‘Shrinking’ Season 3 Episode 8 Recap: Gaby Faces Grief as Paul Steps Up

This week’s episode of Apple TV comedy-drama Shrinking navigates the messy intersection of professional and personal boundaries and personal healing. As the title suggests, "Depression Diet" isn't just about what we consume, but what we deny ourselves of to process grief, doubt, and all that goes wrong in our often complicated lives.

The episode opens in the aftermath of the tragic events to close episode 7. Therapist Gaby, played Jessica Williams, is quietly spiraling following the death of her patient, Maya (Sherry Cola). The revelation that Maya harbored deep-seated childhood abandonment issues hits Gaby like a freight train when she realizes she missed a foundational piece of Maya’s mental minefield. It does not help that the therapy couple who first introduced her to Maya where disappointed she could not get that out of their troubled friend —to the point, they opt to switch to a new therapist, themselves. This leads Gaby down a dark path of professional self-doubt. She begins to question if she’s truly equipped for trauma-informed care, after all, wondering if her own vibrant personality has blinded her to the quietest cries for help.

While Gaby is drowning in "what-ifs," lead therapist and Gaby’s mentor Paul (Harrison Ford) decides to park his usual cynicism at the door in an effort to help. In a rare move for the man whose true emotions are rarely visible, Paul steps in to save Gaby from herself. He reminds her of the hard, clinical truth: a therapist is only as good as the information they are given. If Maya wasn't forthcoming about her abandonment issues, Gaby was not a failure—she’s just not a mind-reader.

To prove he is truly in her corner, Paul drops in on one of Gaby’s veteran’s support group meetings — a group that Gaby had introduced Maya to and the first meeting without her former patient. Offering quiet, steady support in a room full of vulnerable patients shows a side of Paul we rarely get to see; showing Gaby his understanding of truly being "invested" in a patient.

Williams serves as the emotional core this week for the hit series as she delivers a powerhouse performance as the grieving Gaby. Watching her boisterous character’s usually unflappable confidence weaken is heavy. It highlights a reality many therapists face —the "imposter syndrome" that strikes when a tragedy occurs on your watch, and threatens your responsibility to get it right. 

The Gaby/Paul dynamic is also the MVP of this episode. Harrison Ford’s performance is a masterclass in "less is more." When he tells Gaby it’s not her fault, you don't just hear it; you feel the weight of his decades of experience echoing in the silence that he allows to linger in the in-between of dialogue. It adds a layer of professional legitimacy to a show that often focuses on the "chaos" of therapy. Watching Paul navigate the emotional wreckage alongside Gaby provides a much-needed groundedness to the episode’s more spirited subplots.

Case in point: encouraged by his unofficial support squad—daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell), next door neighbor Derek (Ted McGinley), still recovering from heart surgery, and live-in patient Sean (Luke Tennie) — lead character Jimmy Laird, played by Jason Segel, finally ventures out on a date with his equally anxious neighbor, Sofi., played by Cobie Smulders. Jimmy does not have to venture too far, as she has invited him for dinner at her place. The evening takes a turn for the awkward when Sofi’s ex-husband refuses to leave until their son, Tate, conquers a certain video game level. Tell me again, who’s in charge here?! 

Jimmy and Sofi are forced to carry on with their romantic dinner in the kitchen. The awkward threesome is further complicated when the ex-couple’s passive-aggressive nature towards each other boils over. When Sofi pushes the therapist to help them work through their issues with his unconventional “jimmying” techniques, Jimmy refuses as it would be highly inappropriate. You think?!

Nevertheless, Jimmy acquiesces to the impromptu therapy session and is able to uncover the couple’s unresolved issues around setting boundaries for co-existing and parenting in divorce.

The payoff? Sofi is impressed enough to ask for a "do-over" first date, sealed with a kiss, that confirms Jimmy may officially be back in the game.

Segel plays the "reluctant mediator" with a perfect blend of exhaustion and genuine skill, and just the right amount of angst-ridden wonder that has become the hallmark of this character.

Across town, Liz (Christa Miller) discovers that Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) have let baby Sutton’s birth mother, Ava, move in. Liz is horrified by the lack of structure for the young fathers. Her suspicions thinking Ava is taking advantage are confirmed when she finds evidence that Ava has been lying about being unemployed.

After a failed confrontation at an Olive Garden where Brian loses his nerve, Liz and Ava face off. In a sharp twist, Ava holds a mirror up to Liz, pointing out that Liz’s own obsession with the baby’s boundaries might actually be a projection of the elder woman’s overstepping. Liz takes the critique to heart, but never one to lose her edge—she returns to Brian and Charlie’s to push the new dads to be more assertive in what they want for their daughter; Liz informs them she will back off herself. When they fear that they will lose her “nanny services,” as a result, she assures the young fathers they won’t, but her help will no longer be for free! Ouch! Adulting is costly!

As always, Miller brings it with her alter ego, Liz. Leaning into the realization that Liz has been using the new baby to perhaps fill a void in her own life adds another necessary layer of vulnerability to her "bossy neighbor" persona. Miller fills every scene she’s in, and carries some of the best lines of every episode.

"Depression Diet" excels because it forces every character to look at the boundaries they have with the people in their lives — where they need to pull back and where they need to dig deeper to get at the truth. Once again, the brilliant writing of the series highlights the multilayer nuances of mental health and healing.

If you have come this far with Shrinking, you might as well stay to the bitter end! Only three more episodes in Season 3. Catch them all streaming now until April 8 on Apple TV.

What did you think?

Change Image

• Loved it
• Hated it
• So/So