A review of this week's Shrinking, "The Bodyguard of Sadness" — with spoilers — coming up just as soon as I sniff butt fruit with a man whose only crime is loving me too much...
Alan Sepinwall
If I didn't know that Apple had already ordered a fourth season, "The Bodyguard of Sadness" would have felt very much like a penultimate episode setting up the pieces for a series finale. Over the course of the episode, virtually every character is in the process of moving away from Jimmy — some temporarily, some permanently. Paul packs up and heads to the airport. Alice graduates and will be going to Wesleyan in a few months. Sean is moving out of the pool house and into Derek's investment property. Derek and Liz are preparing to tour Europe before their first grandchild is born. Brian and Sutton will be joining Charles for his temporary assignment in Tennessee. Even Gaby, who has no plans on skipping town, will be taking over the building, forcing Jimmy to find a new office elsewhere.
These are the kinds of developments you often get when a series is coming to an end. But in this case, it's more about setting us up for what sure feels likely to be a breakdown for our hero — a breakdown that snuck up on me almost as much as it seems to have snuck up on Jimmy.