Shrinking Season 2, Episode 12, “The Last Thanksgiving” Spoilers Ahead
Shrinking’s “The Last Thanksgiving” is an ominous title for an episode that’s surprisingly hopeful. Collaboratively written by Bill Lawrence, Neil Goldman, and Brett Goldstein with astounding directing from Lawrence, the Season 2 finale glistens with hope. It’s that simple. There’s hope here, from beginning to end, and my burning eyes are proof of that.
The day before I watched this episode, I’d told one of my good friends how I felt deeply numb because I couldn’t seem to cry. I wasn’t reacting to fiction the way I used to, and nothing was speaking to me on a deep, visceral level. I was a machine, churning out content for my job, forgetting why I started doing this in the first place. Between the steadfastly clenching burnout and the state of things in America, every part of me feels numb. Yet, I don’t know what it means when a property finds you right when you need it most.
In truth, it feels like the answer to unsaid prayers—maybe even some sort of cosmic interference because it seems like a Bill Lawrence property always seems to come at the right time when I need it to help bring the words out again. Four years ago, it was Ted Lasso’s “The Hope That Kills You,” and I credit that episode to the fact that as an outlet, Lady Geeks is still around. While the episodes are prodigiously different from one another, the message is the same—no one wants to be sad and alone.
I also have the added advantage of watching this episode before Thanksgiving because, as many people will probably agree, right now, it’s a little hard to look at the bright side. It’s hard to be thankful when there’s a lot more fear, heartache, and agony going around. Still, Shrinking Season 2, Episode 12, “The Last Thanksgiving,” brings forth a clear message about hope and the power of friendships at a time when the world needs it most.
Shrinking Season 2, Episode 12 Shines a Light on Forgiveness and Hope, Even Amidst the Fear
In many ways, everyone in this episode is afraid of something. Whether they say it aloud or it remains lingering in their eyes, fear won’t be leaving these characters any time soon. There’s a lot to achieve still, especially in Season 3, but this really is a perfect episode, taking Shrinking from a great show to an indescribably excellent one. When I say I had my heart in my throat and tears streaming down my face the entire time, I’m not exaggerating. I started crying the moment Jimmy sat down to talk to Alice, and then I hopped into the shower after the episode ended so I could properly sob without anyone asking me if I was okay. (Oh, yeah, totally fine, just completely distraught and changed because of a show—nobody look at me.)
Before Jimmy names his aches and shadows to Alice, she tells him that she isn’t mad anymore and she shouldn’t have forced a friendship between him and Louis. But even if his daughter fully forgives him, this is about Jimmy forgiving himself. And as Paul says, it’s the act of revelation that’s healing. It’s his admittance of his faults and his sincere apology that will play a tremendous role in setting some of his crosses down. The conversation between Jimmy and Alice is monumental at this moment, made extraordinarily memorable by the sincere and vulnerable performances from both Jason Segel and Lukita Maxwell. The way that Jimmy tries not to break and how she listens intently make for a scene that’s so incredibly raw that my heart ached and healed simultaneously.
Yet, the juncture that stands out most in that moment is how Alice reminds Jimmy that even while he briefly let himself go, she knew he was still inside because he’d carried her to her bed when she fell asleep on the couch. It’s that quiet revelation that ultimately works to permit Jimmy to forgive himself a little bit because even when he thought he was failing, he showed up. Despite the fact that it took a beat, he still came—he climbed out of the hell he’d sculpted around himself to reach his kid again. And today, he’s continuing to do that for Summer too, which also matters because does he even really like her? Maybe not, but that’s not the point. The point is, she’s a kid whose own father doesn’t care, and yet here’s Jimmy, showing up for her.
In the end, Shrinking Season 2, Episode 12, “The Last Thanksgiving,” turns the tides over, allowing Jimmy to show up for Louis right when he needs him most. The holidays are hard, and they’re even harder on those who are indeed lonely and hurting. When Louis’ coworker’s friends learn that he killed a woman while driving drunk, they essentially uninvite him from Friendsgiving. In that brink of loneliness and that horrifying point, Louis debates doing what he’d told Alice haunts him—he considers walking onto the train track. It’s such a harrowing beat of torture that I had to consistently pause because I wasn’t sure I could physically watch it happen. And not knowing what would happen was the worst part because what if the show had gone there?
Related Content: Scene Breakdown: Jimmy Meets Louis at the Train Station in Shrinking’s Season 2 Finale
Thankfully, it doesn’t, but the haunting sorrow that Brett Goldstein projects is something that I have very few words for. No one should be alone during the holidays—no one should be alone, ever. (Unless they genuinely, wholeheartedly prefer it that way.) But for the people with gaping wounds in need of tending, they shouldn’t have to sit alone at a train station, or in a diner, or even in their homes. We spend the majority of Season 2 diving deep into Louis’ regrets and revealing that even if everyone forgives him, the moral of the story is that self-forgiveness is ten times harder. And it’s moments like this where he’s reminded of the fact that he took a life where it becomes infinitely harder for him to want to exist, too.
Juxtaposing his fears and heartaches with Paul’s in this episode is a compelling showcase of how different revelations weigh on people and a testament to the importance of the company. Yet, it’s so crucial that Jimmy is the one who shows up at the station because he’s also battling his own unrelenting guilt. Alice might’ve forgiven them both, and they’re on the right path toward healing, but in this moment, no two people are connected like they are. Jimmy and Louis don’t need to talk about the issues weighing on them both—they know. We know. At that moment, they carry each other’s crosses in a way that’ll allow the load to hopefully lighten for a longer stretch of time.
Thoughtfully written and impeccably brought to life by a monumentally gifted cast, Shrinking Season 2, Episode 12, “The Last Thanksgiving,” expertly balances vulnerability and warmth in a chapter that highlights the significance of friendships. In truth, this is the exact message we need this year because I imagine that many people, like Louis, are feeling heartbroken and lonely. Like Paul, countless people are afraid. Like Jimmy, someone somewhere is battling with an unyielding responsibility. And I hope that people watching these episodes take these messages to heart because sometimes, just sitting beside someone while their heart is in shambles gives them the strength to push through. And maybe, in our numbness, that’s all we could ask for.
Related Interview: Neil Goldman Talks Shrinking Season 2, Harrison Ford’s Exemplary Performances, and More
Harrison Ford’s Heart Wrenching Performance and Paul’s Brilliant Breakthrough
In “The Drugs Don’t Work,” Paul is there for Jimmy’s breakthrough, and in “The Last Thanksgiving,” every single person Paul Rhoades has helped shows up for him. They don’t realize they’re doing it, at least not at that exact moment, until the grumpy therapist finally gives himself a chance to be vulnerable.
In full transparency, I don’t know how to write about this scene or Harrison Ford’s breathtaking performance. It doesn’t seem as though words like a “tour-de-force” or a “magnum opus” are suddenly enough. Age is a funny, beautiful gift. It’s a privilege to get older and continue living, but it’s also terrifying. It’s scary and heartbreaking when someone like Paul reminds many of us of someone we know. How we start to reflect on life, our fears, and our mistakes take us through ongoing, sometimes vicious cycles. Still, the human need to turn toward gratitude is what’s so deeply restorative.
It’s indescribable to sit here in my office where I have a giant poster of A New Hope on the wall right next to me, writing this review about how Paul Rhoades is the Harrison Ford character who means the most to me. It’s a privilege to watch a scene like this where it genuinely feels like every person in the room wasn’t just acting but that their tears were real. (Jessica Williams made me cry ten times harder when the camera pans toward her at some point. Michael Urie! Lukita Maxwell! Jason Segel trying to hold it all together!) What a gift this episode is. What a tremendous, profoundly healing gift.
Related Content: Why Harrison Ford’s Emmy Nomination for Shrinking Is Special
The reason I say that Paul means the most to me now is because everything we see with his character feels so innately human. If a man like him allows himself to be afraid, then we can, too. We can doubt ourselves, and we can question our pain. Maybe even for a moment, we can feel sorry for ourselves. And then we can look around the room; we can see who showed up for us and make a mental note to always show up for them, too, even if they need us in the middle of the night or when we’re doing something we think is so crucial.
Today, while more people go to therapy and utilize tools such as upholding our boundaries and showing up for ourselves, they forget that human beings showing up for one another still matters. This idea that we don’t owe anyone anything is counterintuitive because, we do in fact, owe people something. When people show up for us, we owe them our love, our time, and our loyalty because when everything’s burning around us, all we have is companionship. Friendships should be transactional, equally so, because if we can’t rely on each other, then who can we rely on? People are lonely. They’re scared. They’re sad. They’re conditioned to believe that they have to take on everything on their own; otherwise, their strength is diminished, yet shows like Shrinking do a brilliantly compelling job of reminding people that strength lies in our transparency. Strength is unveiled in our most vulnerable moments, such as when a man stands up in front of his friends and family to vocalize that he’s going to need them. Strength is admitting that we aren’t okay. Strength is showing up for others, even while we’re battling our own demons.
It’s okay to protect our peace and to take time for ourselves. Sometimes, we don’t have the capacity to show up for others when we can’t even show up for ourselves. But after a while, we have to pick ourselves up and pluck up the courage to be someone else’s light. We have to admit to our fears and fight another day because all we have as human beings is our ability to empathize with each other.
Shrinking Season 2, Episode 12, “The Last Thanksgiving,” is a truly exceptional episode that ties together multiple captivating threads. We can even go into how Derrick convinces Gaby’s mom to reconsider dinner, how Liz finally gives Jimmy a rock, and how everything with the holiday feels so grounded in reality. Every little beat in this episode is about what we can do for others in difficult times, making it something indescribably special.
Stray Thoughts
- At some point during this episode I stopped taking notes because I was crying so hard I couldn’t see.
- The needle drop of “Looking Too Closely” by Fink. Oof, Christa Miller, you can do no wrong.
- I will never be over every directorial choice in this episode. If it doesn’t win every award, so help me God.
- Expect many scene breakdowns from this episode.
- The MONTAGE. The MONTAGE.
- “He’s not a wizard” made me cackle.
- Last week, it was Taco Bell, this week In n Out. Please, I cannot keep buying food based on this show.
- Derek remains a gem.
- So does Derrick.
- Aw, Sean and his buddy is also really sweet.
- Truly, so many good things about this episode that I don’t think we could ever stop talking about it.
Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Shrinking Season 2, Episode 12, “The Last Thanksgiving?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV+