Review: ‘Shrinking’ Season 3, Episode 9, “Daddy Issues”

Previously on Shinking, Gaby has decided that she needs to take some time off of work due to the death of her most recent patient, Maya. Jimmy and Sofi have shared a kiss as well! 

Jimmy has a beautiful memory of Tia while on a hike with Liz, Gaby, and Derrick. Tia was always able to light up any area she was in, even when Jimmy didn’t want to do something as excruciating for him like hiking. Liz is thrilled that Gaby was able to make it out of the house. While Jimmy asks if she’s coming back into the office, Liz and Derrick urge him to take a step back as she is still processing things.

At the food truck, Sean gets the call that he got the job. He is thrilled, but tells Alice, Marisol, and Brian to stay quiet as he’s keeping this information from Jorge for now. If Sean takes the job, he can no longer keep the food truck open, and that is basically all Jorge has in his life right now. Jorge is upset when Sean eventually tells him the news. However, Sean didn’t lose his cool. He explains this to Paul who is very proud of him. 

Sofi meets Paul while at the office with Jimmy. Paul immediately approves and recalls encouraging Jimmy to get back in the dating scene. 

Jimmy’s dad, Randy, is in town for Alice’s graduation. Jimmy is not happy about it. Randy tells Jimmy that he and Alice are planning to pick up an old car to work on. Jimmy explains that they already had plans to buy things for Alice’s dorm room, but Alice immediately cancels those plans to be with Randy. She only gets to see him once in a while. Later, Alice calls Jimmy out for being angry with Randy.  Jimmy explains how his dad has this charm to him, and people don’t really see his true colors. The two of them are really all she has, so Alice asks them to get along for her. Jimmy obviously agrees. 

Paul visits Gaby at her house. Gaby goes on about the trauma center and says that she doesn’t know if she wants to do it or not. Paul encourages her to think positive and to not think of this as a setback. He then lets her know that this is his last week of work forever before he moves to Connecticut to live with Meg. Gaby agrees to come back; she’s doing it for Paul.  

Sofi, Jimmy, Alice, and Randy are patching up the car. Sofi knows her way around the tools which impresses Randy. He’s warming up to her. Later, Jimmy explains to Sofi how his dad was never around for him, and how it got worse when Tia died. Randy made a promise to  Jimmy and Alice he never fulfilled. Jimmy has held a grudge since. Sofi encourages him to let it go and focus on Alice’s graduation. They finish up the car when Randy announces that it’s Alice’s. Jimmy reminds him she already has a car, but Alice accepts it anyway. The tension grows between Randy and Jimmy. Jimmy extends an olive branch, thanking Randy not only for the car, but for being there for both him and Alice. Randy immediately says that he won’t be able to make Alice’s ceremony because of his fishing trip. Jimmy is furious. While he is angry, he’s not surprised. Randy leaves saying he likes Sofi better than Tia.

Gaby is back in the office and much happier. She agrees to take over the office once Paul leaves. When she shares the news with Liz, Liz objects. She storms into Paul’s office furious, reminding him that the trauma center is Gaby’s dream and Paul knows it.

Sofi finds Jimmy in his room alone. He explains that his dad isn’t going to show up for Alice. Jimmy keeps bringing up Tia, and the fact that she didn’t really like Randy. It’s something that he misses about her. Sofi feels it isn’t fair for Jimmy to bring up Tia every chance he gets. Jimmy tells Sofi that he isn’t ready for a new relationship. 

Paul finds Gaby in her office later that night. He tells her that when he lost a patient he ran away, and regretted it. He can’t handle the trauma stuff, but she can. Gaby is so strong and changed Paul’s life. She is his legacy. Gaby’s heart is warmed.  

This episode was all over the place to say the least. Many intense elements happened, and our main characters were going through new obstacles. It was nice to see Jimmy and Sofi together, trying to date. We have been rooting for them since last season. There was a bit of a plotline with Meg, but Jimmy made his way to Sofi. The storyline of Sean getting the job was awesome. Sean is such a loveable character, and for the past three seasons, he was clearly trying to get his life back together. Gaby and Paul have such a beautiful, unbreakable bond that doesn’t really exist between the other characters. It’s so special to them, and thank goodness Liz was able to talk Paul into letting Gaby pursue her dreams. Randy is a very complex character. At first, it seemed this episode would be building up to some sort of character development with him, so it was surprising to see him bail at the last second. This, of course, led to Jimmy and Sofi breaking up, which was heartbreaking. Jimmy is in such a low place right now, so we can only hope for him that it will get better. 

8/10