Shrinking season 1 episode 6 recap & review: Imposter Syndrome

Open Go TV / February 25, 2023 / Reviews

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In episode 6 of Shrinking, Jimmy hosts a party at his house and a lot of buried feelings come up to the surface and overwhelm him. The episode is streaming on Apple TV+.

Recap

Jimmy and Sean are finally making some progress with Sean talking about his time in Afghanistan and how it still affects him sometimes. Paul commends him for doing the work and then makes a veiled statement about facing the pain head-on to Jimmy.

Gaby is trying to have morning sex and an attractive date but she finds herself distracted. She discusses the issue with Liz who is waiting to pick up Alice from her walk with Paul.

Liz gives Paul some marijuana gummy bears since she heard they’re helpful for people with Parkinson’s. Brian has finally bought the ring and shows it to Jimmy and Gaby.

He wants to throw a surprise engagement party and asks Jimmy and Gaby if either one of them could host. Jimmy says he isn’t ready to host a party at home but Alice is excited about it and convinces him to say yes to Brian.

Brian is very high-strung and nervous about the party but Jimmy calms him down. Sean doesn’t want to attend it but Alice says she’ll be there to bail him out of awkward situations.

Liz and Derek are the first ones to arrive and Jimmy immediately gets a flashback of the last party he hosted with Tia when things weren’t great between them. He forgets about it the moment he sees Alice who is in a beautiful-looking dress.

Paul says he isn’t attending the party and instead has plans to chill by himself at home with a glass of wine. His daughter texts him her itinerary for her visit and which involves several doctor visits and checking out support groups.

Paul feels smothered by this approach and decides to take some of the weed gummies to mellow out. Alice and Sean are hanging out at the party and having a good time.

Jimmy is making the rounds but everyone he meets talks about how he and Tia were the perfect couple. He doesn’t believe that and drowns himself in alcohol.

Gaby is also having an awkward time telling people that she is divorced now and she bonds with Jimmy over their shared misery. Gaby and Liz discuss Gaby’s sex life as Liz tells her that she’s just going through a dry spell and it will work itself out eventually.

Paul shows up to the party completely stoned out of his mind and Liz takes him aside to take care of him. The hits keep coming as Jimmy gets another flashback after meeting another friend who went through marriage troubles.

Brian and Liz check up on Paul who is feeling guilty that his daughter is coming to spend time with him now that he’s sick. Liz tells him that children show up for their parents and he should be feeling grateful for it rather than guilty.

Jimmy catches Alice and Sean peeling away from the crowd and interrupts them. By this point, he’s incredibly drunk and he makes a complete fool of himself by whispering to Alice that he heard her call Sean a “beautiful man”.

She gets embarrassed and runs up to her room and Sean goes up after her. Gaby asks Jimmy what that was all about and he tells her that the whole night has been a nightmare.

He talks about how bad things were between him and Tia in the months before her death and he believed that she didn’t love him anymore. Gaby tries to convince him that that isn’t true but without proof, he’s not listening.

Charlie finally shows up but Brian’s proposal doesn’t happen because Jimmy pukes midway through. Gaby helps Jimmy get out of there while Brian paces back and forth on the back porch.

Charlie walks out and Brian blurts out that it was supposed to be a proposal but Jimmy ruined it. Charlie is thrilled and says yes to marrying Brian and the two of them kiss as Paul watches them while satisfying his munchies.

Sean tries to be there for Alice and make her laugh so she tries to kiss him. He stops her and reminds her that she’s still a kid to him and he walks out of her room.

Gaby checks in on Jimmy who’s feeling much better after a shower and a small nap. She shows him a picture on her phone from two weeks before Tia’s death and in the picture, she’s looking at Jimmy with a look of undoubted love and affection.

Jimmy thanks Gaby for being such a good friend, especially during this tough time and she reciprocates with a hug. However, they linger around each other and give in to the tension they share a passionate kiss.

Review

Once again, this series excels in showcasing real people going through real issues and reacting in the way that any normal person would. Jason Segel doubting himself and his relationship as a coping mechanism is just one of the negative ways the human brain works.
Similarly, Sean’s reaction to Alice and the embarrassment she goes through immediately after is the perfect direction that the plotline should have gone. Having them actually kiss and develop feelings for each other would have definitely been problematic.
The only thing more fun than watching Harrison Ford be a grumpy old man is watching him act stoned. Ford has been a highlight of the series and he doesn’t disappoint her either. Props for the insanely ridiculous misuse of an explicit term as well.