Shrinking Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Fifteen Minutes

Apple TV+’s Shrinking third episode expands on the world it created in its two-episode premiere without losing sight of its purpose or thesis. Shrinking Season 1 Episode 3, “Fifteen Minutes,” even intertwines more characters from both sides of Jimmy’s life — personal and professional.

Rather than segregating a “work” plot and a “home” plot, Shrinking effortlessly blends all of the aspects of Jimmy’s life together. It’s a unique structure for a story that’s so dependent on its main character’s work life. And it never feels forced. Paul and Alice can interact in the same space in a way that makes sense, and so can Gaby and Brian.

Even Paul and the neighbor Liz are able to make contact, and in a situation that doesn’t seem forced.

While the Shrinking premiere centered more on Jason Segel’s character, Shrinking Season 1 Episode 3, focuses more attention on his colleagues. In fact, the majority of this episode is dedicated to Jessica Williams’ Gaby and Harrison Ford’s Paul.

Gaby and Jimmy are the perfect dynamic duo, within their own friendship and as thorns in Paul’s side. Williams and Segel continue to play off each other so well. If it translates from script to screen that way, kudos to the writers. If they’re improvising some of their banter, I’ll be the first to give them each their flowers.

Their friendship is also a great way to tie into the wider theme of the show — how grief affects those around us. Since Shrinking Season 1 Episode 3 explores more of Gaby’s personal life, we learn that Jimmy’s wife Tia was her best friend.

It’s one of the more interesting topics we’ve approached so far. How can we be strong for somebody when they lose a loved one while grieving for them ourselves? In some magical way, Shrinking lightens this heavy subject matter and doesn’t leave us feeling depressed after watching.

Outside of the Tia situation, in Shrinking Season 1 Episode 3, we learn that Gaby is married. And then we learn that she’s cheating on her husband, but it’s actually not cheating because they’re getting a divorce. It’s a lot to take in in one half-hour episode.

Williams takes the arc in stride, starting cheerfully at the top of the episode and rounding home plate in a more subdued, serious resting place.

And in the same way that Segel and Williams’ chemistry shines in the lighthearted scenes, it doubles down in their serious heart-to-heart. This dynamic is one of the most interesting of the show, so far, and I’m excited to see more of their background as friends come to light.

The same goes for Harrison Ford’s Paul. Our introduction to his character was primarily through the lens of Jimmy’s unofficial therapist. Shrinking Season 1 Episode 3 gives the curmudgeonly man more depth.

For one of the co-leads, we haven’t spent much time with Ford’s character yet this season. Jimmy is almost three for three in breakthroughs with his patients, but Paul is really only having informal sessions with Jimmy and Alice. 

There’s still more to explore with him, and more of his personal life to unlock. But we get a nice start here, with his health struggles. Having to come to terms with Parkinsons, a brain disorder, as a therapist who specializes in the brain? Ironic, and just salt in the wound for this poor guy.

The one storyline that hasn’t clicked yet is Jimmy’s patient Sean staying in his pool house. Shrinking is crafting this narrative that Jimmy is an unconventional therapist. A self-proclaimed “rebel.” But there’s a reason doctors recuse themselves from cases that hit too close to them.

Their overfamiliarity with each other is going to inevitably cross boundaries in their therapeutic relationship, and it isn’t going to turn out well. For either of them.

I’m also not sure where the Sean/Alice dynamic is going. If he’s just there as a bridge in age between her and her father, to help them relate better, that’s fine. But isn’t he a little too old for her, if they were actually flirting? The ages of these characters are vague at best, but I don’t know how to feel about that yet.

Sticking to its purpose, Shrinking highlights the different ways and reasons that cause people to grieve. It levels the playing field for all its characters and validates all types of experiences. And it expresses that no one way of grieving is the “right way” to grieve, and nobody’s grief is any more or less important than anybody else’s.

It’s also full of small steps — Paul asking Gaby for a ride, Alice eating dinner with her dad, and him not making it a big deal. Sometimes all we can do is make a little progress at a time.

Three episodes in, and Shrinking is heading in a positive direction. There are still some characters in Jimmy and Paul’s lives that we can dig deeper into, and there are a lot of interesting dynamics yet to explore and paths yet to cross. Overall, an A+ start for a fresh comedy.

Stray Thoughts:

• OBSESSED with the decision to make Alice’s “grieving song” Phoebe Bridgers’ “I Know The End.” Such a Gen Z choice. 
• And I love that it’s implied that Jimmy knew the song well enough that he chose it for himself too.
• Paul signing his texts is so on-brand for his character.
• Gaby’s morning commute playlist is a big mood. Sometimes you have to belt “Story of a Girl” from the top of your lungs.
• “That plant was deader than your mom” and “Divorce is always hardest on the coworkers” were the top lines of this episode.
• Really curious to see how Jimmy handles Grace’s backslide with her abusive husband, and glad to see Heidi Gardner sticking around for a few episodes.

What did you think of this episode of Shrinking? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Shrinking airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

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