Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5, “Honesty Era” Spoilers Ahead
Shrinking’s “Honesty Era” is exactly what the title promises it’ll be—an episode for hard truths and significant changes. Written by Zack Bornstein and directed by Jamie Babbit, “Honesty Era” pushes toward the turning point into the halfway mark, leaving viewers with comforting beats that’ll hold us over while the more challenging narratives start to unravel.
While we don’t see the immediate continuation of Brian’s conversation with Louis in “Made You Look,” we see advancement from all the seeds writers are planting to create more riveting and relatable stories. This week, Summer learns the truth about Alice and Connor sleeping together, Brian and Charlie start talking about adoption, Jimmy and Gaby put aside their issues, Liz goes through a breakdown, Sean confronts his father, but it backfires, and Paul’s ex-wife (guest starring Kelly Bishop) gives him an essential piece of closure. In more ways than one, it’s a gripping episode that continues to place characters in the front seat.
Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5 Is All About Complicated Truths
To start, “Honesty Era” is Liz’s episode, and Christa Miller brings her A-game from beginning to end. When an old run-in with a previous ex upsets Derek, everything she’s bottled up simmers to a boiling confrontation. Rightfully so, because as she tells Jimmy, Derek usually helps her through everything, but since he’s mad at her, it causes extra problems on top of all her frustrations.
It’s a great stepping stone that Liz is finally confronting Jimmy because she’s right about everything. It’s upsetting that Connor is heartbroken because of the whole Alice and Summer triangle/explosion. It’s sad that Gaby doesn’t come around anymore because she and Jimmy aren’t on good terms. It’s upsetting that the tiny tattoos are her idea, stemming from the days when she took care of Alice while Jimmy was falling apart.
All of this makes complete sense and allows Liz to finally be more than comedic relief because while we’re so used to her solving everyone else’s problems (albeit in her own unconventional way), she deserves the same compassion and respect back. The balcony confrontation brilliantly humanizes her and simultaneously gives viewers a better understanding of her marriage with Derek.
Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5, “Honesty Era,” doesn’t solve all the issues, but it does give Liz and Alice a perfect moment. Alice delivers the precise apology Liz needs because it not only shows that she’s owning up to her mistakes, but she’s acknowledging Liz’s worth, too. At the moment, this is exactly what Liz needs to hear, and it’s a step in the progress both characters will continue to make.
Alice and Jimmy’s Tattoo Adventures
Going off of the confrontation with Liz (which Alice overhears), the scene between Jimmy and Alice at the tattoo shop works to once again give father and daughter something poignant to work with while they honor Tia in the process. It’s fitting that Alice would be completely fine with the pain while Jimmy is openly and dramatically freaking out because he’s always a “react first; act second” type of person. Only this time, he does make somewhat of a suitable call to take Alice out of school and give her something that he knows she’s going to do secretly anyway.
Jimmy is surprisingly doing okay at this point in the season, and this experience with Alice closely showcases his state of mind. He is fully taking Liz’s words to heart, and he even shows up for Gaby, knowing she’ll need him while she’s around her family. Jimmy isn’t selfish here, but he’s openly trying to be selfless instead. He’s trying to show up for people in the way they’ve been there for him, and it’s a solid step to exhibit his subtle character growth. He even tells Gaby the hard truth about her sister being right, which effectively points toward the episode’s theme.
Is Gaby Juggling too Much?
Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5, “Honesty Era,” drops hard truths with this narrative as it shows us that Gaby is indeed juggling too much. We saw the beginning of it in “Jimmying,” and now we feel the weight alongside her. Like most characters on the show, she needs her own therapist to work through some of the frustrations brought on by her family.
Additionally, there’s something to be said about how and why she’s allowing this whole thing with Jimmy to get as bad as it has. It does seem like things are getting better, at least, so there’s that, but I, for one, can’t wait to see more of her family. Jessica Williams is an excellent actress, and I want to see more of her as the season progresses. We knew that the conversation with her sister would be an emotional one, so it’s admirable that the series goes there.
Paul and His Ex-Wife Patch Things Up
The wildest bombshell in Shrinking this week is that Paul was married to Emily Gilmore. Kelly Bishop returns to the silver screen in yet another role I’d love to see more of, allowing Paul to finally talk through some of the demons that have long haunted him. He opens up about the fact that he was so ashamed of cheating that he isolated himself completely from both his wife and daughter. But when Susan states that she’s back because she recently lost a friend to Parkinson’s, and she doesn’t want to lose Paul without patching things up, it leaves the exes in a place where they can finally work through some old wounds.
And while most characters merely scratch the surface this week, Paul and Susan do indeed make steady progress when she vocalizes that she fully forgives him. The only thing left to do now is for Paul to learn how to forgive himself. Thankfully, he’s on the right track as the two go back to sharing a flask (while including Julie in it, too!) during Meg’s conference. It’s not hyperbole to state that Harrison Ford is monumental in this role—everything he does is so profoundly admirable, and the balance between vulnerability and humor never fails to floor me.
Sean’s Pain Comes to the Surface
After both Jimmy and Paul tell Sean that he’ll know when the moment is right to confront his dad, the conversation doesn’t go as planned because his dad decides to blame therapy instead. Heartbroken and dealing with all of this, he starts a fight with the construction workers who’ve been littering and taking advantage of the neighborhood’s welcome. This isn’t shocking considering that the season has been building to a moment like this, but it’s slightly concerning what can come from it and mostly how he’ll feel. The scene cuts before we see anything, so I imagine it’s what most of next week will focus on.
Sean carries a tremendous amount of guilt with him, and we know that this is something that he’ll ultimately feel terrible about. However this situation goes, it’s still incredibly realistic for Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5, “Honesty Era,” to show viewers these human reactions. It’s what we keep building to, and everything we see in this episode marks the beginning of what I imagine will be a profoundly satisfying midpoint.
Stray Thoughts
- I’m really nervous about how Derek and Liz’s relationship!??!
- When I say that “What’s Pedro Pascal?” took me out!?!?
- “I love you second best.” / “You have two other sons.” / “I said what I said.” God, I really do adore Liz and Alice’s relationship.
- I really do love that Jimmy and Alice have matching tattoos for Tia. Truly, a great choice.
- How did this episode make me clench my chest and laugh so hard at the same time!? THIS SHOW.
- Paul not letting his son-in-law have the flask was A+. Harrison Ford, the icon that you are.
Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5, “Honesty Era?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV+