Shrinking SN2 Ep4

Paul reconnects with his daughter, and Jimmy's efforts to get his imprisoned patient sprung take a disappointing turn.

There was a moment in episode 4 of season 2 of “Shrinking” that took me by surprise. It was the realization that Liz (Christa Miller), the headstrong neighbor of central character Jimmy (Jason Segel), has had almost no interaction with Paul, Jimmy’s caustic fellow therapist.

Both characters seem energized by negative emotions, so when several of the other characters mention the similarity of the two, I realized how true it was. Come to think of it, I’m not sure if they’ve actually ever shared a scene together before. Anyway, their confrontation does not disappoint.

In the episode, “Made You Look,” several story arcs continue along. Jimmy and lawyer/pal Brian (Michael Urie) were successful in getting a patient, Grace, who had attempted to kill her abusive husband, sprung from jail in the last episode. As she attempts to deal with her guilt and pain, a disappointing development makes Jimmy question if his self-involved approach to therapy is really working.

On the flip side, Paul doesn’t seem to be making much headway with with Sean ((Luke Tennie), an ex-Army guy with PTSD and daddy issues, so Jimmy takes a minute to reinsert himself into his treatment. This would seem ripe to escalate another face-off with Paul, but instead a strange acknowledgement comes between them.

Gaby ( (Jessica Williams) continues her flirtation with new figure Derek, the friend of another Derek, husband to Liz, played by Ted McGinley. He was pretty much a side character in season one but is getting more substantial screen time and interaction in the last couple of episodes — even acting as unofficial therapist to the therapists.

Paul’s daughter, Meg (Lily Rabe), also makes a reappearance, and it seems like much of their sparring from last season is behind them. His romance with Julie (Wendie Malick) continues to plumb new depths.

Humor takes center stage in this episode, and I found myself LOLing a number of times at some of the snappy dialogue and set-ups. Episodes of “Shrinking” season 2 are like little snack-size doses of dopamine, tickling your funny bone but also making you think.