The Shrink Next Door Review: The Verdict (Season 1 Episode 8)
Justice finally being served on The Shrink Next Door Season 1 Episode 8, “The Verdict,” is, sadly, anticlimactic.
I feel there may be a more effective way to tell this story—because it is an interesting story—but something about the timeline and the overall bummer mood weighs the narrative down.
It could possibly work as a stage play, but presenting it as a dark true crime dramedy doesn’t do it any favors.
Even excellent performances can’t lift it out of the depressing fog. Paul Rudd is sufficiently slimy as the deceitful doctor. Will Ferrell’s Marty, on the other hand, seems to be riding the line of playing a caricature of a gullible push-over.
It’s not bad, but it’s not great either.
There is, however, a beacon among the dreariness, and that is Kathryn Hahn as Marty’s sister, Phyllis.
“To the alps!” They say this in the car when Marty helps Phyllis to leave her husband. It’s a sweet moment to be savored because most of what lies ahead is rough.
I think “the alps” can also be a metaphor for the heights to which Hahn takes this role. The Shrink Next Door‘s biggest mistake was not having her as a bigger part of the story.
Her absence is felt in episodes 5-7 and it affects the reunion we see here. If we had been kept up-to-date on Phyllis’ life the impact of these first scenes with Nancy (Sas Goldberg) and then Phyllis (who is angry at him for contacting Nancy) would hold more weight.
Nancy’s shock at how casual Marty handles their meeting is reasonable. How can he not just start gushing apologies? His nonchalance kills whatever mood it was going for.
Phyllis says she was able to forget him by making him dead to her. The Shrink Next Door makes it so the best character on the show is dead to us in the entire middle part of the story, and that is what ultimately brings this rating down.
Let this be a lesson: more Kathryn Hahn is always the correct answer.
The verdict the title refers to is Dr. Ike finally getting his license revoked, and this is lackluster as well.
The cold, dark, colorless interiors of the law office is indicative of the atmosphere of the show. Ike shows no remorse but by the time we’re in 2021 and we know they haven’t been in contact for ten years, this callousness loses its steam.
At least it was interesting how Ike reacted when Marty first severed contact. He tries to salvage their bond and then gets angry and mean when he can’t.
I appreciate this story being told—there should be more depictions of narcissistic traits and the harmful abuse that comes from them so people know what to look for and protect themselves.
“You’re not an idiot, you’re a schmuck like the rest of us.”
What did you think of the final episode of The Shrink Next Door? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Shrink Next Door Season 1 is streaming on Apple TV+.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.