[Editor’s note: The A.V. Club will return to recap the show on March 4.]
Shrinking began as somewhat of a workplace comedy in 2023, exploring how a group of overtly close colleagues who happen to be therapists come to depend on each other after a tragedy and form a discerning friend group. It has since morphed into a straightforward, often saccharine hangout dramedy. Characters pop in and out of each other’s homes and offices at all times, they eat breakfast before heading to their jobs, go on midday hikes (because, you know, L.A.), and generally don’t have boundaries in a mostly endearing way. It appears to be outside the realm of logic, but when the cast is this charming, does it matter? Like he accomplished with Scrubs, Cougar Town, and Ted Lasso, series co-creator Bill Lawrence thrives in this mix of humor and heart. Shrinking encapsulates his strengths, even if this show veers more toward the dramatic side.
I’m not shy to admit that I’m a weeper when it comes to watching emotional moments. So Harrison Ford‘s monologue in Shrinking‘s season-two finale, when Paul expresses gratitude to his pals for sticking by him during his health issues, got me. (And yes, I do think Ford should’ve won some awards for his beautiful performance.) So by the end of this season-three premiere, it’s a one-two punch because Paul gets married—hell yeah!—and then quickly realizes how bad his Parkinson’s symptoms have gotten. Once again, Shrinking delivers a good mix of goofy humor and waterworks in a way that progresses the plot. As with any opener, “My Bad” catches us up to what the gang has been up to since Thanksgiving—including the fact that Gaby (Jessica Williams) and Derrick #2 (Damon Wayans Jr.) are on the “I love you” stage already—and sets up forthcoming storylines, like Liz’s (Christa Miller) unfiltered involvement as a nanny to help Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) prep for their baby’s arrival.
The most crucial parts of the episode stem from Paul, whom I’ll get to shortly, and the reveal that Alice (Lukita Maxwell) might be heading off to Connecticut for school, much to Jimmy’s (co-creator Jason Segel) distress. The thought of leaving him and the rest of her Pasadena community scares the crap out of her, even though she’s excited at first, showing off her athletic skills and knowing that Wesleyan’s coach is watching from the stands (along with Jimmy, Paul, Gaby, Liz, and everyone else, who aggressively cheer her on). Still, it’s only when the coach comes to meet her at home and tells her she’s in that Alice realizes she isn’t ready to go. Thank goodness for Sean (Luke Tennie), who finds out the truth and urges her to live her life instead of letting fear hold her back. It’s a little weird that her therapist dad’s former patient is giving her such solid advice, but honestly, this feels par for the course for a show like Shrinking.
Sean’s salient counsel actually sums up where I think season three might be heading thematically. In many ways, grief is naturally baked into the premise, considering Shrinking opened with Jimmy despondent over his wife’s death a few months ago, while everyone rallied around him for support. A lot of the debut run was about how everybody struggled to pick up the pieces. (To the show’s credit, the writing was breezy even if the characters were in mourning.) Season two, according to what Lawrence told The A.V. Club in 2024, was about forgiveness. That’s why Louis (co-creator Brett Goldstein) entered the picture. Louis was the drunk driver responsible for killing Jimmy’s wife, and much of the sophomore run was about Jimmy, Alice, Brian, Gaby, et al. reconciling with how the accident affected Louis and shattered his own life, with Jimmy eventually forgiving the guy, mostly so that he can start to heal himself.
It feels like the pitch for the third season was “moving on.” Alice has to evolve instead of being the one her dad continually keeps leaning on, and that can happen only if she prioritizes herself and her education. I’m glad Sean not only convinced her to call the coach again so she can go to Wesleyan but also that he made Jimmy realize why he has to let her go. Meanwhile, Brian and Charlie are moving on by focusing on their expanding family. Then there’s Gaby, who seems stuck in her work, realizing she isn’t helping people the way she intended to. She seeks a purpose, and I’m excited to see where she finds it as the season progresses. Gaby does have one goal in “My Bad,” though, and that is to ensure Paul gets married and that Julie (Wendie Malick) gets a lovely wedding.
So what if they decide to tie the knot only to avoid filling a barrage of legal forms? (Paul wants to get his affairs in order because of his health.) Gaby is determined to give her pals a memorable day, roping in everyone to help out. There are more than a few hiccups, including the fact that a grumpy Paul doesn’t care to celebrate much and doesn’t realize that Julie seems excited about the prospect of wearing a white dress rather than having to go to court to sign the document. He didn’t even call his daughter to tell her he was engaged! But it’s okay, Meg (Lily Rabe) shows up anyway, and Paul and Julie happily walk down the aisle, with Jimmy giving yet another moving speech about finding love and hope in unexpected ways. Cue those tears I was talking about. At least they’re happy ones (for now).
At the very end of “My Bad,” Paul spots a stranger sitting in Liz’s kitchen. Except, he’s not a stranger. It’s Jerry (Michael J. Fox), the man he briefly met in his doctor’s waiting room at the start of the episode. The two had hit it off quickly, bonding over how each of them is dealing with having Parkinson’s. So what the hell is Jerry doing at the wedding, you ask? As it turns out, Jerry is a figment of Paul’s imagination and a sign that his health really is taking a turn. But like he said in that season-two finale, at least he’s got his community to help him through it.
Stray observations
- • Getting to say “Your voice makes you sound wise” to Harrison Ford must be so damn nice.
- • It’s nice that Paul asked Jimmy of all people to keep him in check if he sees him sinking and Jimmy responded by saying he’s happy to return the favor.
- • Season two ended on a tiny cliffhanger, with Jimmy stopping Louis from possibly jumping in front of a train. Fear not, Louis is alive, but he admits to Jimmy that he’s afraid to start his life or try to seek real happiness again. Moving on is the theme for his season-three arc, too, huh?
- • “What little girl doesn’t dream of getting married so she has fewer forms to fill out?”
- • Sean calls it “crunchy munch spiritual crap,” but I really liked what Paul had to say to him about the so-called Field: “Life is a conversation with the universe. The Field is an intelligent energy force that knows who you’re supposed to be. And it’s going to keep demonstrating to you what it is you need to work on most over and over again until you start doing it.”
Saloni Gajjar is The A.V. Club‘s TV critic.