Aahana Swrup
Season 3 of ‘Shrinking,’ the Apple TV+ comedy-drama, finds its central characters at the start of new beginnings in their lives. As Paul’s Parkinson’s diagnosis continues to evolve with time, the adept therapist adopts an uninhibited outlook on life. At the same time, he and his girlfriend, Julie, realize that simply getting married would fast-track all the more complicated parts of the legal paperwork required to assume each other’s power of attorney. This gives Gaby the perfect opportunity to make their union a friends-and-family affair, bringing all the glitz and bluster Paul would have otherwise liked to avoid. Meanwhile, Jimmy finds himself at a pivotal point in his fatherhood as Alice begins to consider her college options. Thus, when a collegiate soccer coach arrives to watch one of her games, her entire extended family, including grandpa-therapist, guncle godfather, neighbor godmother, and more, show up to show their support. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Jimmy and Louis Share a Heart-to-Heart
After showing up for a suicidal Louis at the train station on Thanksgiving, Jimmy has remained in contact with the man. Their dynamic is eternally strained under the weight of the other’s involvement in the death of the therapist’s life. Still, the two are steadily on their way to a genuine human connection. Jimmy expresses his worries about Louis sticking it out as a cafe barista, which is directly holding him back from moving on with his life. He encourages the other man to consider returning to his career as a graphic designer and to find the courage to start anew. Nonetheless, his dark past keeps him from making any drastic life-changing changes, as he remains content to stay in this pleasant interlude of his life.
On some level, Jimmy can relate to this sentiment of not wanting to move forward. With college on the horizon, his teenage daughter, Alice, has been making plans about her post-high school life. So far, her top preference has been Wesleyan College on the East Coast. Fortunately, the institution’s soccer team has expressed an interest in recruiting her as a player. Better yet, the college’s soccer coach is set to show up at her upcoming varsity game to discuss their potential future options. Even though Jimmy is nervous about the prospect of his daughter moving away to Connecticut, he plays the part of the supportive father to the fullest. In fact, everyone from Alice’s life, including Brian, Liz, Paul, Gaby, and their significant others, attends the game to show the teenager their love and support.
Jimmy Accidentally Proposes to Julie on Paul’s Behalf
Paul and Julie’s relationship has been building for the past few seasons. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the couple has been thinking about the rest of their future together. At his point in life, given his age and medical diagnosis, the therapist is expectantly thinking about his eventual demise. Furthermore, he’s thinking about the part his girlfriend will play in the event and thereafter. As such, he has employed Brian’s help in modifying his will and testament to include Julie in all the important parts, including the dreaded pulling of the plug. When the trio discusses the same matter in the aftermath of Alice’s soccer match, Jimmy ends up overhearing and casually suggests marriage as a quick-fix solution.
The suggestion is practical and sensible, but also an inadvertent proposal. Regardless of how it comes about, Paul and Julie quickly get on board with the marriage idea. Initially, the former is planning on just dropping by the court to fulfill all the formalities. However, once the news reaches Gaby, this becomes an unrealistic expectation. Paul’s longtime colleague and friend understandably wants him to properly celebrate the event by throwing him and Julie a proper, if subdued, wedding. Although Paul is reluctant to greenlight the decision, he ends up relenting in the face of Gaby’s persuasion. To no one’s surprise, the wedding quickly goes from an intimate party to a full-blown affair in Liz’s backyard, complete with drinks, dance floors, and a visit from Paul’s daughter, Meg. Likewise, unsurprisingly, Paul’s grumpy attitude about it also remains.
Brian, Charlie, And Liz, Prepare the Baby’s Nursery
While Gaby handles the festivities of Julie and Paul’s upcoming nuptials, Brian finds himself dealing with a different matter. In preparation for the baby’s arrival, he and Charlie are decorating their nursery with Liz, whom they have agreed to take on as a nanny, taking the majority of the creative charge. Although the future fathers themselves have no problem with it, trouble threatens to brew when Ava visits to check out the baby’s future room. As it turns out, she isn’t very thrilled about Liz’s chosen cloudy wallpaper. While this in itself isn’t a problem, it opens up room for a bigger conversation. Just how much involvement do Brian and Charlie want Ava to have in the baby’s life? Ava is giving her baby to the couple up for adoption. Yet, the three of them have never had a serious conversation about what their future dynamic will look like.
Liz pushes Brian to consider the future and finally have the important conversation rather than putting it off even further. This compels him to confess to Charlie that, selfishly, he doesn’t want Ava to be an active part of the baby’s life. He’s fine with sending her the occasional photographs, but he wants to build a family with just him, his partner, and their kid. Nonetheless, this conviction ends up dissolving when he actually braves the dreaded conversation with Ava. Before Brian can express any of his opinions, Ava expresses her own enthusiasm for her baby to grow up with him and Charlie as fathers. She shares how her own complicated upbringing makes her all the more excited to see her baby get a great family. As a result, Brian realizes Ava is incredibly lonely, which makes him unable to cut her off entirely from his life. Thus, for now, their arrangement retains its ambiguity, suggesting the mother will continue to be a part of the couple’s life.
Paul and Julie Tie the Knot Surrounded by Their Friends and Family
Hours before the wedding, Paul’s continued grumpiness compels Julie to shrug off the entire thing, insisting that she doesn’t want it either. Fortunately, it doesn’t take the therapist long to see the error of his ways. Ever since meeting another Parkinson’s patient, Gerry, at the hospital, Paul has made the decision to live life to the fullest. Yet, he realizes that in his refusal to enjoy the celebration of his marriage, he has done exactly the opposite. Therefore, while the others wait for the couple at Liz’s house for a wedding that may or may not happen, Paul goes to Julie to make amends. After apologizing for his sourpuss behavior and insisting that their relationship is something special that deserves to be celebrated, he proposes to his girlfriend by getting down on one knee.
Thus, the couple arrives at the wedding venue, ready to get married in front of their friends and family. Jimmy, Paul’s unofficial best friend, officiates the ceremony and delivers a heartwarming, long-winded speech that still fits into the groom’s one-sentence demand. Later, while the multiple happy couples take the dance floor, Paul tries to encourage Jimmy to open up to the idea of finding romance for himself once again. The latter, who gave a similar pep talk to his daughter to help her get over her fear of leaving her family for college, still remains reluctant to the idea. Towards the end of the night, the happy couple find themselves sharing a moment alone together inside Liz’s house. When Paul sees Gerry at the dining table eating the wedding cake, but the latter remains invisible to his wife, he realizes that his new friend is actually just a hallucination, signifying he growth of his Parkinson’s symptoms.
Read More: Shrinking Season 2 Finale Recap and Ending, Explained: Does Jimmy Forgive Louis?
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