Shrinking Season 3, Episode 10, “The Bodyguard of Sadness” Spoilers Ahead
Written by Brett Goldstein and Neil Goldman, with directing from Randall Keenan Winston, “The Bodyguard of Sadness” feels like the end of an era. With confirmation of Season 4, the show, as we know it, could look a bit different when it resumes, and a few creators could be trusted with that kind of shift, the way the Shrinking team could. I’m not sure what’s ahead, but I’m sure it’ll make me feel as deeply as this episode does.
As a penultimate, “The Bodyguard of Sadness” brings in all the complicated emotions tethered to goodbyes. It brings milestone moments and plenty of heart, while also dropping more than one bombshell and challenging the actors in a way that allows them to bring their A-game.
Paul and Jimmy Are at Odds in Shrinking Season 3, Episode 10
Though Jimmy tells Gaby that he’s okay with Paul giving her the practice, his feelings toward Paul are understandably more complicated. His dad just left, and no one seems to be as frustrated by his decision as Jimmy is, Alice included. As someone who’s also sensitive, there’s something really daunting about our feelings being dismissed as a character quirk. For the most part, Shrinking has consistently done a great job of showing that every personality trait is important, and it’s necessary to feel our emotions, but the behavior toward Jimmy in this episode is also incredibly human. The people closest to us are often the ones who might not see those sensitive moments for what they are because they’re focused on something else.
And in “The Bodyguard of Sadness,” everyone’s naturally dealing with their own rising issue, like Charlie’s job forcing him to (temporarily) relocate to Tennessee, Liz and Derek realizing Will got his girlfriend pregnant, and, of course, Paul’s big move being a day away. Even Sean is dealing with his own chaos as Jorje still won’t forgive him, and he’s also planning a move. It’s all a lot, so in some ways, Jimmy’s dad not making it to Alice’s graduation feels trivial, but to him, it’s part of a bigger problem. It’s why the conversation on the balcony feels like such a gut-punch because Jimmy is fully lashing out after all the moments he’s tried so hard to keep it together.
Because really, Jimmy’s been struggling the most when it comes to Paul’s departure, so the fact that it all hits him in such a negative way makes complete sense. The way that Jason Segel punctuates “you’re leaving me” gives us so much to understand the layers of his heartache. It all feels like abandonment rushing to the surface. It doesn’t matter that deep down he doesn’t want the practice and is probably incapable of running it the same way Gaby would, because all he’s ever wanted was Paul’s reassurance. As the father figure he always needed, the move is hitting him in a number of stinging ways because it’s Paul, not because of the practice.
There’s something really fascinating about this penultimate episode when we compare it to last season’s “The Drugs Don’t Work” and examine how Jimmy and Paul are at the center again. These two are, in many ways, the heart of the show, so it feels fundamentally more haunting that we’ve left them at such a painful spot. Knowing Shrinking, it’ll be resolved by next week’s finale, but how we take them to this place is going to make this scene hit even harder. Harrison Ford and Jason Segel deliver some of the most gut-wrenching performances in the exchange, and I’m not sure I’m ready to weep again next week.
Jimmy and Alice’s Silent Understanding
There’s a lot that happens in Shrinking Season 3, Episode 10, “The Bodyguard of Sadness,” but nothing wrecked me the way that Jimmy and Alice did moments before her graduation. The show began with a father and daughter trying to grapple with the pain of losing the person they loved most, and it all comes back with such warmth in this scene that I’m not quite sure how to put it into words.
Lukita Maxwell has done such an excellent job of holding her own throughout the show’s run that seeing her in this moment was a treat as someone who understands the intimate grief of losing a parent. People have always wondered why I didn’t go to my graduation for undergrad or even my MFA, but I’ve always said that High School was enough without my dad. There’s something really heartbreaking that happens in that moment where you just can’t even talk about it, which is why the words “I know” encapsulate so much.
Alice knows her mom would’ve been unbelievably proud of her, but she also knows that her dad loves her with his whole heart. She knows she’s come far, and she knows that those around her are proud of her. It’s quietly emotional in a way that’s so devastating, and it’s so incredible to see how far the two of them have come in their grief. It’s lovely to see how much Jimmy is trying with her, and it’s wholesome to see her meet him halfway. Because really, what else can you do? Showing up and being beside someone has been an important lesson on Shrinking for a while now, and it continues to be powerful today.
The End of an Era
It’s hard to predict where we’re going when Shrinking resumes for Season 4, so I won’t even try, but it’s so lovely how this episode paints how far the characters have come. From Sean moving forward in a career he loves to Brian choosing to be selfless, it’s all so beautiful when we look at it through a lens that sums up the three seasons so far. The show’s never been preachy about therapy, but it’s unmistakable proof of the fact that vulnerability ensures that the best of us comes to the forefront. Healing comes from talking things through, and coming out of the waves requires trying to swim through them.
Each of these characters has done this to a degree, so their decisions in this episode make complete and total sense. Liz was never going to be a regular grandma, but the fact that she’s choosing to go on vacation with Derek first is so telling that it’s everything. Almost losing him in “Dereks Don’t Die” put into perspective just how deeply she loves him, and it shows. When she said that he’s the joy, she meant it, and she’d do everything to ensure he also sees it.
In last week’s “Daddy Issues,” Brian put on a whole show about being selfish, but when it comes to Charlie, the reality is that he shouldn’t be. He can’t be. Their family shouldn’t be split apart, even temporarily. So his arc gives us plenty, too. Alice’s graduation party being used as Paul’s goodbye also makes complete sense because it’s the only way he would’ve wanted it.
These emotions aren’t always easy to sit with, but they’re necessary. They feel like a part of life, and Shrinking has never shied away from accurately bringing ugly moments to the surface in order to give us hope in the end. And hope is exactly what I imagine we’ll get in the finale.
Stray Thoughts
- Jimmy and Liz hugs are becoming my new favorite thing.
- What do you mean people don’t know the Jerry Springer show?
- Derek is emo. Same, tbh.
- “Poor motherless child.” 😭😂
- “Disney make an animatronic of him?”
- Jimmy is happy for Gaby 🥹
- “Happy Grandpa meet Grumpy Grandpa”
- AI IS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT. THANK YOU, DEREK.
- Jimmy’s dad really is the actual worst.
- Not Derek and Liz thinking ADHD isn’t real.
- Derek wants to go on an adventure. (They’re giving Carl and Ellie and what if I cry?!!)
- “Not everyone is as sensitive as you.” Can I punch Jimmy’s dad through my TV?
- “Give me a call and let me know who Mr. Miyagi is.”
- Another Paul hug 😭
- “Your mom.” “I know.” Oh, this bit wrecked ME. What can you do?
- “A man who’s only crime is loving you too much.”
- I don’t ever want to pronounce açaí properly. I want to pronounce it the Paul way.
- Jimmy losing it 😭
- “You’re leaving me.”
Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Shrinking Season 3, Episode 10, “The Bodyguard of Sadness?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV+