Shrinking S2, Episode 11: Nobody is Okay
Breakdown of the eleventh episode of the new season of Shrinking on Apple TV+
Note: This is a spoiler-filled breakdown of Shrinking, episode 11, The Drugs Don’t Work. My previous breakdowns are here: Episodes 1-2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episodes 5-6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, and Episode 10. If you’re a fan of Shrinking, you might also be a fan of Ted Lasso. In which case, check out my book about that show and the relationships contained in it! On to the recap!
As I said in my overview of this season, Shrinking really brought it in its second outing. I continue to be impressed watching each episode. This season's careful level of writing allowed us to get some truly beautifully fleshed-out characters and story arcs, even in a limited number of episodes, while keeping to a tight 30-minute format.
Alice is still mad at Jimmy because he told Louis not to talk to her. Brian and Charlie are getting a baby. Sean is doing really well but is also scared to take the leap toward being more independent. Paul’s drugs are losing their efficacy, and he is struggling to combine his life with Julie’s. Gaby is remaining non-committal with Derek 2, and he breaks up with her. And Jimmy finally admits that he is not okay.
This episode is interesting because it deals with the idea of not being okay in three of the stories. I’d like to talk about how it does that so beautifully.
Sean Is Not Okay
When Sean started this season, he lied to Jimmy about his progress because he just wanted to see his therapist happy. Since then, he started therapy with Paul, and with the two of them in charge of his care, Sean began to see real growth and change. Throughout the season, we have seen him reconnect with his dad in a more profound way. He is more in touch with his emotions. He is in a new relationship. He is able to help an old Army buddy find his purpose. From the outside, everything looks great with Sean.
Despite his progress, Sean balks at Derek's offer to move into a new place. He is still afraid that his progress will crumble if he leaves. He is not okay.
But what sets Sean apart from the others on Shrinking is that he can verbalize that. He knows he is not yet ready to take some of the steps offered to him. Even though that could cause a spiral, because he told Derek and Brian what was going on, Derek was able to offer him some comfort.
By being open about his not-okayness, Sean will be better equipped to move forward. When combined with the support system he has built, his vulnerability will allow him to access the healing he needs to improve his life.
Sean is not okay, but he’s going to be.
Gaby Is Not Okay
Gaby is a fascinating character because she exemplifies what happens when you know what you need to do to get better but just…don’t.
Of all the characters in Shrinking, I think she is the most self-aware. She understands her weaknesses and where she needs to improve. However, she also can get by on her good looks, wealth, and general charisma. She can convince others and herself that she is okay, even while knowing that she is not.
This is why Derek 2 has been an interesting character for her. Her last two partners were a mess, so her problems were of much less concern. She was able to hide her issues under the guise of caring for people who were not able to care for themselves. But Derek 2 is a self-possessed man who has his life together. That’s not to say he’s without flaws, but he is not someone she can hide her flaws behind.
If she had made the one-off remark about her break-up methodology to Jimmy, he wouldn’t have picked up on it. He would have either gone blithely along or done what she wanted and broken up with her. Derek 2, on the other hand, immediately saw what she was doing, even if she didn’t, and called her on it.
Between the breakup with Derek 2 and the fallout with her mom, Gaby will have a lot of work to do on herself to repair these relationships or create healthy ones going forward. She can do that, but it will require her to show up for herself the way she shows up for others.
Gaby isn’t in as good a place as Sean, but even she is in a better place than Jimmy.
Jimmy Is Not Okay
Jimmy has spent two seasons telling us that he is okay. And Paul has spent two seasons telling him that he hasn’t done any grieving but has simply been numbing. First with drugs and sex and now with his patients. But where Gaby acknowledges her shortcomings, Jimmy denies them. He tells Paul repeatedly that he is fine and getting better.
To be fair, he is in a significantly better place than he was when the show started. In season 1, he finally acknowledges Tia’s death and begins to move beyond his absolute sea of grief. He reconnects with friends and makes an effort with Alice.
But when Louis shows up at the beginning of this season, he is almost immediately in the same frame of mind he was in before we joined him on his journey. We see that in the first episode. When he comes home after seeing Louis in his office, he reverts to the same line that he used to tell Alice when he was in the thick of his pain.
By the end of the episode, Jimmy is floundering, and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure he was making the call to Paul. Knowing that he felt like he let down his dead wife and his daughter and, to a lesser degree, his other colleague, I thought he might be too embarrassed by more failure to call the person who might be able to help. Shame is exceptional at keeping us from doing what we need to in order to heal.
For all the not-okay that Jimmy is, that confession to Paul was the first step toward changing that. The ability to see and admit deficiencies and then to seek help to address that lack is how Jimmy might actually be okay.
It’s how we all might be okay.
Best joke: “Too hot, might steal focus.” The way Brian came in and so confidently delivered that line just killed me.
Best cry: Jimmy on the bench with Paul. I was sobbing right along with Jimmy.
So how are you, really? If you’re not okay (and really, are any of us?), what steps are you taking to get better? We’re all in this together.