Shrinking Season 3 Episode 3 Review: D-Day

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

When The Powers That Be decide that it’s time to move on, they certainly don’t waste any time about it, do they? On Shrinking Season 3 Episode 3, “D-Day,” there is no stutter as every character rounds a significant corner in their journey.

Fun Fact: The “D” in the most historically memorable D-Day, the Allied taking of Normandy on June 6, 1944, stands for “Day.” Seriously, the Day-Day is the code term for the start of an assault operation.

In the context of Shrinking, the “D” is incredibly flexible in denoting any number of milestones or significant occurrences for Jimmy, Paul, Sean, and Brian.

Dad Day

While everyone else’s lives appear to be racing forward with unrelenting change to new and terrifying situations, Jimmy’s feels like it’s spinning its wheels a bit, even regressing.

On Shrinking Season 3 Episode 2, “Happiness Mission,” he failed to pull the trigger on asking Sofi out. Twice. Which, admittedly, set up some amazing comedic moments but was ultimately unsatisfying.

Here, he’s forced to tolerate his dad, played for peak annoyingness by the brilliantly unaware Jeff Daniels, who only comes for dinner to discuss the nearby car show and critique Jimmy’s personality and life choices.

With all the “Jimbo”s and inconsiderate references to embarrassing anecdotes, we get a blunt and unrepentant live-action reason why Jimmy is so desperate for Paul to be his surrogate father. It’s so painfully clear and heartbreakingly understandable.

Casting Daniels scores top marks as he could easily be an older, emotionally detached Jimmy in an alternate universe. With the two colliding in this universe, the effect is to drive Jimmy into his defensive shell while he simultaneously tries to shield Alice from his dad’s thoughtlessness.

We haven’t seen the last of the elder Laird, I’m sure, and I’m braced for the wreckage his presence will cause for the family.

Date Day

Sean’s attempt to be accountable for his past bad behavior toward his ex-girlfriend, Marisol, is only enjoyable for one reason: Summer.

His plan to use Alice as a buffer for the dinner Marisol insists he cook for her takes a wholly unexpected and awkward twist when Alice sends Summer in her place and — OMG — is it ever fun.

“You guys used to date. I’m down for whatever this is, but I just want to make sure you’ve both been tested.” — Summer

In the role, Rachel Stubington is a delightful device of well-meaning chaos and random WTF.

I mean, even using Alice as a buffer would’ve been sketchy if Sean had introduced her as an army buddy. It was clearly never meant to be a fool-proof cover.

Marisol: So glad you could join us, Summer. Although you look a little young to be one of Sean’s army buddies.

Summer: That’s so sweet. Especially considering the shit I’ve seen. I mean, I could tell you some stories, but what happens in Australia–

Sean: Nope

Summer: Afghanistan. We were in Afghanistan. I forgot.

But Summer brings her own level of abstract fiction to the meeting, and Marisol is no fool. Once she gives Summer the heave-ho (the first time), she forces Sean to come clean about what’s bothering him. Which opens the door for her to confess a few things too.

And with that out of the way, they commence the smooching. With Summer watching. But that’s just icing at that point.

Decision Day

Out on the park bench, Alice pays off Paul with some candy (no carrots) for counselling services, and he realizes that she’s going to need him for a lot longer and that he’s not going to be around long enough.

With that, he provides her with the next best thing and hands her over to Gabby. It’s not an easy decision for him, which both women acknowledge, while appreciating his sacrifice.

(I would like to note that, seeing as Gabby has been a close family friend for so long, she’s probably not ethically allowed to counsel Alice in a professional context. It’s a really cold nitpick, I know, but needs to be pointed out.)

Adjacent to that, Gabby’s having some noticeable challenges making a connection with her newest client, Maya.

From the sessions we’ve seen — the first being a disastrous one that drove Maya out of the office at top speed — it feels like Gabby’s going to need to employ more wait time, allowing Maya space to trust and open up.

Deflection Day

Like Jimmy and Paul, Gabby’s got her own style of counseling. She’s chatty and bright and insightful. There’s a charm to her forthrightness, but she’s also naturally cocky about her reads on people. She makes assumptions based on her extensive experience, which is also natural.

However, Maya’s vibe is one of passive reticence. She’s in therapy at her friends’ insistence. They describe her as having a “dark cloud” hanging over her. She gives Gabby very little substantive material to work with.

Again, there are issues with trying to counsel someone who doesn’t want to be there. Maybe the fact that Maya is there at all means some part of her wants to connect, but currently, it seems that she’s playing a shell game with her real problems, giving fake tells to misdirect Gabby’s efforts

Honestly, I don’t have a good feeling about Maya’s journey. It’s a bad feeling at the level of Jimmy’s Shrinking Season 1 client Grace bad. I’d love to be proven wrong, but with everyone moving on, Maya feels like Gabby’s catalyst.

Delivery Day

Finally, the Big Event of “D-Day” is Ava giving birth to her baby, signing the paperwork to give custody to Brian and Charlie, and providing Jimmy with a chance to step into the dating world with Kimmy, the relatively low-stakes nurse who laughs at his jokes.

We know Kimmy won’t be a long-lived romantic connection because Liz hates her. Still, Jimmy should have a practice go before taking the leap with Sofi, right?

Babies are amazing, and Brian, Charlie, and Ava’s is ridiculously adorable. Whoever sound-edited that little coo/chirp into her face-to-face with Paul should be handed a technical Emmy, no questions asked.

As always, it’s so delightful to catch a glimpse of Liz’s soft, fuzzy underbelly. From the glee on her face as she directs Ava to listen to a woman in labor who forewent the epidural to Derek holding her back from snatching the baby from Gabby’s arms, she is a study in living life deeply.

And going back to technical prowess, am I the last person in the world to know that Christa Miller is Shrinking’s lead musical supervisor? The show’s soundtrack is a force in itself, an entirely independent emotional entity that deserves all the accolades.

Destiny Day

Okay, I admit I’m running out of relevant “D” words to keep this bit up, but allow me a moment of crunchy Field Theory.

From a narrative structural perspective, closing with Paul, the oldest character, cuddling the newborn baby is precious and symbolic, drawing attention to the fleeting nature of time.

Furthermore, the moment is fraught with potential and possibility, surrounded by a loving community. Bookended with the opening scene of Jimmy’s dinner with his father, where all their missed opportunities to connect hang in the air like agonized ghosts, it dots the “i” in “cautionary tale.”

What does this foreshadow for our beautiful people? When does the reality of fatherhood hit Brian and Charlie? How will Ava fit into this picture? To what heights will Nanny Liz take her duties?

Chime in below with your “Aw, yeah” and “Aw, shucks” moments, Fanatics! There’s a lot to unpack here. We can do it as a community. How did “D-Day” resonate with your Field?

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