Name: Shrinking season 1 episode 8
Director: Zach Braff
Released: 2023-03-10T12:00:00

Episode 8 of Shrinking revolves around Paul helping Jimmy regain some control in his relationship with Alice while Gaby visits a person from her past. The episode is streaming on Apple TV+.

Recap

Paul calls Meg to patch things up but his grandson answers instead and after talking to him for a while, his son-in-law takes the phone and tells Paul that Meg isn’t ready to talk yet.

Jimmy has a session with Grace where he tells her that she will have to face some consequences to enact some change in her life. He then mentions how he has to face some consequences of his own later that day.

He and Gaby sit down with Alice and explain to her that they’re aware of how big a mistake it was to sleep with each other and they will make sure it doesn’t happen again but Alice is creeped out by the whole conversation.

She tries to vent about how Jimmy is behaving to Paul and talks about doing whatever she wants like going to a garden party with her friend Summer or hooking up with a college guy she met who rides a Vespa.

Paul is still thinking about his issues with Meg and takes it out on Alice so she walks away from him, making him feel bad.

Jimmy joins Brian and Charlie on their hike to once again apologize for his behavior at their engagement party. Brian brings up how they were supposed to officiate each other’s weddings but he’s fine with Jimmy backing out if it’s too much for him.

Jimmy says he has no problem with it and is excited about the event but after he leaves, Charlie and Brian feel awkward because Brian actually doesn’t want Jimmy to officiate their wedding.

Gaby invites Liz and Sean to an art show that is going to be Nico’s work. Brian goes over to Jimmy’s house to leave a note telling him how he feels but Jimmy is at home. Brian says he didn’t see his car so assumed he wasn’t there.

Jimmy wonders where his car is and gets worried when he realizes that Alice isn’t home either. He calls up Paul and asks him where she could have gone. Paul tells him about the garden party and joins him and Brian as they drive over there.

Gaby, Sean, and Liz have an awkward time at the art show where Nico seems to be doing quite well. Gaby is annoyed that Nico decided to clean his act up after they split.

She does have a pleasant interaction with the gallery owner, Aliyah. She also notices a painting of a female silhouette and tells Sean and Liz that it’s a painting of her.

Along the way, Jimmy asks Brian what he wanted to say and Brian finally tells Jimmy that he doesn’t want him officiating the wedding because he couldn’t keep it together at the engagement party.

Jimmy is really mad about it but is too focused on finding Alice to give it more attention. They reach the gardens where they find Summer and a few other teenagers hanging out and Jimmy asks her where Alice is.

Summer says Alice left to meet some boy from USC who rides a Vespa and gives Jimmy the address. They head over there and tell Alice to come back home with them as they scare the young college boy.

When they get back home, Paul tells Jimmy that he needs to start putting his foot down. He thinks he’s not allowed to be mad at people because of his behavior the past year but it’s perfectly valid.

He points out the situation with Brian and Jimmy tells Brian to leave until he can get over how he feels about being asked not to officiate.

Gaby is ready to leave but as she’s headed to say goodbye to Nico, she sees him tell some other people that that painting of the woman is actually Aliyah as the two of them share a kiss. This pushes Gaby over the edge and she makes a big scene as Liz and Sean drag her out.

Jimmy drives Paul home and when he gets back, Alice is waiting for him and she apologizes for how she behaved. He tells her that she’s grounded for the next two months and things get heated before she says she hates him and storms off to her room.

Just like Paul said, Jimmy feels a little guilty but also feels good about the fact that he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing, being a father.

Review

One of the things Shrinking does so well is depict different human dynamics and how certain circumstances affect those dynamics. The cast performs so admirably and everything feels really authentic.
The focus on how Jimmy deals with his patients has reduced and even his sessions with Sean aren’t shown as much, veering away from the primary narrative. A balance needs to be maintained between Jimmy’s personal life and how it affects his work life.
The background score is a lot more prominent in this episode, especially at the beginning and at the end which sets up two versions of the same mood.