No show does low and slow better than Jimmy and Co. On Shrinking Season 3 Episode 8, “Depression Diet,” they deal with death, dependency, and divorce. (Well, divorce-related conflict, to be more precise, but that didn’t suit the alliterative triad as well.)
There’s more to moving on than just stepping forward. There’s always going to be a backward glance, a “What if?” hesitation, that moment of self-doubt.
Moving on has to be done in spite of all that baggage, not by ignoring it but by acknowledging it. Gaby’s in the thick of it, trying to help others heal while still hurting. Jimmy gets dragged into Sofi and Nick’s. Liz makes herself the goal post to goad Brian and Charlie into cutting their own strings.
Shrinking, “Depression Diet”
Maya’s death was always going to hit the group hard, Gaby hardest of all. Shrinking began in the aftermath of Tia’s death, but since then, the core cast has been spared another loss.
Granted, there were some tense moments with Louis during his Season 2 arc. Happily, he got to heal along with the others. Only to get Gaby’s boot to his butt this season on Shrinking Season 3 Episode 2, “Happiness Mission.”
Maya never got herself on solid enough ground to benefit from a kick in the ass. And Gaby never got the chance to build up the ground under her feet. It’s all so tragic but not surprising.
It’s hard to see Gaby so lost in her role as a therapist. Jessica Williams makes Gaby such a goddess, even in her darkest moments. And this is a new arena of despair.
We’ve seen her vulnerable as a woman, a daughter, a friend, as every human feels at some point, but she typically owns her office space with confidence and boss energy.
When Donna and Mark express their disappointment in how she handled Maya’s treatment, it feels like the death blow to her confidence. Does moving on for Gaby mean something drastic, or can Paul reel her back in?
Circle the Wagons
While Gaby would claim to hate it, it’s incredibly heartwarming to see her friends touch base with each other, pass the baton as new information comes to light, and make sure she’s taken care of.
Derrick sharing his intention to propose with Jimmy and Paul cements his place in the inner circle because it’s about Gaby, not him. The fact that it triggers Paul’s pseudo-dad protective instincts is just bonus awesomeness.
And Paul strong-arming Sean into inviting him to the veterans’ group session, only to have Sean sing like a canary when Gaby grills him on the whys and wherefores, makes the surreptitious support system obvious and less like a sneaky secret.
Every Possible Do-Over
If Jimmy and Sofi ever manage a “normal” date, they may have to admit that they’re not “normal” date-sort-of people. And that’s okay.
There are lots of people who manage first dates without bringing along the specters of dead wives or actual ex-husbands. Jimmy and Sofi are not those people. Clearly.
But they’re also each other’s best chance for making an honest go at a new relationship without sacrificing what’s come before. Neither of them has a corner to hide in when it comes to personal insecurities and missteps. They compulsively narrate every instance of internal mortification.
I’ve heard criticism (GASP!) of Shrinking that people don’t talk that way IRL. Well, duh. There’s no place in the real world where anyone could own up to their biggest foot-in-mouth moments in real time without risking ridicule and ostracization.
But wouldn’t it be nice if there were? Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all just spotlight each of our flubbed interactions, hug them close as evidence of our fallible humanity, and move on with a universally acceptable and permitted do-over?
That, dear Readers, is what I believe Shrinking’s charm is. No one keeps their internal monologue inside. Everyone just airs their thoughts willy-nilly, and everyone else gives thoughtful but honest reactions to them. It’s verbal utopia.
Going Rogue on Demand
But back to the still-not-a-first-date at Sofi’s, complete with coq au vin and Bernice talk. Jimmy’s send-off at home is equal parts cute (Alice’s “You look like a princess!”) and ick (Derek’s “downtown” advice).
I love Derek and everything Ted McGinley brings to the role, but I would never in a thousand years have guessed how not being allowed to have sex would affect him. I guess even verbal utopias have a downside.
Once he arrives at Sofi’s, Jimmy does admirably, trying to ride the wave of chaos that includes meeting her video game-fixated son, Tate, and navigating the animosity between her and her ex, Nick.
When he’s finally compelled to give Sofi and Nick the quickest and dirtiest couple’s counselling session ever, it’s a testament to Jimmying that it does something for them.
Is “Liz”ing a Thing Now?
It seems only fair that if Jimmy can name his in-the-wild therapy after himself, Liz should trademark her life coaching strategy — which is just imposing her will on everyone — and name it after herself.
To be fair, it’s only Brian and Charlie (and Ava) whom she’s “coach”ed. She mothers Alice, kicks it with Gaby, and runs Paul’s life during his recovery like the world’s scariest drill sergeant.
By dictating that Ava allow Brian and Charlie to raise Sutton on their own and form their own family bond, Ava forces Liz to realize she’s also standing in the way of that independent growth.
She was so caught up in having absolute control over Sutton’s life that she slid down the same slippery slope as Ava. Not that she’ll ever articulate it that way. But Liz has never feared the truth.
So she “Liz”es herself out of the nanny position. (Between you and me, I don’t think she actually brunched with Sutton. She wouldn’t be that cruel.)
Getting Back in the Saddle
Notwithstanding Gaby’s parting sentiment about Paul’s horse metaphor, many characters on Shrinking Season 3 Episode 8, “Depression Diet,” make an effort to start over.
They aren’t fresh starts. They’re probably not even the most hopeful of starts, but it’s the getting back up that matters.
How did this more somber and sensitive offering hit you, Shrinking Fanatics?
Will Gaby pull herself out of this tailspin, or will they need to stage an intervention for her “dead patient face”?
Jimmy looks like he got further than second base on the do-over first-but-actually-third date with Sofi. Where does that leave them?
Now that Liz is no longer restricted by nanny ethics, will she just steal Sutton away forever? Kidding. At least, I don’t think she’d do that. Yet.
Three short episodes left in the season! What are you hoping to see? Who else do they have up their guest star sleeve? Hit our comments with your thoughts and theories!
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