Shrinking Season 1 Recap: 8 Season 2 Questions Answered

Oct. 14, 2024, 8:20 p.m.

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Shrinking Season 1 Recap: 8 Season 2 Questions Answered

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Shrinking season 1 came to a satisfying conclusion while also setting up a compelling season 2. The Apple TV+ comedy series follows grieving therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) who decides to begin telling his patients what he really thinks about their personal problems, along with encouraging them to confront their issues in unconventional ways. This includes using MMA fighting to deal with anger management and outright telling another patient to leave their emotionally abusive partner, the latter of which created consequences that are important in Shrinking season 2.

Jimmy's approach has consistently been questioned by his mentor and therapist colleague, Dr. Paul Rhodes (Harrison Ford), who understands the importance of setting clear boundaries with patients. Other prominent characters are Jimmy and Paul's colleague, Gaby (Jessica Williams), Jimmy's daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell), Jimmy's patient, Sean (Luke Tennie), and Jimmy's neighbor, Liz (Christa Miller). They all grew emotionally in season 1, but will be further challenged by the shocking turn of events in the Shrinking season 1 ending.

8 Why Is Grace In Jail?

She Took Jimmy's Advice Too Far

Jimmy's patient, Grace (Heidi Gardner), is in jail in Shrinking season 2 because she pushed her emotionally abusive partner, Donny (Tilky Jones) off a cliff in the season 1 finale. During one of their therapy sessions, Jimmy told Grace about the value of pattern interruptions, which she took too far through her violent interruption of Donny's behavior while they were walking on a trail. Whether Donny survived the fall has not been revealed yet, but regardless of the outcome, Grace has been imprisoned following her actions.

Related How Shrinking Season 2 Addresses Jimmy's Unorthodox Therapy Explained By Creators Shrinking co-creators Jason Segel and Bill Lawrence tease how season 2 will explore the consequences of Jimmy's unique therapeutic approach.

As shown in the Shrinking season 2 trailer, Jimmy is visiting Grace in prison to help her navigate the fallout of the situation. Jimmy's best friend, Brian (Michael Urie), is visiting Grace in prison as well, since Brian is a lawyer and can help Grace deal with the legal issues she now faces. While Jimmy's unorthodox therapy approach helped Sean and other patients, what Grace did is a clear sign that certain aspects of Jimmy's therapy are not working, and need to be reevaluated in season 2.

7 What Happened To Tia?

She Died Before Season 1

Jimmy's wife, Tia (Lilan Bowden), was killed by a drunk driver in a car accident prior to Shrinking season 1. Her death upended Jimmy and Alice's lives, and while they have moved forward in some respects, they are understandably still struggling with their grief. In the year following Tia's death, Jimmy was not there to support Alice as he was too consumed by his own emotions. Liz essentially became Alice's parental figure during this time and looked after Alice until Jimmy stepped back up again.

Tia's loss not only weighs heavily on Jimmy and Alice, but on other characters as well, including Gaby, who was Tia's best friend, and on Brian, who loved Tia as well. Despite only appearing via occasional flashbacks, usually with Jimmy or Alice, Tia continues to have a strong presence in the story. The season 2 trailer reveals that there will be more flashbacks with Tia in season 2, including to the night when the devastating car accident occurred.

6 Are Jimmy And Gaby In A Relationship?

Their Dynamic Took A Surprising Turn In Season 1

Jimmy and Gaby began having sex in season 1, but the future of their relationship remains uncertain. They both care deeply about each other and benefit from their newfound physical intimacy, but they treat it more as a casual friends-with-benefits arrangement than as a serious burgeoning relationship. The dynamic is further complicated by their respective relationships with Tia, along with being coworkers, and being part of the same social circle outside of work.

Heading into season 2, they are still physically intimate with each other, although they will have to deal with uncomfortable questions about the future and whether they can continue their arrangement.

By the end of season 1, Liz made Gaby see that her and Jimmy's relationship had become more than something casual between friends. Heading into season 2, they are still physically intimate with each other, although they will have to deal with uncomfortable questions about the future and whether they can continue their arrangement. Regardless of what they decide to do, their personal and professional lives are already heavily intertwined, and their decision will impact many of the other Shrinking characters.

5 Why Does Gaby Drive Paul Around?

She Began Driving Him To Work In Season 1

Gaby drives Paul to work every morning because Paul has Parkinson's disease, which affects his ability to drive safely, including when he accidentally rear-ended Gaby's parked car. Even though Paul does not like losing elements of his independence, he does enjoy singing along to various songs with Gaby as they drive to work every morning. Paul had always been closer to Jimmy than with Gaby, but these morning drives have brought Paul and Gaby closer together.

Despite Paul's resistance, Gaby is determined to help him in other ways, including convincing him to carry around and regularly fill up a reusable water bottle so he stays hydrated. The gradually escalating symptoms of Parkinson's disease are beginning to make life more challenging for Paul, but he is able to better navigate these challenges with support from Gaby, his daughter, Meg (Lily Rabe), and his doctor-turned-girlfriend, Julie Baram (Wendie Malick).

He Did Not Want To Go To Therapy Initially

Sean was sent to court-mandated therapy after physically assaulting and severely injuring an individual at a bar. As a military veteran, Sean struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and anger management as he readjusts to civilian life. His family, particularly his father, made these issues worse by invalidating many of his emotions and not helping him get to the roots of his problems. Sean was originally supposed to be Gaby's patient, but she referred him to Jimmy instead.

Related How Old Sean Is In Shrinking Apple TV’s latest hit Shrinking has an ensemble of interesting characters including Sean, a young military veteran living with anger issues.

Jimmy used MMA fighting to help Sean channel his anger. Sean's anger has not been as easily triggered since engaging in MMA fighting and since he started seeing Jimmy, even as their sessions went far beyond the original number of court-mandated sessions. While Sean has made admirable progress, he still has unresolved issues with his father, who does not know that Sean lives with Jimmy, or that Sean has now started his own food truck business with Liz.

3 What Happened Between Alice And Connor?

Jimmy Was Not Happy About It

When Derek (Ted McGinley) and Liz's son, Connor (Gavin Lewis), came home from college, it was revealed that he and Alice previously had sex together. Connor had feelings for Alice and was hoping to spend time with her, but Alice was not interested in him in that way. At Gaby's insistence, Alice did share with Jimmy what had happened, assuring him that all precautions were taken. Jimmy did not handle this revelation well and unfairly directed much of his anger and frustration at Liz.

Jimmy later apologized to Liz for the hurtful things he said to her due to his own struggle to accept what happened between Alice and Connor. The situation did not change how Liz feels about Connor or Alice, with Connor still being her favorite son, and Alice still being like a daughter to her. The dynamic between Alice and Connor is a one-sided situation, as only Conor has any kind of romantic feelings, while Alice's feelings and attention are elsewhere.

2 What Is Gaby's Second Job?

She's More Than A Therapist Now

While Gaby still works at the same therapy practice as Jimmy and Paul, she also took on a second job at the end of season 1. Gaby applied and was accepted for a professorship position, meaning she will need to balance her work as a therapist alongside being a teacher in season 2. She discussed with Paul how one of the main reasons she wants to teach is so more people of color can see themselves represented in the field of mental health professionals, which can lead to more therapists being people of color.

Gaby's empathy, charisma, knowledge, and experience will undoubtedly make her an excellent teacher that will help her connect with and teach her students.

Gaby always knew how important this was, but it became even more important to her when she learned that one of her clients drives more than an hour to see her, with the patient feeling it was worth the drive to have a therapist who could relate to and understand her. Gaby's empathy, charisma, knowledge, and experience will undoubtedly make her an excellent teacher that will help her connect with and teach her students. Teachers can get easily burnt out, though, and Gaby needs to be careful to still take care of herself as she works in two demanding professions.

1 Why Is Derek A Bigger Part Of The Show Now?

He's Far More Than Just Liz's Husband

In the first half of season 1, Liz's husband, Derek, was not one of the most present characters, although he did have some truly memorable and comedic moments. In the later episodes, Derek had more of a presence as he became more of the show's core social circle, and McGinley is even a series regular in Shrinking season 2. This is because Derek retired from his full-time job and now has more time to hang out with Liz, Jimmy, and the rest of the group, along with indulging more of Liz's whims.

McGinley was Shrinking's secret star in season 1, partly because of the comedic impact he made whenever he appeared onscreen. Now that Derek has more of a consistent presence in season 2, the challenge will be making his character just as humorous and effective. His relationship with Liz will remain central to his character and the overarching story, but the series can also explore some of his other relationships as well. Having more of Derek should be a good thing that makes Shrinking season 2 just as good, if not better, than season 1.