Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8 Review: ‘Depression Diet’

Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8, “Depression Diet” Spoilers Ahead

After last week’s “I Will Be Grape,” a lot was riding on how Shrinking would follow up on the final few moments. Death isn’t ever an easy topic to talk about, let alone write about. No matter how we look at it, there’s never a right answer. But as a series, Shrinking glows in its masterful attempt to question it all, which in turn helps us sit with the emotions we’re feeling in a healthier way. 

Written by Emily Wilson and directed by Anu Valia, “Depression Diet” effectively balances heartbreak and humor in an episode that carefully examines how to move forward. Jessica Williams continues to deliver some of her best performances, and the side plots thoughtfully align with the central arc.

Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8 Thoughtfully Explores the Aftermath of Maya’s Death

I appreciate that Shrinking doesn’t overtly answer whether Maya’s death was intentional or accidental because the topic is too sensitive for us to explore it within the short time frame we have left in the season. And while the series is often exceptional at handling mental health struggles and highlighting how it’s so different for us all, we also knew very little about Maya because Gaby knew very little.

And that’s part of the heartbreak in “Depression Diet” because while Gaby was slowly able to earn Maya’s trust, they hadn’t made it to the point where she was openly sharing about her past. It was the clients who’d initially referred Maya to Gaby that disclosed she had abandonment issues because her mom left her when she was ten. That revelation is a huge punch in the gut for Gaby, because as much as she understood that Maya was weighed down by loneliness, she never knew that the root of it stemmed from her childhood abandonment and trauma.

At the same time, some might question why she didn’t go closer to the crowd at the funeral, but that’s such a tricky situation, too. What if no one knew Maya was in therapy? What if Gaby simply wasn’t ready to talk to her friends and family? Asking questions here matters more than passing judgment or assuming we’d handle it differently. In truth, it’s a lot for anyone to take on, and that includes a therapist, because as we also learn, Maya is the first patient Gaby lost. 

As much as she tries to stay on the horse and honor Maya by taking part in meetings, it makes total sense that it’d hit her, and she’d break in front of Paul. In my general Season 3 review, I called Jessica Williams the season’s MVP. I meant it about her work in “Happiness Mission,” “Hold Your Horsies,” and now in “Depression Diet.” Not to mention that there are still tremendous moments ahead, but everything Williams brings in this episode is utterly heartbreaking. 

Williams wears a myriad of emotions not only in her expressions, but in the changes in her physicality, too. She’s normally an array of colors, but the light that’s dimmed in her is painfully obvious in a manner that clothes can’t change. The hollowness in her is so heartbreaking that by the time we get to the scene in the end where she leaves the office, it’s obvious we’re headed there. It’s obvious that while she’s trying to stay on the horse, it’s impossible to. 

But where Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8, “Depression Diet” ultimately shines is in the reminder that Gaby walking away isn’t a weakness. It’s a good thing that she’s choosing to take time off, even if she’s doing it while she’s still angry and hugely upset. As Paul makes it clear to her, they can’t control what’ll happen to their patients or what they’ll disclose to them while they’re in session. Sadness can sneak up on you, and you have to let yourself lean on the people around you. It’s what the show’s been about for three seasons now, and as Paul also notes, he’s been in her shoes before more than once.

It’s riveting because of how he masks the pain, but we also know that Paul cares just as deeply because he continues to get back on the horse. He continues to come to work every morning, even when he knows that he won’t be able to help everyone. Again, it’s tough to write about a show like Shrinking sometimes in the same way it’s hard to write about a show like The Pitt. The bigger human struggles here are things we’re all still trying to grapple with on a daily basis. And ultimately, neither of these shows tries to take a glamorized approach to pain and trauma, so it’s challenging to put it into perspective. 

The world around us is burning, and breaking news every day is far too much for a single person to handle. Pair the real-world atrocities with our own heartaches, and it’s too much for anyone to live under this much overstimulation, pain, and trauma. Because of this, I suppose, I just appreciate that show like Shrinking doesn’t sugarcoat how dark life can be. Sometimes, it’s really, really awful. Other times, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

At the end of the day, the point that a community matters more than anything is something I hope people take away from this show. Too many people have normalized not texting people back but doomscrolling on social media. The best we can do in moments like this, then, is to reach out to someone we haven’t spoken to in a while to remind them that we care. We’re thinking of them. The world is a dark, dreary place, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be better.

Brian and Charlie Fire Liz (Affectionately)

“Depression Diet” is a mostly heartbreaking episode, but thank God for Liz and Christa Miller continuously bringing in the humor. When she learns that Ava is still living with Brian and Charlie, she goes out of her way to find out that Ava does have a job, and they need to be assertive about her moving out. But Ava rightfully points out that Liz is also doing “too much” (is she, though?) for Brian and Charlie, so Liz makes the decision that they need to fire her, too.

It’s a brief moment that comes with a number of great jokes, but Brian hilariously firing Liz also brings out another wildly great performance from Michael Urie. Obviously, she’ll still be in Sutton’s life, but taking a step back might actually be good for her, especially since it feels like Matthew is doing better, too.

Jimmy and Sofi Finally Go on a Date – Sort Of

Love is also in the air with Jimmy and Sofi finally going on something that resembles a date, but it also involves her ex-husband. Fitting, considering she was also at Tia’s birthday, so honestly, this strange relationship is everything to me because it’s exactly what both of them need. The episode gives us a great moment to really understand that not only is Sofi a total oddball who’s perfect for Jimmy, but she’s also someone who’s constantly dealing with unconventional family dynamics. It’s what makes them so uniquely fit to be together together, so much so that there’s something about their kiss that made me tear up a little.

Maybe it’s the knowledge of how far Jimmy has come. Maybe it’s the understanding that second chances are very much a real thing that makes life worth it after heartache. Maybe it’s the fact that joy in an episode like this feels particularly important. I’m not entirely sure, to be honest, but everything about the two of them and their unconventional moments feels…right.

“Depression Diet” is a tough episode to watch, but it’s beautiful nevertheless as a reminder that the mess is a part of life. 

Stray Thoughts

• Gaby creepily standing at a distance, but then also doing a weird dance, is so Gaby. I love this show.
• “Back on the horse. That’s how we honor the people we lose.” Pretty sure I started crying during this moment and didn’t stop.
• Gabby 😭
• “And when were you planning on asking for my approval?” I’m YELLING. “I’d love permission to marry your co-worker.” OH MY GOD THIS DYNAMIC IS MY NEW FAVORITE.
• Alice to Jimmy: “You look like a princess.”
• What if I start using ‘scited, too?
• I want Paul to tell me “sky’s the limit.”
• Liz scares me, and I want to be her when I grow up.
• “Sadness can sneak up on you.”
• “You let your friends show up for you.”
• “I love their carb wands.” I will never again call it a breadstick. Thank you, Liz.
• “It feels like that kind of love is once in a lifetime.” Oh, Sofi. 😭
• Not Jimmy giving Sofi and her ex couples therapy.
• I’m so uncomfortable with Gaby’s clients turning on her. It’s breaking my heart.
• Now why is this kiss making me cry?!

Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8, “Depression Diet?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV+