Shrinking Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Happiness Mission

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

There’s a daytime soap narrative device I always appreciated where the pre-credits scenes provided a cheat sheet on which characters would appear in that particular episode. No Stefano before the credits? No point paying attention today.

Shrinking Season 3 Episode 2, “Happiness Mission,” takes that device for a joyride with 10 of its 30 minutes playing out before the credits, but I’m still grateful that we’re reassured of the general safe and hilarious ground to be tread on this outing.

Paul doesn’t get to Paul like he wants to. Jimmy’s Jimmying everyone in sight. And Gabby’s losing her Gabby-ness. “Happiness Mission” has a route mapped out and drives the hell out of it.

Shrinking “Happiness Mission”

Happiness is such an ephemeral thing. You’d think you could just be happy without putting thought or effort into it, but once you’re mindful of a lack of happiness, it’s that much harder to grasp.

Coming back from grief and/or guilt is the hardest. Jimmy and Louis make that clear. Neither thinks they deserve happiness. The idea of being happy again terrifies them.

It’s much easier to hide in safe, mundane, unstimulating environments, plugging away at thankless jobs like making the world’s worst coffee, and treading water in the purgatory of life as penance for your sins.

That is, until a six-foot-tall woman with tears in her eyes tells you that wasting your life is disrespectful to her and her best friend, the woman you killed, who no longer has a life to live or waste. DAMN.

Louis’s mission launches successfully, blasting through his mental block about seeing Sarah, his Kate Hudson-lookalike ex-girlfriend (who is played by Kate Hudson’s IRL sister-in-law).

Sure, showing up with no notice, chauffeured by the man who he made a widower, was a choice. But otherwise, it went well, up to and including meeting her new Hallmark-Christmas-movie-star, Jamie Tartt-lookalike boyfriend.

And Louis doesn’t look back. One hike with his besties and he’s off on his bike, dropping the mic on Jimmy’s Sofi secret with Alice as he pedals away. Best exit ever.

How He Met Someone Else’s Mother

There’s nothing quite as sweet as a reunion. Seeing Marshall and Robin reunited on Shrinking Season 2 Episode 10, “Changing Patterns,” was a thrill. Having them bookend “Happiness Mission” with their frantic aborted approaches to each other’s homes is pure delight.

Watching them blunder through a flirty-awkward doorstep conversation was trademark cringe, even with the adorably coordinated tops they’re wearing.

The best part of their 14-minute coffee date is the aftermath when Liz, Derek, and Sean all chime in from their various vantage points around Jimmy’s ENORMOUS backyard.

Don’t I Know You From Somewhere?

As we round the corner into the meat of Shrinking Season 3, the evidence mounts that the cast and creatives are treating it like the Ocean’s movies, where they invited all their friends to be a part of a fun, well-written, expertly-directed production.

My suspicions began with Colbie Smulders as Sofi in the Season 2 finale, but really flowered with Isabella Gomez here as Sean’s ex, Marisol. ICYMI, Gomez starred with Christa Miller on HBO Max’s 2021 reboot of Head of the Class.

Once I was down that rabbit hole, it turns out this was the first HotC alum Miller had scooped. Gavin Lewis plays Liz’s favorite son and Alice’s one-time booty call, Connor.

And let’s not forget the Scrubs gang. Zach Braff has directed episodes in all three seasons. And everyone’s favorite Janitor, Neil Flynn, plays Ray, one of Paul’s regular patients.

Hallu-lus and the Shadow Self

Allegedly, “Happiness Mission” is a Paul-centered story. Since his hallucinations mean he can’t practice as a psychologist, he finds his need to help and advise others spilling over into his social group.

Despite resenting Liz in the role of his schedule-dominatrix, he can’t help but notice how Matthew’s failure to fly the nest bothers her and Derek. When Derek comes to him for counselling in Brian’s gay men’s gym locker room, he doesn’t hold back.

“Here’s the thing, Derek, that vulnerable kid still lives in you. We call it the Shadow Self. So when it comes to Matthew, you think you’re being a good, selfless dad when you’re coddling him, but you’re not worried about causing him pain. The person you’re worried about hurting is you. And that’s selfish.” — Paul

We’ve seen Paul provide candy-funded therapy for Alice in the park before and snippets of his sessions with clients. However, “Mission Happiness” is the first time we see him doing truly in-depth analysis out in the wild. The hallu-lus have forced him to Jimmy-fy his technique.

The Shadow Self lesson resonates with Gabby’s plotline, where her dissatisfaction with private practice counselling combines with her personal resentment of Louis’s presence on the periphery of her life to bubble over into a disastrous first session with her new client, Maya.

Mission on the Move

The key to Shrinking’s appeal is that we are all deeply invested in all these characters finding true and lasting happiness. The secret sauce is knowing how to pace it so they achieve it in a believable and probable context.

Jimmy’s going to second-guess his relationship with Sofi. That’s gonna slow his roll. Sofi’s clearly got some insecurities as well. Sean’s ex is a ghost from a past he’s loathe to confront.

Paul’s worsening condition — F*CK Parkinson’s — means he must accommodate physical (and mental) setbacks, which can only make him more curmudgeonly.

And Gabby’s at multiple crossroads in her life — personally, professionally, and romantically — where choosing happiness isn’t instinctual.

Just as Alice realized on Shrinking Season 3 Episode 1, “My Bad,” how lucky she is to have this entourage at her back, we are grateful for them in all their messy, loving, chaotic, snarky brilliance.

They make us cry and laugh and think. With “Mission Happiness,” they set plans in motion with a destination that may look very different when they arrive from what they expect, but we’re with them every step of the way.

Whose happiness are you most invested in, Fanatics? What missteps do you predict? Hit our comments with your hottest takes and coolest wish list items!

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