turn, Alice falls for Sean, who politely rejects her, and after a couple of uncomfortable interactions, things gradually settle back to normal between them. 

Jimmy finds a way to heal himself by letting go of Tia’s belongings and tries to do the same for Alice, only to realize the same method might not apply for everyone. For Alice, remembering her mother through the things she used to love most is the way to cope with reality. On the other hand, Sean finds a way to make a living as Liz agrees to finance his catering service and finds a way to expressl her maternal tendencies by offering to take care of Sean’s business. Jimmy’s friend, Brian, and his obsession with perfectionism are addressed as well, and the first season ends with Brian getting married to Charlie. Officiating the wedding, Jimmy delivers a heartfelt message—essentially an obituary to his late wife. As the attendees celebrate the wedding with a dance, Jimmy mentions to his daughter how much she reminds him of her mother, but not in the way he previously meant—with a positive connotation.

The first season of Shrinking comes to a strange, cliffhanger conclusion, as Grace ends up pushing her abusive husband, Donny, off the edge of a cliff. During her previous counseling session with Jimmy, he had made it clear how important it is for her to stand up for herself, but it seems Grace has misinterpreted it grossly at the end. It remains to be seen whether this plot thread is going to take shape in the upcoming second season, or was it just a wishful imagination intended for the laughs. 


Siddhartha Das
Siddhartha Das
An avid fan and voracious reader of comic book literature, Siddhartha thinks the ideals accentuated in the superhero genre should be taken as lessons in real life also. A sucker for everything horror and different art styles, Siddhartha likes to spend his time reading subjects. He's always eager to learn more about world fauna, history, geography, crime fiction, sports, and cultures. He also wishes to abolish human egocentrism, which can make the world a better place.


 

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