Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Shrinking Season 2 Episode 5.
Even though Apple TV+’s Shrinkingis about grief, there’s always still so much humor infused into the series. However, there are several heartwrenching moments in this week’s episode. Gabby (Jessica Williams) is forced to deal with some uncomfortable family dynamics with her sister, and Liz (Christa Miller) ends up exploding at Jimmy (Jason Segel) with a laundry list of all the reasons she feels he’s negatively impacted her life. Alice (Lukita Maxwell) also has to confront the fallout from her dalliance with Connor (Gavin Lewis). Her best friend, Summer (Rachel Stubington), physically attacks her, but this scene is played more for laughs than anything (which is a sharp contrast to a scene of violence later in the episode). Even though many characters face turmoil, no one is having a tougher time than Sean (Luke Tennie). After an upsetting conversation with his father, Sean makes a terrifying decision that will be difficult to recover from.
Sean Faces One More Disappointment With His Dad on ‘Shrinking’
So far in Season 2, Sean has been working actively in therapy to deal with his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and his tendency to engage in violence as a coping mechanism. He’s made an effort to avoid getting in fights by using the techniques that Jimmy and Paul (Harrison Ford) have taught him. But Episode 5 features a trigger that Sean simply can’t run from. His father, Tim (Kenajuan Bentley), is now running the food truck with him, but there is still an undercurrent of tension between the two. Sean tries to open up to his dad and explains that he doesn’t feel like his father truly supports him (especially when he returned from active duty). There’s a visible lightness around Sean as he finally gets to unburden himself to his dad. But that feeling is immediately erased by Tim’s response. He blames Jimmy and Paul, saying that therapists always try to point fingers at the parents. He claims he’s done nothing but love and support Sean and that Sean is merely ungrateful. Tim’s anger is a clear dismissal of Sean’s feelings. By turning Sean’s work in therapy into something negative, Tim has triggered Sean’s fight or flight response in a major way.
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Will ‘Shrinking’ Go Beyond Season 3? [Exclusive]
The Jason Segel and Harrison Ford dramedy is currently expected to run three seasons on Apple TV+.
This Week’s Episode of ‘Shrinking’ Features a Shocking Assault
After experiencing such a big rejection from his father, Sean sees the construction guys who have been throwing beer bottles on Jimmy’s lawn. He then follows the group of guys, and not only does he smash a bottle at their feet, but he also starts egging them on. There are several of them, and they’re pretty big dudes. But instead of wailing on the guys, Sean does the unthinkable. He unclenches his fists, and as the camera pans away, it’s clear that the group of men is brutally attacking Sean. Sean isn’t interested in fighting back at all, which makes it obvious that he simply wants to be hurt.
Even though Sean has been making so much progress in therapy, he’s still in a great deal of pain, and this is something that he now wants to feel physically as well. There are going to be consequences for Sean after this. There will obviously be physical ramifications (which could be quite serious), but Jimmy and Paul will need to come together to help Sean heal (both physically and emotionally), and they’ll need to focus on coming up with ways to help Sean process his pain so that he doesn’t seek out these types of experiences again.
Sean’s issues with his father run deep, but he has to heal in a huge way so that he’s not devastated every time his father says something hurtful to him (especially because that’s bound to happen repeatedly in the future). In the meantime, there’s no escaping the fact that it’s incredibly painful to watch someone as kind as Sean self-destruct in this way. Watching a character who has already shown so much growth regress in a way where he feels the need to endure this type of self-punishment is heartbreaking. But it’s also very real and honest. Perhaps there is some progress that Sean didn’t feel the need to act violently himself, but his efforts to self-harm are even more brutal to watch. No matter what Sean’s father claims, therapy and the support of his friends are what will help Sean heal in the end.
Shrinking is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
- Release Date
- January 26, 2023
- Cast
- Jason Segel , Luke Tennie , Michael Urie , Lukita Maxwell , Harrison Ford , Jessica Williams , Christa Miller , Ted McGinley , Heidi Gardner , Devin Kawaoka , Lilan Bowden , Kimberly Condict , Lily Rabe , Tilky Jones , Rachel Stubington , Wendie Malick , Sawyer Jones , Mike C. Nelson , Matt Knudsen , Kenajuan Bentley , Adam Foster Ballard
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 1
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