All it takes is one singular event to shatter a person’s whole world. But to pick up the pieces, to regroup and recover, it takes a community. The Emmy-Award nominated Apple TV series “Shrinking” starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford explores growth in the wake of grief. The show’s Season 3 finale, released last Wednesday, ties together this theme of mental health and healing with its lively cast of colorful characters.
The series centers around the life of therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) and his circle of family and friends. Taking place in the aftermath of the death of his wife, Tia (Lilan Bowden), the story begins with Jimmy impulsively moving past ethical boundaries to get through to his clients as a coping mechanism for his own loss. Combining crude comedy and compelling drama, “Shrinking,” at its heart, centers around grief and the importance of human connection in the midst of trying times.
During Season 1, the series zooms in on the estranged dynamic between Jimmy and his teenage daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell). Over the course of the series, Jimmy and Alice’s rocky relationship is a constant reminder of how much further they have to go, but also, how far they have come. At the beginning, it is fractured by Jimmy’s inability to be present in Alice’s life after the death of his wife. Pouring himself into work instead of into supporting her, Jimmy’s absence forces Alice to essentially raise herself with the help of neighbors. In the first few episodes, Jimmy, coming out of his own grief, realizes how far their relationship has deteriorated and begins to try to make things right. Alice is resentful and wary — though rightfully so — of his attempts to close the rift between them. Nonetheless, after time, counseling and strained effort, their relationship begins to heal. Scenes from the show alternate between both of them talking with friends, neighbors and therapists at Jimmy’s workplace on how to mend their relationship, making it clear to the audience that human connection with trusted individuals is key to growth and preserving one’s mental health.
Moving into Season 2, the character Louis (Brett Goldstein), the drunk driver responsible for Tia’s death, is dropped like a bomb on Jimmy and Alice’s gradually healing relationship. When Jimmy and Alice cross paths with Louis, a multitude of volatile reactions ensue. Notably in these scenes, the production team makes use of various vantage point videography positioning and special effects to highlight the effects of grief, guilt, anger and loss that compel Jimmy and Alice to act wildly out of character. However, through a series of events and conversations, Jimmy and Alice begin to see how Louis, too, lost everything after the incident. A strange sort of bond grows between them, as if Louis is the last link to what they have lost. It is almost as if helping Louis re-integrate into society will allow them to move past their grief. In these scenes, the message portrayed is one of great transformation and the power of forgiveness when overcoming grief, not only for others, but for one’s self too.
A key figure that guides Alice and Paul through these struggles is therapist Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford). The perpetually grumpy but caring co-worker, Paul is renowned in the world of psychology and counseling. Offering advice to the characters that transcends their situation and is applicable to the audience watching, Paul is a figure of wisdom and stability — until his world is rocked by his Parkinson’s diagnosis at the end of Season 2.
As his symptoms consistently worsen through Season 3, Paul grapples with the possibility of losing his purpose in life: his work. He begins to lose independence, and the hallucinations he experiences as a result of his condition are filmed in a way that conveys the debilitating nature of the condition. Thankfully, his community of friends and loved ones mobilize to support him by driving him to work, taking him to doctor’s visits and providing emotional support. He is forced to mourn the eventual end of his career but finds love in the process. The loss of control in your life is something the audience can easily identify with, and the way Paul moves from denial and terror to acceptance and determination is an inspiration to all. At the core of his resilience is the support and devotion of Paul’s family, friends and co-workers, which reiterates the importance of tapping into your community in the face of crisis.
All of the above examples, in some form, deal with grief and loss, allowing the series a path to break down the stigmas in discussing this issue. Above all, Shrinking illuminates how human connections and the communities that form our support system are central to how we effectively deal with grief and come out the other side — battered and battle-scarred, yet immensely grateful for the people who got us there.
