Let me start off by saying that I am very confused that a lot of the critics writing on this new season of Shrinking call it a “hangout” sitcom/series – both good and bad reviews have settled on the fact that that’s what it is. And to be fair, yes, they have usually seen the screeners of a majority of it already while I am here on episode 2 with all of you, but it still feels strange to me to insinuate that this show has all but abandoned its original premise in favor of dealing with the main characters’ interpersonal relationships and more trivial worries. In my recap of “Jimmying”, I argue that its driving force has always been an interrogation of what happens when you cross boundaries – and that’s still very much in place now. Yes, less weekly patients for Jimmy as a narrative device, more screen time for the main and especially supporting cast like fan favorite Ted McGinley. And yet, I don’t think this shift is so dramatic?
For one, we kick off “I Love Pain”, written by Annie Mebane and directed by Randall Keenan Winston, with Jimmy witnessing the neighbor’s son Connor make more awkward advances on his daughter. Shortly after, Derek admits to outright spying on Jimmy from his balcony, and that he has no interest in stopping.
Jimmy and Gaby are even canoodling at the office now, and joke about sleeping with their patients. Paul who is known for his perhaps even too strict boundaries that ultimately isolate him, softens when he has to abandon his long-term patient Raymond (always a welcome sight: Neil Flynn) and starts to meet him as a friend.
And yes, perhaps Jimmy and Gaby’s friends-with-benefits relationship isn’t as high-stakes as Grace’s attempted murder, but this isn’t a Friends B-plot either. When Gaby confronts him for sleeping with her even when he realized she caught feelings, it’s…dark? Clearly, Jimmy is a mess, and while he may have stopped bringing sex workers over to his house and doing drugs, he is still numbing his pain with this affair, and hurting one of his best friends in the process.
“Pain sets me free.”
Alice meanwhile passes her driving test and then, after being reluctant to actually drive, takes the car to watch the man who killed her own mother in a DUI…writing a letter was clearly not enough, and it will be interesting to see where this will go, but I have a feeling she will invite this man into their lives, and not just cause he’s Brett Goldstein. Jason Segel just joked at a promo event that the alternate title for the show was “How I Killed Your Mother”, and yes, that sums up the vibe of this show quite well.
But tell me again how it’s allegedly not about therapy anymore when there’s a lot of talk how to self-regulate? Sean has been overrelying on Jimmy and needs to learn how to deal with his anxieties on his own, and confronts Liz about some food blogger coming to cover their new food truck. It goes well, but that was an easy exercise compared to him confronting his past.
This week’s true comic relief meanwhile is Michael Urie’s Brian who feels slighted that he did not know about Jimmy and Gaby, and even asks Grace if she knew during his visit in jail. Talk about boundaries.
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Funniest line: “I’ll give him a growth moment.” Alice’s horny friend Summer (Rachel Stubington) sums up the humor of the show quite well.
Biggest woof: “Sometimes, people need more.” And Jimmy is actually the worst person to give anything to the people that deserve it the most.
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I will cover Shrinking Season 2 weekly on Wednesdays for the rest of the year. Find all my Season 1 recaps here. I also previously covered Ted Lasso Season 3, and reviewed Superbob.
