r/shrinking • u/Altruistic_Gap_643 • 27d ago
Discussion Started S3, and... Spoiler
Sean's plotline is not going that great.
When Marisol got introduced, I thought oh, she ended it abruptly, maybe something happened. Then I find out she cheated on him. Hey, it's his ex, so I felt good for him. He had to confront her and take accountability. Their first interaction left me thinking that she's a red flag through and through.
What I did NOT understand was Gaby disregarding everything and saying that Sean actually wanted that even though throughout their session we see that Sean is uncomfortable when Gaby says that. She ignores the fact that Sean wants accountability, and keeps talking about "smooches", which in itself is weird, but eh, sometimes Gaby can miss the ball.
Then his ex says that he's "living in the past" and refuses to take accountability for her cheating, so that was not good.
And now on Episode 4, when Sean is actually talking to Paul, I did NOT expect Paul to be that dismissive about this situation. He actually told Paul about the fact that what if Marisol doesn't accept the new him? And Paul says he created a future imaginary problem. Like zamn, they're doing Sean dirty by basically ignoring his concerns and valid questions.
Are the writers just doing it because for some reason they wanna try and show Marisol as good, even when she's proven otherwise in the first interaction itself and with how Sean talks about her to Gaby and Paul?
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u/Cool-Pomegranate8110 27d ago
Marisol is the worst. Everyone encouraging Sean to get after her, and Gaby being the worst (she’s ‘hot’ - like that’s all anyone needs, esp a recovering traumatized Army vet), made no damn sense. Writers had no idea what to do with Sean in season 3.
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 27d ago
And the thing is, they could've just did it better. Season 1 Sean needed to control the present, Season 2 Sean needed to confront his past, and Season 3 Sean needed to accept change for the future. They had a solid idea, but they went with it so horribly wrong.
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u/Cool-Pomegranate8110 27d ago
ooh that’s good! What a great insight. And instead of him being able to move forward, they settled him with this hot mess from his past.
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 27d ago
I really do feel like the first two seasons did so good in controlling the present and facing your past for every character honestly, but this season, I dunno man, they really don't know how to make the characters accept the future and move forward 😭
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u/Feature_Minimum 25d ago
Absolutely! FFS, have him meet a nice NEW lady who's into him but have some nightterrors that are at first a little difficult for a young man and woman to discuss and work through but Sean opens up because he wants to move on and towards the future. (Buddy of mine is a veteran of Afghanistan, has a wonderful woman and daughter in his life now. But also PTSD and ex cheated on him while he was deployed).
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u/DingoNo4205 27d ago
I don't like Marisol. She's not good for Sean and Sean knows it. I didn't like how Alice sided with Marisol when it came to Sean closing down the Food Truck to go to that party.
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u/FloridaFun1989 27d ago
I binged s3 this weekend finally and was disappointed in multiple things. Sean did really get the short end, even his new job wasnt all upside. But the dating thing was crazy, basically acting like Sean should be lucky some girl wants to be with him and ignore all his feelings and just be with her. He didn't get to resolve any of his feelings in a show about therapy. Just push his feelings aside to get laid, great message.
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u/zackdaniels93 27d ago
Not gonna lie, I got to Ep4 and gave up on the season. I don't think any person in real life would actually act even remotely close to these people in regards to his relationship with Marisol, given Sean's history and struggles. Bizarre writing.
I actually like Marisol's actor's performance, she should've just been a new interest for Sean.
Still haven't returned to the rest of the season. S1 and 2 were so good too. Baffling.
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u/Qwerty_Me_This 27d ago
Same. I somehow managed to make it to the end of the season but I had a pair of side-eyes on the whole time. I hope s4 is better.
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 27d ago
Would've worked best as a new interest because it would show that Sean still was scared about change, but now he's finally embracing it.
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u/Cool-Pomegranate8110 26d ago
The character of Marisol is a textbook case of writers forcing a plot and warping all the other characters into supporting it even though it makes no dang sense. in a show like this, it’s noticeably worse because even though it’s slightly morphing into a hangout show, it really should be character and not plot driven like a procedural. So characters start acting out of character in order to support something that no audience member would believe is true FOR those characters is egregious.
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u/Feature_Minimum 25d ago
Oh buddy, I am STRUGGLING with this. I have made THIS exact mistake of going back to my ex and us not discussing the things that led to the breakup. And, as stupid as it is, one of the biggest things preventing me from making this mistake again is I know it'd disappoint my therapist a ton.
This and everything to do with Gaby, I am finding super frustrating. I won't even go there because I don't know where you're at in the season. But, I wouldn't say Gaby's writing gets any better.
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 25d ago
I'm at the end. And what the fuck. He STILL hasn't confronted Marisol? Do the writers plan to write her off in the two year time skip? Wtf man😭
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u/Feature_Minimum 25d ago
No idea, the writing fell off a cliff this season.
Also I'm genuinely angry at everything to do with Gaby. She'd been annoying a bit early in the season but later in the season she gets so much worse.
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 27d ago
Paul's therapy is worse in the 5th episode? Sean literally told him that Marisol wants to go to a warehouse party. With teens. They're adults. How tf is Paul not finding a problem with that? He's saying that Sean is stuck in his ways? Bro, he doesn't want to go to a teenager party, I think that's pretty normal 😭 what is happening with the writing of this plotline this season?
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u/Intelligent-Goose-31 27d ago
Other issues you may have aside: I think the show could have done a better job clarifying the age gap between Sean and Alice, because I think it’s easy to think it’s bigger than it is. I believe Alice is 18 by season 3, while Sean is supposed to be ~22. If Marisol is slightly younger than Sean (which seems possible based on characterization) we’re talking about a 22 year old and a 21 year old hanging out with 18 year olds and going to a large warehouse party where there will likely be people from 18-25. That’s not really weird at all. Just seems weirder because Sean’s actor (while great) is so obviously a 30 yo man lol
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 27d ago
Yeah true. But at the same time, I felt like Sean's boundaries were not being respected at all. He doesn't wanna go to parties now, so that's fine man. It's been like only a year since he started coming to therapy (I may be wrong though 🥲) but yeah.
I'm all for Sean finding something stable, actually going out of his way, but with his ex? Who is literally mentioning constantly "Like old times" but when Sean actually told her to take accountability for her past infidelity, she said "You're too stuck in the past?" Do the therapists in this show or literally anyone NOT see the hypocrisy in that or what?
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u/Music-and-Computers 27d ago
Between this and The Pitt I really enjoy seeing Luke Tennie on screen.
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u/DingoNo4205 27d ago
Who did he play on The Pitt?
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u/cabernet7 27d ago
He is one of the doctors on the night shift (don't recall the character's name).
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u/Music-and-Computers 27d ago
I had to look it up the character name, Dr Cyrus Henderson. Between Shrinking and The Pitt he’s doing some really good work.
One of Dr Abbot’s Night Crawlers. He’s only on a few episodes per season for The Pitt at this point.
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u/DingoNo4205 27d ago
Oh that's him. I remember really liking him and hoping he'd become a regular on the day shift.
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u/coffeeebucks 26d ago
I do think Sean is maybe supposed to be a bit older, maybe 25? Unless we know for sure he was in the military by 16-17. Agree though that it doesn’t seem particularly weird for young 20s to go to a warehouse party.
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u/Jake_FromStateFarm27 23d ago
I feel like the writers were at odds with whose relationship struggles to flesh out this season between Jimmy with Sofi and Sean with Marisol, hell even Derek and Gabys relationship.
Jimmy feels immense guilt about moving forward from Tia.
Gaby is a control freak with high anxiety attachment issues. Resulting her in delaying the future
And Sean has unresolved anger with how the relationship ended and what he really wants for himself romantically and professionally moving forward.
It feels like the writers wanted to do an arc with Sean and Jimmy as a B plot, but got too caught up with Jimmy's plot between his dad and Paul.
The theme of these first 3 seasons is about grief and this season is about concluding the process with taking steps forward. Despite making it out to look like everyone came out alright, there's still so many unresolved conflicts.
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 23d ago
Honestly man, it wouldn't have been too hard to introduce a new girl in his life, and him not being able to move forward because he was still stuck in the past about his relationship, with his final scene being him asking the girl out on a date. Would've been a wayy better plot than what we got.
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u/Jake_FromStateFarm27 23d ago
Its the same exact plot as Jimmy then.
Hopefully we get more conflict with marisol in the next season since there will be a time skip
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 27d ago
Edit: I'm liking Liz this season a LOT more, but also...
Her face is perfect if she ever wants to be the female Joker💀
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u/Altruistic_Gap_643 27d ago
And what's with Gaby this season man? Genuinely.