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Jason Segel's comedy-drama series, Shrinking season 2 premiered on Apple TV+ on October 16, 2024. The season includes 12 episodes, with the first two released on the premiere date, followed by weekly releases every Wednesday until the finale on December 25, 2024.
Shrinking season 2 takes forward the story of Jason Segel's Jimmy, a grieving therapist who starts to break professional boundaries with his clients after the untimely death of his wife. The storytelling leads to heartfelt and comedic moments, often exploring the relations of family, friends, and lovers.
In Shrinking season 2, episode 7, Jimmy's friends and neighbors Liz and Derek had a temporary fallout after Liz confessed to impulsively kissing her ex, Mac, earlier. In episode 8, fans saw the couple reuniting, as Derek chose to forgive Liz after unpacking and talking out the deeper issues in their marital life.
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Created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein, the show has received widespread critical acclaim since its first season. The show was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and three nominations each for the Critics' Choice Awards and the TCA Awards.
Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers for Shrinking season 2, episode 8. Reader discretion is advised.
Do Derek and Liz reconcile in Shrinking season 2 episode 8?
Shrinking season 2 episode 8 saw the reconciliation of Liz and Derek after their previous episode's fallout. In episode 7, Liz went to see her ex Mac at his microbrewery in secret, all while assuring her husband that he is just a friend.
At the microbrewery, Liz and Mac ended up kissing, and although Liz pulled away, she was still feeling guilty about being unfaithful to her husband. A talk with Paul led her to be honest with Derek, and the conversation ended with Derek feeling hurt and angry with her actions, after which he left the house.
In episode 8, the audience saw Derek confiding in Gaby and Brian about the whole situation. Gaby and Brian offered him conflicting advice, Gaby told him to take some space and reflect on the whole situation while Brian told him to go and pick a fight with Mac.
Derek ended up following both of their advice. He went to the microbrewery in anger and confronted Mac. Instead of defending himself and giving Derek a chance to lash out, Mac just accepted that he was wrong for kissing Liz. The two men talked, and Mac made Derek realize that he should appreciate his wife more.
Derek went for a therapy session with Gaby and realized the issues in his marriage with Liz run deeper than Liz's cheating. He realized that he had been unsupportive in dealing with their son, Connor, and had never appreciated Liz's passions like her photography.
After this, Derek went back home and the couple apologized to each other, voicing out the feelings they had repressed for very long. The arc ended with Liz, Derek, and their three sons sharing a meal while Derek held Liz's hand, signifying a new beginning for their relationship.
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Jimmy's half-heartedly forgives Louis
In Shrinking season 2, episode 7, Jimmy saw his daughter Alice and his best friend Brian in a restaurant with Louis, the man responsible for his wife Tia's accident.
The episode ended on a cliffhanger, and viewers got to see his reaction to the situation in episode 8. Although Jimmy told Brian to leave, he listened to Alice's side of the story. She told him that she had forgiven Louis for the incident, and she wanted her father to do the same and let go of his pain.
Upon her insistence, Jimmy went to see Louis and even though he forgave Louis through his words, it was evident from his expressions, tone, and overall demeanor that the forgiveness is more because of Alice and not out of his own will. He also told Louis to get out of their lives, to which Louis agreed. This leaves a lot of still unpacked emotions about Tia's death between the characters.
A glimpse into the past
In Shrinking season 2 episode 8, fans got to see a glimpse of the past lives of the characters. After witnessing Alice, Brian, and Louis at the restaurant, Jimmy returned home, and his anger and shock gave cue to a 12-minute flashback in the episode.
In the flashback, Jimmy, Tia, and Alice had a perfectly happy life. Derek and Liz were still their neighbors, although not very much their friends. Gaby was angry with Paul for not sharing his Parkinson's diagnosis with her, and Brian had just had a terrible first date with his current husband Charlie.
The episode also added depth to Louis' character, by showing his relationship with Sarah in the days leading up to the accident. His guilt and regret in the aftermath of the accident are also shown, along with Jimmy's struggle in dealing with the death and the accident.
The next episode of Shrinking season 2, Full Grown Dude Face, will be released on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
Catch Shrinking season 2 on Apple TV+.
