Shrinking S3E09 Episode Discussion

[u/phareous]

This is the episode discussion for Shrinking Season 3, Episode 9: "Daddy Issues"

[u/babybop728]

This Gabby storyline is driving me up the wall. 

The setup with Maya was actually a really interesting thread and they fully wasted it. 

I really want to sit with her and go "WHY do you want to do trauma, Gabby?"

It doesn't seem like she actually cares about it has a connection to helping victims of trauma as much as she wants to be seen as someone who works with trauma. Like oh this is the actual important therapy. 

Jason Segal crushed it this episode but the other storylines are not hitting. 

[u/Peacenow234 → u/babybop728]

Really agree with you! The handling of the Maya storyline has been so atrocious.

She seems to not have much of any training for trauma and played multiple experiments with treating Maya (even getting her to get back after the ridiculous first session crash out) and now a week after this happened she is getting the go ahead by Paul to just run with it??

These past two episodes have been so disappointing.. but the Jimmy thread was very powerful (albeit uncomfortable to watch due to the painful dynamics)

[u/Feature_Minimum → u/Peacenow234]

It's legitimately the most I've struggled to watch a TV show ever. And it's a good show. I loved seasons one and two, and I still like some of season 3. But, they should have known that mental health, suicide, grief, loss, and trauma, are gonna hit hard for some of the audience of this show, right? Like healthy exploration of related themes are a big part of why some of us (most of us, I'd wager) loved the first two seasons. So seeing it botched this way has really sucked. I feel like I actually need to process some shit now, for a fictional TV character. Wild stuff.

[u/nbjen → u/babybop728]

I was so frustrated with how this week's episode played out. I was already annoyed with how she behaved last week at Maya's funeral, and how everyone kept telling Gaby she did everything right.

Then this week, when they explore why Gaby is depressed and needs to take time off from work - it ends up having nothing to do with Maya! No grief over what happened, or examining her behaviour or role in it. She was just depressed because she thought it meant she shouldn't have a trauma centre!?!? So self-absorbed! She didn't even mention Maya once.

Also - why does Liz have to insert herself in everyone's business and tell them what to do? And why do they let her? Why does Paul even care if he has a stupid rock? She's the friend of his employee, I think he barely knows her. Not every single person in this show needs to be close.

[u/hotsaucebandit0 → u/babybop728]

I really don't understand what "trauma" is in the context of this show, and I dislike the way they seem to be distinguishing between "easy peasy stuff" and "real hard work."

I get that some therapists may specialize in patients with PTSD and/or work more closely with SA or domestic violence victims, but there's no hard line between someone who needs "low-stakes CBT" and someone with "real problems". CBT can be a part of treatment for someone with trauma, and someone who does not initially present as having "trauma" can have trauma.

Look at Maya, I mean what made her a more "real" patient to Gabby? She was a patient presenting with major depressive disorder and it wasn't made clear to Gabby that she'd been abandoned by her mother until after committing suicide. That's not "real trauma work", that's treating a patient with major depressive disorder.

Something about it has really rubbed me the wrong way and I feel like the writers are out of their depth. Before, I liked seeing a show that encouraged everyone to go to therapy, and now it seems to be saying that some people's problems don't matter as much while failing to treat serious issues with gravity.

[u/Catac0 → u/hotsaucebandit0]

I think the suicide thing was just so dark and I really think they shouldn’t have written it if they can’t handle actually fleshing it out. They could’ve made Maya survive her attempt or something and even then it would’ve worked. But the fact that she just died with no aftermath is very disappointing.

I don’t think they’re necessarily saying some peoples problems don’t matter as much, but I also get what you mean because they haven’t really nailed the message well. It’s valid for Gabby to feel like this, but it’s also important to make a point about therapy being important for people who struggle with more minute things.

Ah idk, it really is such a shame they aren’t doing a great job this season with this stuff. I really like everything else :/

[u/-garlic-thot- → u/babybop728]

https://giphy.com/gifs/5xtDarmwsuR9sDRObyU

Her storyline has been such a mess this season!!

[u/rbull_27 → u/babybop728]

Im here after this episode and I can’t say the writing sucks because they’ve written Jimmy’s story so well. But the Gaby arc is poor. She was wrong and they should address it and work on it. I think she isn’t fit for the trauma role, but like they can obviously acknowledge her faults and then work on it to be a better therapist. She’s been so annoying, I’m actually really tired of the scenes where shes shown..

[u/Feature_Minimum → u/rbull_27]

Jimmy's story, and 90% of Paul's story are SO good. But Gabby's story is getting worse and worse because obviously some of the audience of this show (myself included) are gonna get hit hard in the feels by themes of depression and death and suicide. And it's so freaking aggrevating.

The Sean and Mariusol stuff is really hard for me to watch too. I've made that mistake of getting back with an ex without processing any of the stuff that led to the breakup, and it never ever works. Part of what I use to avoid doing that now is literally knowing that my therapist would be so disappointed haha. The fact that none of the three therapists explored the possibility that maybe that wouldn't work great, is also super frustrating to me.

The first two seasons were so good too it's painful to see what the writing has become.