Shrinking Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: “I Will Be Grape” Delivers an Emotional Turning Point
- Kae
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Family dynamics, personal and professional transitions, and the importance of community in coping, remain the throughline themes for Season 3 of the Apple original series, Shrinking. Episode 7 of the streaming giant’s hit comedy-drama, entitled “I Will Be Grape,” brings all of those ideas together in an emotion-filled half-hour, packed with a host of guest appearances.
The episode opens once again around the Laird dinner table, as the quirky widowed therapist, Jimmy, played by Jason Segel, learns from his daughter, Alice, played by Lukita Maxwell, that she will have to report to college on the east coast earlier than expected. When Jimmy’s face betrays his words that he will be okay when his daughter leaves, Alice worries about her dad being alone. That realization ignites table talk with the father-daughter duo’s ever-present dinner guests, live-in patient Sean (Luke Tennie) and Alice’s bestie Summer (Rachel Stubington) that they will be there for him.
In the office the next day, Jimmy’s fellow therapist, Gaby, played by Jessica Williams, is still trying to reach Maya (Sherry Cola), her lonely patient she had put off at the close of Episode 6. Gaby’s efforts are interrupted when she receives a distress text from Liz (Christa Miller).
Across town, Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford) is bemoaning his own doctor sending him an influx of fellow Parkinson’s patients to him for therapy. Triggered by his own worsening Parkinson’s symptoms, Paul is feeling sorry for himself with his wife, played by Wendie Malick, and starting to reflect on his legacy. Paul continues to dive further into those thoughts in his patient sessions throughout the episode. Recurring patient, Gerry, played Michael J. Fox, is among those on the couch to weigh in.
Just as we think Jimmy has worked through his grief regarding the death of his wife, Tia, we get a poignant flashback scene of the couple in a happier time, singing and laughing over her mispronounciation of lyrics to her fav song. Jimmy shares the sweet memory with Alice and his bestie, Brian (Michael Urie), on a hike the following day. For Jimmy, it’s more than a memory, but a decidedly pained reminder that Tia’s birthday is coming. He is visibly sentimental as the day approaches.
The trio make plans to celebrate Tia’s birthday, noting that it will be the last time Alice and Jimmy will be able share the day together before the younger Laird goes off to college. Jimmy tries his best to remain stoic for his daughter, but he continues to be a walking ball of emotion. They invite BFF Summer to join in the fun as they head to Tia’s gravesite wearing the problematic graphic tees she had gifted each of them, once upon a time.
The now quartet are joined by another unexpected guest on their festivities, Louis, played by Brett Goldstein, the man who took Tia’s life but has since become close with Alice and Jimmy. Much like Segel, the Ted Lasso alum is doing triple duty on this series, also serving as both an executive producer and writer.
At the Bishops’ place, that’s Liz and Derek’s (Ted McGinley), if you did not know, (because, admittedly, I did not know their last name, myself, until now), Gaby arrives to meet Liz’s mother-in-law, Constance Bishop, who has come to assist in her son’s heart surgery recovery.
Played by the incomparable Candice Bergen, the role of “Connie,” as she encourages Gaby to call her, much to Liz’s chagrin, is tailored-made for the five-time Primetime Emmy Award winner. The refined, classy, and verbally precise mother of Liz’s husband, Derek, Bergen adds another level of star power to the cast, dispensing advice and support to her onscreen son and grandson.
Up until now, we would have been hard-pressed to find someone who could intimidate Liz, but Constance’s presence seems to hint at a long-standing contention between the two Bishop women. Liz confides as much to Gaby that she does not trust her M-I-L’s suspicious saccharin-laced compliments on this visit, that often come with contradicting icy death stares. When Gaby catches a glimpse of what Liz is seeing, she encourages her friend to keep those sentiments buried for the sake of
Derek. Quite the 180 for what a therapist would advise, wouldn’t you say?!
Gaby’s visit is cut short when she receives a call from Sean to meet him at the food truck. There, the Army vet suffering from PTSD, asks for the therapist’s help to start a support group for other vets at the gym. Playing into Gaby’s wheelhouse to step up her therapy work, she jumps onboard.
Back at the office, this new opportunity is still fresh on Gaby’s mind when Paul approaches her with an unexpected offer for his practice long-term, though honored, it does not quite fit with Gaby’s current professional goals. Though Paul says he understands when Gaby declines, the disappointment in his eyes when the two hug it out says otherwise.
Following the Tia birthday celebrations, Jimmy and Brian question Louis on what he’s been up to since he left to move on with his life. While Jimmy wants to be supportive of Louis’ growth, he later questions his daughter on why she would invite the man who took her mother’s life for this special day. Her response underscores Alice’s own healing and maturity in recognizing what her father did for Louis and what she wants him to do for himself when she leaves for school.
The tension continues over at Liz and Derek’s when Liz feels her parenting skills are being questioned as Constance encourages her wayward grandson Matthew to pursue an unexpected passion that could prove lucrative. When the two women drop their friendly facade and exchange words about mothering and even Liz’s precious rock hobby, Derek overhears.
Paul stops by later to check on Derek and drop off a gift from his wife to assist in the latter’s recovery. Not soon after Paul arrives, Liz makes a frantic discovery that Derek is gone.
Liz, Constance, and Paul go in search of Derek, but not before the senior therapist and the mother-in-law have a brief one-on-one about Liz, where Constance confesses (with a hint of disappointment) that she’s never received a rock from her daughter-in-law.
Though it has been decades, this is not the first time Ford and Bergen have appeared together onscreen. In one of Ford’s earliest film roles, the two acting legends play fellow graduate students in the 1970 counterculture comedy-drama, Getting Straight, starring Elliott Gould.
Fingers crossed that there will more than a two minute scene to watch them work together now.
The hunt for Derek ends down the block at the neighborhood park, where the trio find the recovering heart patient on a bench clutching his cardiac cushion. Derek was fleeing the tension in the house between his wife and mother. When Paul offers to walk Derek back home, the two women are left to iron out their differences, but even the visuals of the women side-by-side on the bench suggest they are not so different, after all.
Jimmy and friends close out the birthday celebrations for Tia with one of her fav sing-along nights. As the OG cast gather around the piano, we get another taste of Segel’s talents, only this time of a musical variety. Cobie Smulders makes a surprise return as Jimmy’s anxious neighbor-potential love interest, Sofie, first introduced at the start of the season. Just as the fun is about to go off the chain and life is as it finally should be, Gaby excuses herself from the party to take an incoming call NO therapist ever wants to receive.
The quietly powerful scene comes in the final thirty seconds where the oft comedic Williams takes an understated turn to the dramatic with the pain she deftly conveys through her character’s eyes, telling us that tomorrow for therapist will not be the same.
Shrinking returns March 18 for the first of the final four episodes of Season 3. All current season episodes are available now to stream on Apple TV.
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