Shrinking Recap: Season 2, Episode 4

How fitting it is to begin an episode of shrinkage with “Bad Decisions” by The Strokes? This could just as easily work as an alternative title for this therapeutic comedy. What else do Jimmy (Jason Segel), Liz (Christa Miller), and Gaby (Jessica Williams) do in a given episode other than make less than stellar decisions? However, Alice (Lukita Maxwell) takes the cake. She just slept with her best friend's current boy. Sure, Connor (Gavin Lewis) was into Alice first, but that still puts her in a pretty sticky situation – namely leaving Connor's room in the morning without Liz or Derek (Ted McGinley) knowing she stayed the night.

Elsewhere, we might say that Paul (Harrison Ford) makes his own “bad decisions.” Why else would he allow Sean (Luke Tennie) to bring Liz to his session? It's a bit unorthodox, even if it gives us the most fruitful odd pairing of the entire series: watching Miller and Ford go head to head is kind of fabulous. She stabs him as he fusses over her mere presence. And as it turns out, they manage to resolve the argument between the two at the same time because Liz sells his share of the food truck to Sean's father. It's a sweet, funny moment that flirts with the concept of “jimmying” (leaving the boundaries of therapy) without losing sight of the purpose of such meetings. That said, even after all of this, Liz isn't convinced that she needs therapy.

Do you know which character I would like to see in a therapy session? Brian (Michael Urie). The uptight lawyer is a scene-stealing marvel, and you know there's a lot hidden beneath his neat and decent life – one he may lose when he realizes his husband Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) might want to lead a third life. No, not like a third. A child! A visit from one of their friends, who was recently adopted, raises a question that Brian thought had been resolved long before their wedding: they were both happy being DINKs (dual income, no kids). Only Charlie says that he admitted that he could do without kids (since Brian seems allergic to the very idea of ​​it), but that he's thought about it for once. And maybe he will be again.

That's enough to get Brian excited. He can't imagine any other life now, can he? I mean, he would be a terrible parent, right? He is selfish and selfish. Gaby and Liz do their best to listen to his concerns, but mostly they're sold on the idea from the start and push their breeding agenda on poor, unsuspecting Brian.

The question of fatherhood weighs not only on Brian, but also on Sean, who now has to reckon with improving his relationship with his own father. It's clear that Sean has unresolved issues with his father, mostly stemming from how distant and indifferent he was to his own mental health issues. In a twist, Sean tells this not directly to Paul (who is clearly not only frustrated but overly concerned by Sean's reluctance to speak openly about this rift) but to Jimmy, who, despite his best intentions, cannot stay out of Sean's life.

On the other hand, watching Sean nearly freak out over a group of construction workers being absolute idiots would be reason enough to make him treat his former client/patient again. This white-hot anger needs to be addressed. It cannot be pushed down. The line between therapist and close confidant is intentionally blurred between the two (much to Paul's chagrin), but as happens here after this potential confrontation, it actually triggers the necessary disclosure Sean needs to process what happened to his father happened: “I told I had to fight with him!” he shouts between clenched teeth. “Do you know how hard this is for me?” And yet those words hadn't stopped his father from ignoring the warning signs of a vet suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and clearly in need of more emotional support. It is a breakthrough for both of them, which Segel and Tennie portray in a very simple and reserved manner.

The B-plot, in which Brian is inadvertently recruited by Liz to help photograph dogs – an activity that is as adorable and hilarious as it sounds – is neither simple nor understated. But it's also clearly the kind of outing that brings out Brian's paternal side when he gets too used to a pretty, fuzzy-haired dog that sneaks out of his care (and the car) while driving. Classic sitcom hijinks! That means the episode paces through a fascinating topic faced by many recently married gay couples as they grapple with whether a life in a gated house and a baby will inevitably follow their wedding. Because yes, apparently Brian and Charlie are about to meet with an adoption agent at their house, which upsets Brian again.

Could I call? shrinkage For pushing her own version of the “breeding agenda” by barely acknowledging Brian’s fears and insisting that fatherhood is something innate that we should all strive for? Secure. But such sweet platitudes are ingrained in the show's DNA, so saying your sundae is too sweet feels like unnecessary criticism. Of course it is. And so, after being coached by the likes of Jimmy, Liz and especially the ever-warm Derek, Brian seems ready to begin a new journey with Charlie.

Speaking of Dereks and new travels, Gaby seems to have discovered a new love interest. And yes, there is its own Derek, played by Damon Wayans Jr., who rightly highlights the series' funny and touching sensibilities. As Derek's friend, he's a great match for Gaby right from the start and they would have had a perfect first date (Maple Bacon and…). Lord of the rings early morning trap music) if Gaby's sister hadn't called to tell her that her mother had been in an accident (something Gaby would have known about earlier if she hadn't ignored her sister's calls). But even if their date is cut short, their flirtatious banter sets the stage for a romance that will hopefully keep Gaby away from Jimmy.

Unfortunately, the episode doesn't end so rosily. Instead, it ends with Brian (with his newly adopted puppy on hand) coming into contact with Louis (Brett Goldstein), aka Double D (“drunk driver”), who is there to return Alice's wallet. She had left it at the café when they met briefly. Brian immediately knows who he is and reacts with suppressed anger, especially when Louis asks if Jimmy and Alice are okay (“Are you Fuck Seriously?” Only, perhaps because he's working through his anger, does he soften when he realizes it's a curious and compassionate question. They're doing better, he admits, which is an equally bittersweet conclusion to an episode shrinkage can raise.

Crazy observations

• • I can't believe we now live in a world where Harrison Ford was tasked with uttering the line, “What am I supposed to do, pull down my pants and make my ass slap?”
• • Paul's Parkinson's disease is getting significantly worse. (He can barely write notes.) But what will this mean for him in the future? And can the series delve into such heavy stuff without falling into the syrupy territory it so obviously prefers?
• • If you liked the story between Sean and Dad, may I refer you to the current film Show forgivenesswhich treads similar ground and follows an artist (played by Andre Holland) who has to deal with the return of his father.
• • I may have to steal: “I’m cool. “I'm LL Cool Cool” as a motto when people ask me if I'm cool.
• • Damon Wayans Jr. really is an underrated comedic actor, isn't he? On the other hand, we could say the same thing for everyone Happy endings People.
• • In case you're wondering, the track Gaby played for Derek is called “Give Us The Precious (Lord Of The Rings Trap)” by 2Padre$. You're welcome.