Previously on Shrinking, it is learned that Maya passed away. Gaby is not doing well.
Gaby attends the funeral and it’s revealed that Maya had a combination of alcohol and drugs in her system. They don’t know if it was on purpose or not. Liz does the best she can to cheer her up, but Gaby brushes everything off.
Jimmy and Paul try to comfort Gaby. Paul shares he also lost a patient when he was starting out, and that it happens. He wants Gaby to process her emotions in her safe space. He needs her to get back on the horse and honor a life that was lost.
Jimmy and Alice are going through her old yearbook and he can’t believe that it’s almost time for her to graduate. There is a knock at the door, it’s Sofi! She left her jacket, wallet, and keys at their house. Alice suggests that they go on a real first date, and the both of them are on the same page. Sofi invites Jimmy over for dinner at her place for tomorrow. Alice really likes Sofi.
At Brian and Charlie’s, Ava has remained a houseguest until she can land a job and a place of her own. She’s agreed to do the house work until then. Suddenly, Liz shows up, causing Charlie and Brian to panic. Under no circumstances can Liz find out that Ava lives with them. Liz notices Ava’s belongings all over the place. She eventually gets the truth out of Brian. Liz is so mad at them because she warned that if they let her into their lives, she would be too involved. Liz then finds an Olive Garden uniform in the laundry basket and easily pieces together that Ava does have a job and is lying to them. She takes Brian to the restaurant, and they see Ava. Busted. Brian bails because he’s too scared of the confrontation, but Liz stays. She sits Ava down and lets her know that it’s not healthy for her to be around Brian and Charlie all the time. She has to give them their space so they can grow as a family together. Ava then calls Liz out on being the overprotecting nanny constantly checking up on baby Sutton.
During his session with Paul, Sean explains how there are so many people up for the job that he just interviewed for with Dre Thibodeaux. Sean feels it went well, but he’s nervous about the results. Sean’s alarm goes off and he tells Paul that he has to leave for the support group that Gaby leads. Paul tags along to see how she does. They talk about Maya and how much she meant to all of them. At the end of the day, she was a good person. Paul is clearly very proud of Gaby for pulling the support group together and for coping with the loss of Maya.
Later, Gaby meets up with a couple of Maya’s friends. After talking about her for some time, it’s learned that Gaby didn’t really fully grasp Maya’s struggles. Her friends knew more about her than her own therapist. This obviously makes Gaby feel more terrible, and she just shuts down.
Liz confronts Charlie and Brian and tells them to let her go as one of the nannies. She knows that Ava is right. She can’t be overbearing. Ava moves out, and Liz vows to give Brain and Charlie their space. They appreciate it so much.
This episode was unquestionably more on the sadder side. We are so used to seeing Gaby so perky and constantly full of joy. So for her to go through something as unimaginable as losing a patient was very hard to watch. Everyone in her life does everything they can to cheer her up, but she obviously needs time to process this. It’s also very clear that the one person who she does want to talk to about this is Tia. Her taking off work is very worrying. Jimmy and Sofi seem to be taking the next steps in their relationship. What happened to them on their date was crazy, but it was just so them. It will be exciting to see where their relationship goes as they are clearly good together. Ava’s storyline fit nicely because she and Liz helped each other realize that Brian and Charlie need to learn how to be parents on their own. Baby Sutton is so loved, and her dads are going through a new exciting chapter.
9/10