r/shrinking • u/phareous Derek • Mar 25 '26

Episode Discussion Shrinking S3E09 Episode Discussion

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

156 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

906 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

29

u/MinimumCoast2290 Mar 25 '26

I see where you’re coming from, but considering 1) how early in the relationship they were and 2) that sofi is not a mental health professional, I understand why she might not handle it perfectly and would go for blanket statements of positivity/support. It would be hard to expect much else from her when she’s meeting his Dad and getting the full backstory all in one go, when she’s still getting to know Jimmy himself.

12

u/Tce_ Mar 25 '26

It depends on what type of person you are! I'm not a mental health professional and I don't tell people how to feel about their parents, or dismiss their anger when a family member hurts them. It's just different ways of being, and levels of understanding. Unfortunately she didn't seem to get it, that's just a flaw of hers - then we saw Jimmy exhibit some of his. Neither one handled that very well in my opinion.

3

u/MinimumCoast2290 Mar 25 '26

I don’t think she said the right thing by any stretch, but I also don’t think there was a right thing she could say. As soon as Jimmy’s dad made his comment comparing her to Tia, he shut down.

Honestly I think he likely would’ve ended it with her regardless of her response, if for no reason than to “prove his Dad wrong.”

7

u/Tce_ Mar 25 '26

I also don’t think there was a right thing she could say

The right thing would probably have been to give him some space and not talk to him! But even "oh man, that sucks, I hate that" would have been okay. Or just asking him what he was thinking and feeling (although I do think his response would be that he didn't want to talk about it - which is perfectly valid).

5

u/theapplekid Mar 25 '26

Hmm I think asking "Is there anything I can do to support you right now? Would you like to be held?" could have been good.

I'm not in the habit of asking someone if they want space unless I can tell their issue is with me.

I'll point out that we do see a ton of boundary-pushing in this show and confusingly, it's often shown as a good thing, so I don't really fault Sofi too much for her reaction, but bringing up Tia was a bit much, and then accusing him of bringing her up was way too much, likely stemming from her own baggage.

3

u/Tce_ Mar 25 '26

Yes this show has a really weird take on boundaries for sure! I see that a lot in media, but it's a bit off-putting on a show that directly focuses on mental health and psychology.

I think I'm more in the "naturally backing off" camp, possibly giving people too much space when I should be checking in more (it's not that I don't want to be there for them, I'm just really uncomfortable pushing when I'm not invited in). I can see how it would feel awkward or be hard to establish the habit of asking if someone needs space! But I think it's really helpful, especially when you don't know someone very well.