Shrinking Season 3, Episode 3, “D-Day” Spoilers Ahead
Years from now, when people discover Shrinking for the first time, they’re going to get to an episode like “D-Day,” and it’ll crack something wide open in them. For a moment, especially after that last scene, they’ll feel okay. And hopefully, if the world looks better than it does today, then they’ll believe in the hope for longer than a few hours.
There’s something extremely emotional about the birth of a child and how it unites people in a room where they get to believe in something bigger than themselves. Where they get to pour all their love into this tiny being and find some joy through their mere existence. Written by Bill Posley and directed by Zach Braff, “D-Day” starts with the usual Shrinking antics, but it ends with the reminder that we have to keep going.
Brian and Charlie Officially Become Dads in Shrinking Season 3, Episode 3
Brian and Charlie’s adoption journey has been ongoing since Season 2, and the momentary curveball that Ava hadn’t signed the adoption papers gives us a true pause. Charlie is stuck in Chicago, Liz is unsurprisingly terrifying everyone at the hospital, and naturally, Brian is fully spiraling through it. (Yet, he thankfully keeps all the Broadway metaphors and name-dropping alive.) Shrinking isn’t the kind of show to rip the rug out from underneath us, so a small part of us knew that Ava wouldn’t go back on her word. Still, she honestly tells him that for a moment, her mom got in her head, to which Brian sincerely notes that what she’s doing is one of the best things a person can do for a baby.
The hilariously chaotic moments throughout “D-Day” work to provide all the necessary entertainment, but again, it’s the final few moments that stick the landing with a reminder that this show is all heart. Pairing Paul’s comments while holding the baby with his own journey throughout the episode is a brilliant reminder that healing is like an invincible thread at times. It might fall apart and come undone, putting us in a rough spot, but it’s not the kind that ever fully rips. We have all the tools to tie it back together again somehow, finding some sort of solace in the process. We’re going to be okay. These characters are going to be okay, even if they’re all pulled in different directions because of their own struggles. It’s moments like this, with each of them standing in the hospital room, where they all come together again, reminding everyone that the world isn’t as bleak as it seems.
I saw a post earlier this week about how shows like Ted Lasso and, by extension, Shrinking or anything else out there that’s deeply human are getting to be too much, and it made me so sad because I firmly believe these are the shows that are actually fixing something in us. They’re reminding us that we aren’t alone in our pain, nor are we stuck in it. I had an awful few days before rewatching Shrinking Season 3, Episode 3, “D-Day,” to write my review, and now as I write this, I feel a little bit better. I feel significantly more hopeful than I did two days ago. And I know I’m not the only person who’s impacted by shows like this. There are tons of us tuning in weekly and rewatching, too.
These types of shows are the closest thing we have to magic in the real world, and I, for one, am beyond grateful for it. Because we might not have a Paul—or a Gaby—to sit with us on a bench when we need them, but we can turn back to Shrinking and allow their struggles to teach us something about ours.
We can believe in the idea that Brian and Charlie’s adoption journey (like other LGBTQ+ fictional couples who’ve come before them) can help someone in the real world see that gender or identity don’t matter when it comes to giving a kid a permanent and loving home. The human heart matters. Empathy matters. These types of narratives can spark hope and joy and a lasting impact.
Paul Passes the Bench Therapy Torch to Gaby
Since the Season 2 finale, “The Last Thanksgiving,” the Season 3 premiere, “My Bad,” and even last week’s “Happiness Mission,” we continue getting hints that Paul’s life is continuing to change. He might be recovering from the UTI, but Parkinson’s is a disease that worsens, and because of it, he cannot keep going the way he used to. As a teenager, Alice is growing, too, but while she might not be breaking apart because of her grief as heavily she was before, as Paul states, “Life has a way of making sure that no one’s ever really done with this stuff. But at least you know you can get through it on your own if you have to.”
She’ll likely run into countless issues in college, then later in life at work, because challenges never cease. We grow with them and through them, but there’s never a point where everything is grand all the time. She’s going to need someone to sit with her, and what better person to do that than Gaby? The fact that Paul initiates this transition, then walks away, is a dagger to my heart, but also so satisfying in terms of creating excellent television because the amount of emotions it evokes is profound. It’s gratifying to see two women sit together knowing that they not only share a profound loss, but a tremendous, ever-growing love for each other.
Punctuating the immensity of the scene with Jessica Williams looking back at Paul and subtly showing us that she sees exactly how much things are changing, wrecked me. When I called her the MVP of Season 3, this is what I meant. Between her jaw-dropping performance last week and everything we get in this episode, Williams is bringing her A-game, including having Maya back to make up for the last session.
Gaby has always been the character who’s been obvious about how deeply she cares for people, and how she continues to look out for them (like making sure they’re hydrated!) is on full display with the bench scene. She isn’t just happy to be here for Alice whenever she needs her, but it’d be an honor to continue taking care of her late best friend’s daughter like this. It’d be an honor to follow in Paul’s footsteps.
Jimmy’s Dad Comes to Town, and Jimmy Is Still Stuck
Jeff Daniels guest stars as Jimmy’s dad, and things are understandably tense. With his relationship and attachment to Paul, it was always easy to guess that he may not have a good relationship with his own dad, and Shrinking Season 3, Episode 3, “D-Day,” proves it. Jimmy isn’t just on edge with the visit, but he’s also protective of Alice and likely doesn’t want her to face the same disappointment he constantly does. Whether we’ll see him again is the question, but this arc further showcases how much Jimmy is stuck in the past and why he can’t move forward.
Do I want Jimmy and Nurse Kimmy together? Nope. Too much chaos, but I know I’m not alone in wanting to see Cobie Smulders return as Sofi and for the two of them to try starting something new. Having Liz essentially talk him through his own realization by seeing the dangling Twix bar in the vending machine makes for another exceptional moment that continues to show how these characters show up for one another. None of them is alone with the crosses they carry, and every reminder we get is a reminder we as the audience need, too.
Accountability Matters
One of the most rewarding character journeys in Shrinking has always been Sean’s, and everything we see in “D-Day” highlights just how considerably therapy has impacted him. Sean understands the importance of accountability, and even more so, today, he understands the value of communication. The man who used to bottle his emotions and channel them through rage is now the one who makes matters right from his past, and we see it with his desire to talk things through with Marisol.
Only, Marisol isn’t interested in this because she acknowledges both their faults by chalking it up to how young they were. Maybe that’s true, but it’s still incredible to see Sean try and have a moment of vulnerability where he fully allows himself a confrontation with the metaphorical Field. Luke Tennie is so great at bringing forth sincere emotions, and the amount he showcases in “D-Day” is no small feat.
Shrinking continues its streak of amazing episodes with fine-tuned moments that stick the landing in delivering authentic human moments. The humor and heart are once again expertly balanced, and the performances continue to rise to new heights, with each actor consistently bringing their best to the screen.
Stray Thoughts
- I’m glad we know Jimmy’s birthday. I’m not psyched to know when his parents got it on.
- “I’m about to be a caring father. I should practice.” 😂😭
- Derek making Brian’s Jennifer Hudson dreams come true as “Baby” plays. This is how you deliver friendship.
- Brian’s musical references. God, I love it here.
- “Being accountable matters.” I’m so proud of Sean.
- “That’s just Jesus right?” Sean still doesn’t accept the Field.
- “Squirrel teeth.” “Stupid glasses.” “Never shuts up.”
- Harrison Ford saying the word “hallalu” is the funniest thing I’ve heard.
- “If I catch one whiff of carrot. It’s over.”
- Liz looking at Ava’s vitals 😂
- “I don’t want to have a chat.” “I know you don’t, sweetie.” Jimmy and Liz remain an underrated duo.
- Where and when did Paul get a burner phone is the real question?
- You never have to 😭
- “Well I guess I could do I raised dad.”
- The Alice and Paul dynamic is everything to me.
- Harry Belafonte. “The day-o guy?” 😂(but also this feels cosmic because I’m crying over Catherine O’Hara’s death again.)
- The nurses being scared to come to this room because of Liz is so funny.
- “This is Paul. I’m using my burner.” TOOK ME OUT
- “I don’t know why but she wants to tumble your rocks.”
- “So she has to renounce her lord for you to smash?” I can’t with this show 😂
- Paul passing the torch. I can’t stop crying. You have to be around forever, Paul 😭😭😭
- “A weirdo you know.” 😭
- “I get paid in Taco Bell.” GABY IS MY GIRL!! Same though.
- “She’s the best there is.” Paul and Gaby have come so far.
- “I do not think I can handle a bad ending.” Same, Jimmy, same.
- “I knew you were a witch.”
- “S P E Y S I D E” needledrop while everyone holds the baby wrecked me beyond repair.
- “Enjoy the ride, kid.” WHAT IF I NEVER STOP CRYING?
Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Shrinking Season 3, Episode 3, “D-Day?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV+