Shrinking Season 3, Episode 1, “My Bad” Spoilers Ahead
Written by Brian Gallivan and directed by Randall Keenan Winston, Shrinking is back with an exceptionally wholesome and worthwhile season premiere. “My Bad” isn’t just a good episode, but it’s the type of excellent accomplishment that demonstrates why this show is so special. It gives each of its ensemble members a beat to shine, while setting up the rest of the season with thoughtful arcs that are so achingly human that it makes talking about the show a rare treat.
Since the Season 2 finale, “The Last Thanksgiving,” we knew that Paul’s worsening Parkinson’s symptoms would be a huge focus in Season 3. I expected tears. I knew they were coming, but this early isn’t something I was prepared for, which is essentially a good thing because Shrinking writers aren’t ones to drag storylines along for the sake of drama. Every decision not only makes sense, but it feels earned, and in “My Bad,” especially, it’s all so well-executed that it makes the episode even more gripping.
Paul and Julie Say “I Do” in Shrinking Season 3, Episode 1
Shrinking isn’t typically the show to give us hour-long episodes, but it’s fitting that “My Bad” is as lengthy as it is, considering Paul and Julie get married! It’s also worth noting that few series know how to use time wisely, and Shrinking is one of them, structuring the majority of its premiere around planning a casual, small wedding that ends up being so emotionally effective, my tear ducts don’t know how to cope. Paul is such an important person to each of these characters, but now, Julie is, too. And so much of the reason Gaby goes full-on wedding planner is that she can see Julie’s desires for one. She knows that Julie would like it, even if Paul grumbles through it. She also understands that time is precious.
Thus, this whole narrative, which also adds layers of misunderstanding, gives us a lovely moment between Paul and Julie where Harrison Ford and Wendie Malick get a stunning beat to shine. It’s a gift to age in a world where it’s not every person who’s fortunate enough to experience it, yet at the same time, Hollywood has an ageism problem. It’s not every show that gives us healthy, loving relationships with people starting later in life, so the fact that we see it on Shrinking is yet another gift that ensures the episode stands out. But also, Julie opening up about the fact that she felt pretty in her dress while simultaneously sharing that she had a nice time recounting their story with Gaby and Liz is all Paul needs to realize that he should embrace this moment with her. He should see it to the end, pocket square and all.
The brilliant mix of humor and heart surrounding the actual wedding is yet another gift because Jimmy earning another chance to officiate—for Paul especially—is a big deal. But Gaby walking him down the aisle as “his dad” is an even bigger deal. They could’ve easily had Meg take on his task, but there’s something to be said about how the choice is Gaby, given all he’s done for her and how deeply she respects him.
Paul and Julie’s relationship is so special—so lovely in its beginning and middle that the mere thought of their wedding is enough to make me cry. I had to watch the entire scene multiple times to clock every expression and every minute shift in their body language to finally take in how beautifully Malick and Ford play off each other. They give us concrete proof that Paul and Julie would do anything for each other, and they deliver unmistakable gratitude in the knowledge that they get to spend the rest of their lives together. It’s a gift to watch Paul and Julie’s wedding in Shrinking Season 3, Episode 1, “My Bad,” and not just for us as viewers, but clearly, for all the characters, too.
Paul, Sean, The Field, and What Comes Next
The second Paul starts talking about “the Field” in his session with Sean, I could see Harrison Ford as Han Solo in The Force Awakens saying the words, “It’s true—all of it: the Force, the Jedi—it’s all true.“ Because in many ways, aren’t we all trying to find some way to understand everything that’s happening around us? Only in Shrinking, it’s a little different as Paul tells Sean: “The Field is an intelligent energy source that knows who you need to be, and it’s gonna keep demonstrating to you what it is you need to work on most. Over and over again until you start to do it.” This idea is the very heart of Shrinking Season 3, and how we’ll continue to explore it with all characters is exactly what makes this season a masterful exploration of humanity.
Every character this season will be tested. We get small glimpses into how in “My Bad,” but it’s what comes next that’ll show us all thetrials that are testing them. Sean is no longer in a relationship with Dr. Sykes; Brian and Charlie have decided they’d like Ava to be a part of their lives when the baby comes; Alice is going off to college; Jimmy is avoiding moving forward and everything that toes the line between him and complete loneliness; Derek and Liz need to deal with Matthew’s return; Gaby and Derrick are okay, but Gaby wants something more from her career, and Paul—Paul is now hallucinating.
There’s undoubtedly going to be a lot of heartache and turmoil as every character carefully and, at times, chaotically deals with their individual tormentors, but the writing on this show has always promised us that things will be okay in the end.
In the same way that Jimmy could fully lean on Paul in “The Drugs Don’t Work,” today, Paul allows himself to be vulnerable enough to say the words, “If you see me sinking, pull me up,” to Jimmy. And this is exactly the type of moment that makes Shrinking such an exceptional show because watching men have honest and emotional conversations like this is a rarity in real life, let alone on TV.
It’s scenes like this that are so evocative because they’re significant reminders that it’s okay to lean on others. It’s okay to need people because it’s something every human experiences at some point in their lives.
It’s also worth mentioning that we don’t just see this with Paul, but Shrinking Season 3, Episode 1, “My Bad,” also gives us another parallel to the finale with Jimmy and Brett Goldstein’s Louis back on a bench together. It’s heartening to know that their bench scene in “The Last Thanksgiving” wasn’t just a one-time thing because a single gesture doesn’t change matters fully, but a number of choices to show up for someone do the best job of helping them out of the waters. And while Louis seems okay right now, Jimmy makes a point to kindly call him out on the fact that he isn’t reaching his full potential by staying at the coffee shop. So, whether this helps Louis or not, the remaining episodes will reveal that, but the chance to give us a moment like this is so lovely for further proof of how this series honors continuity.
Ultimately, how the Field is going to continue playing a role in character development is already so strong in the brief moments we get during this episode that it’s admirable. There’s also an abundance of depth in this theme that can be a hook during the rest of the season, which will make analyzing every beat that much more compelling.
Alice and Her Found Family
Shrinking started with a grieving girl lost and looking out for herself, but in Season 3, every character showing up for Alice is the loveliest full-circle moment to witness. How she reacts to them at the game, and how she later realizes that she isn’t ready to leave them after talking to the couch, is completely unbeatable because it’s so human to be scared of losing it all.
Related Content: Interview: Lukita Maxwell Discusses Alice’s New Chapter in Shrinking Season 3 and Why the Show Feels So Real
Thus, the humor and heart we get during the game and how the episode ends make the unease we have to sit with a little bearable. In the end, we have ample proof that these characters will continue to show up for each other, and that’s what matters, making this the strongest season premiere we have yet.
Stray Thoughts
- Michael J. Fox!! I really have no words for this cameo still.
- The joke about his mom. Oh, hi, Back to the Future nod.
- F Parkinson’s indeed.
- No more living in “why me land?”
- Jimmy being such a scaredy cat continues to be hilarious.
- Derrick’s fear of crows OH MY God.
- “Everyone you hate is well aware you hate them.” Derek is such a good husband to Liz.
- Aww Jimmy and Louis
- Men talking. Men talking. Men talking. I love everything about this show.
- “I’d hit that.” “You couldn’t handle it.”
- “Nanny McLiz”
- “We broke Liz” 😂
- “When I have to put Paul down.” Shouldn’t have made me laugh as hard.
- Why is this wild, gross gesture at the game making me cry?
- I love Mo Welch having a role in this show.
- “When Tia died, I fed your kid for a year.” Liz is never going to let it go, and she shouldn’t.
- “Just be yourself. You’re the best.”
- “You just have to dip it in honey first.” 😂 OH MY GOD. This Winnie the Pooh reference took me out.
- The characters all learning about crows is so personal to me.
- “Anything for my therapist.” “I talked to you once on a bench. I don’t want credit for any of this.”
- “Cranky therapist grandpa.” “She’s my hero godmother.” “Guncle-godfather.” “The woman who made our goalie cry, that’s my neighbor-mother.” OKAY, ALICE, MAKE ME CRY MORE.
- “I know how to be kind. I’m just not a wh— about it.” THIS SHOW.
- “Jimmy dresses like Mr. Rogers.”
- Gaby giving Paul away 😭😭😭
- THIS WEDDING!!!! Guys, I’ll never stop being emotional about it.
- Thrilled to know Jimmy knows how to use punctuations. AI could never.
- Derrick’s Sméagol “I love you” is sending me.
- “Don’t wait as long as I did.” 😭
- A “woof” isn’t allowed to make me cry, and yet, here we are.
Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Shrinking Season 3, Episode 1, “My Bad?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV+