This article contains spoilers for Shrinking Season 3 Episode 8.
After a standout third season so far, it’s safe to say that Shrinking stands as the best show television has to offer. This week’s episode, “Depression Diet”, streams on Apple TV from March 18. It balances grief and heartbreak with humour and growth following the events of “I Will Be Grape”.
Last week, Shrinking delivered its most devastating turn when Gaby (Jessica Williams) discovered that Maya (Sherry Cola) had died. The brutal ending sets up this week’s episode, which confirms that Maya committed suicide.
The episode opens with Gaby struggling to eat, navigating what she calls a “depression diet”. Her refusal to even watch The Lord of the Rings underlines her devastation. Derrick (Damon Wayans Jr.) steps in, asking Jimmy (Jason Segel) and Paul (Harrison Ford) to keep an eye on her. Paul, having experienced patient death before, takes charge. Jimmy, on the other hand, faces his first real encounter with the devastation of their job. The contrast between the two highlights a side of therapy that Shrinking has not explored before, as well as the imperfect ways in which found families attempt to support one another.
Derrick also drops the personal revelation that he had been planning to propose to Gaby. Paul probes for details about when he intended to ask for his approval, and when Derrick does, Paul’s delight offers a tender counterpoint to the episode’s heavier themes. Given the show centres on grief, it serves as another reminder that life continues, even in the wake of death.
Meanwhile, the series returns to Liz’s lack of boundaries – though, for once, it proves helpful. Ava (Claudia Sulewski) has been crashing with Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) since Sutton’s birth. As Liz (Christa Miller) arrives, the pair attempts to rush Ava out, more than aware that Liz is sharp-tongued and unafraid to voice her opinions regarding their situation. However, Liz quickly spots Ava’s purse, leading Charlie to confirm that she is indeed staying with them. The discovery of her thong leads to a comic standoff, with Brian insisting it is his before Charlie puts an end to the folly.
Brian and Charlie insist that Ava is staying with them until she finds work and a place of her own. Sulewski is a welcome addition to the cast, though Shrinking fails to address the complicated nature of open adoption for the birth mother. Liz refuses to believe that someone as pretty as Ava could be unemployed, pointing to the Olive Garden shirt as proof that she does, in fact, have a job. Brian hates it when Liz is right, though she admits she is rather bored with it herself. Miller remains as sharp and quick-witted as ever, elevating any storyline Shrinking throws at her.
When Liz urges Brian to confront Ava at her job, he runs away, needing to maintain his functional relationship with her. Liz remains, and Ava insists that living with Brian and Charlie has been great. She got the job earlier but was not ready to let go of the dynamic she had created with them. The pot soon calls the kettle black. Liz argues that Ava is preventing them from building their family. Ava fires back, pointing out that Liz is no different in the way she claims Sutton as her own.
Shrinking offers a sensible conclusion to the storyline. Ava chooses to move in with a friend, while Liz urges Brian and Charlie to regain control of their lives. She suggests they have allowed her to bulldoze over every opportunity. Liz recalls taking Sutton to her first brunch and taking a photo of her holding a mimosa, a detail that finally prompts Brian to fire Liz. She maintains it is for the best, even if Sutton will miss her. Liz even draws a line of her own. She will come over whenever she likes, but will not be babysitting for free anymore.
Elsewhere, Jimmy is navigating his own mess. He finally goes on a date with Sofi (Cobie Smulders) after Alice (Lukita Maxwell) nudges the two together. However, it almost immediately borders on a disaster when her ex-husband, Nick, shows up to pick up their child and stays far longer than necessary. Before the back-and-forth unfolds, the pair share a sweet moment over dinner. Tia comes up in conversation once again, and Sofi remarks that Jimmy’s love for her feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. Jimmy hesitates, then admits that while it might be, he certainly hopes it’s not. It’s a surprisingly vulnerable step forward for someone who began the season terrified of being hurt again.
The mood quickly shifts as Nick interrupts them. Though remarried, he still struts around Sofi’s home as if he owns it, letting himself in with a key and inserting himself into her space under the guise of co-parenting. Jimmy suggests counselling but stops short of offering to lead it. Sofi dryly notes that she might know a good therapist, yet even Jimmy acknowledges the obvious boundary.
In a hilarious switch-up, Jimmy begins Jimmying them, attempting to mediate to salvage the date. Jimmy points out that Nick carries guilt for blowing up their marriage. Nick counters that Jimmy is only taking Sofi’s side because he wants to sleep with her. Jimmy does little to deny it, instead turning the focus back to Sofi. Her unresolved attachment makes it easier to fall back into old patterns than to set new boundaries. She cannot blame Nick without setting boundaries herself. Sofi asks for her house key back, and he gives it to her. It’s a significant shift, signalling the beginning of a healthier dynamic and highlighting how far Jimmy has come.
Once her ex-husband and son finally leave, the tone softens. Jimmy admits he would not call it a great first date, though it did feature excellent food and interesting conversation. Sofi, undeterred, asks them to try again, prompting Jimmy to ask when. “Now,” she replies, before kissing him.
Segel and Smulders are instantly compelling together, so attuned to their characters that it’s easy to see them as Jimmy and Sofi rather than their How I Met Your Mother counterparts. Shrinking has struck gold with a pairing whose chemistry suggests a shared history, despite the characters only just meeting in Season 2 and sharing relatively few scenes until now.
At the veterans’ group, the characters honour Maya. It’s a moving gesture, one Gaby notes as a reminder that even losing an acquaintance can stir up past grief. Paul remains present to support her, heightening the magic that happens when Williams and Ford share the screen.
The episode delves further into Gaby’s professional challenges when she learns more about Maya’s past, including her mother’s drug addiction and subsequent abandonment at age ten. A couple she treats expresses frustration that they knew more than Gaby did, prompting her to confront the limits of what she can control as a therapist. Paul reassures her gently, reminding her that trauma work carries occupational hazards and that Maya’s death was not her failure. She cannot control what patients choose to share. In response, Gaby cancels her patients for the following week, acknowledging that she is not yet ready to return to her role.
“Depression Diet” reinforces what Shrinking does best. It finds humour in discomfort, honesty in grief, and growth appropriate for each character’s journey. Emily Wilson writes an episode that both sits with its loss and allows the ensemble to move forward as the series nears its season finale.
